September 27, 2025, New Delhi: University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued comprehensive guidelines for students seeking admission in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online Learning (OL) programmes for the 2025-26 academic session, with the last date for admissions set as October 15, 2025.
The public notice emphasizes mandatory verification of Higher Educational Institution (HEI) recognition status before enrollment. Students must check the year-wise, session-wise status of recognized institutions on the UGC DEB website at https://deb.ugc.ac.in/ before taking admission decisions.
“Students must register on the UGC-DEB portal using their Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) ID to generate a unique DEB-ID,” states the notification issued by UGC Secretary Prof. Manish R. Joshi. This DEB-ID becomes mandatory for enrolling in ODL/Online programmes and remains valid throughout the student’s academic lifecycle.
The guidelines strictly prohibit admission in several professional programmes including Engineering, Medical, Law, Agriculture, Nursing, Pharmacy, Architecture, and Aviation through ODL/Online modes. Additionally, M.Phil and Ph.D programmes in all disciplines are not permitted through these modes.
Key Prohibited Programmes Include:
- Engineering and Medical courses
- Law, Nursing, and Pharmacy programmes
- Architecture and Aviation courses
- Agriculture and Horticulture programmes
- Hotel Management and Catering Technology
- Visual Arts and Sports programmes
- All allied healthcare programmes under NCAHP Act 2021
UGC has debarred Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Rajasthan from offering online programmes for five academic sessions beginning July-August 2024. Periyar University, Tamil Nadu is banned from online programmes for academic years 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Important Verification Steps for Students:
- Check HEI recognition status on UGC DEB website
- Verify entitlement status for specific programmes
- Ensure territorial jurisdiction compliance for ODL programmes
- Confirm no franchising arrangements exist
- Generate mandatory DEB-ID using ABC credentials
The regulations ensure that degrees awarded through ODL/Online modes by UGC-recognized institutions are equivalent to conventional mode degrees. Students can also transfer between learning modes within the same institution with proper approvals.
All HEIs must display applications, affidavits, regulatory approvals, and self-regulation disclosures on their websites as per UGC regulations. Students are advised to regularly check the UGC-DEB website for updates and prohibited programme lists before enrollment.