The University Grants Commission has extended the deadline for admissions to Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and online programs for the academic session of July–August 2025. The new registration deadline is now 15 October 2025, replacing the earlier deadline of 15 September. The extension has been provided upon repeated requests from the higher educational institutions to afford them more time to complete their admissions beyond the UGC stipulations. Hence, the Commission has directed participating institutions to strictly follow this new timeline for the smooth enrolment procedure.
However, with this extension, UGC has also introduced a major change that affects the programmes in healthcare and allied disciplines. Effective from the 2025-26 academic session, higher education institutions will no longer be permitted to offer certain healthcare-related specialisations through ODL or online modes. The 592nd UGC meeting on 23 July 2025 made a decision based on recommendations from the 24th Distance Education Bureau Working Group meeting held on 22 April 2025.
Prohibition on Healthcare and Related Programs in Online and ODL Modes
The UGC has banned remote programs under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021. The affected specialisations include:
Colleges and universities that have already obtained recognition to run these programmes in online or ODL formats will have that recognition withdrawn by UGC. In cases where multidisciplinary courses like the Bachelor of Arts offer multiple majors, including healthcare specialisations, only the healthcare-related majors will be discontinued through online/ODL modes. All institutions have received a strict directive to refrain from enrolling students in these programs starting from the July-August 2025 session.
Warning Against Unrecognised Foreign Collaborations
The UGC has also issued a public advisory warning students and higher educational institutions against engaging in unrecognised collaborations with foreign educational providers. Any degree or diploma earned through such unapproved collaborations will be invalid and not recognised in India. The UGC reminded stakeholders that they must obtain clear approval for all foreign collaborations. This includes agreements for joint and dual degrees, as well as for foreign campuses in India.
What This Means for Students and Institutions
This extension in admission deadlines allows HEIs more time to process applications and admission for courses other than those with banned specializations in online and ODL mode. Students interested in online courses are advised to check the recognition status of their courses and institutions from the official UGC-DEB portal to ensure the legitimacy of their qualification.
The ban on healthcare-related programmes shows that the UGC wants to protect the sanctity and quality of professional healthcare education so that it can be imparted only in proper academic institutions.
Thus, while students are given some extended timelines to get enrolled in online and ODL programmes for the 2025-26 session, they need to be aware of the new restrictions in the case of some healthcare and allied subjects. Institutions must also strictly adhere to the new amendments so as to save themselves from any penalty and so that their students can have a valid certification.
