1 November 2026 • 6 min read
Many Indian edtech companies sell "online degrees" in partnership with a university. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has said for years that one version of this model is not allowed, and the Ministry of Education repeated it in Parliament in August 2026. If you run, fund or market an online degree product, this page sets out what the regulator has written, what it has not written, and the checks to do before you spend on a partnership. It is a reading of public notices, not legal advice.
UGC notified the Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes Regulations, 2020 on 4 September 2020. They were amended on 1 July 2021, 18 July 2022 and 2 May 2024. UGC's call for 2026-27 applications and its July 2026 recognition orders still cite these Regulations and their amendments, so they remain the base rule.
The key line, from UGC's public notice of 16 January 2022: the Regulations mandate that recognised or entitled universities "shall not offer ODL and/or Online programme(s) under any franchise arrangement and the HEIs themselves are completely responsible for the programme(s)". The notice then addresses edtech directly. Some companies were advertising degree and diploma programmes "in association with" universities, and UGC said such a franchise arrangement is not permissible and that action will be taken against edtech companies and universities alike.
UGC's student notice from November 2024 adds detail on what a franchise means in practice:
UGC's FAQ says the same in plain words: no admission shall be made in a programme claimed to be offered by a university in association with a private service provider.
On 5 August 2026 the Minister of State for Education gave a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, published by PIB. It says UGC noticed edtech companies advertising ODL and online degrees with recognised institutions, that such franchisee arrangements are not permissible, and that any such programme or degree does not have UGC recognition. It adds that action will be initiated against defaulting edtech companies and institutions, and that students should check the programme's status on the UGC Distance Education Bureau (DEB) site before enrolling.
The same reply says that as per the latest list, published in February 2026, 32 institutions had been identified as fake universities.
The notices I read bar franchising and name the learning platform and admissions as the university's own. They do not list what service roles an edtech firm may still hold. A model where the edtech brand sells the degree, collects admissions, runs the support centre or owns the platform is the one the notices describe as not permissible. Models where a company supplies content, marketing support or technology to a university that keeps ownership and runs admissions are not discussed in these notices, and I have not found a UGC statement that clears them. Get a written legal opinion before you rely on one.
| Check | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Is the university recognised or entitled for this session? | UGC-DEB website, session by session. UGC says last year's status does not show this year's. |
| Is the programme on its list? | The DEB list of programmes for the university |
| Is the discipline permitted online? | UGC's prohibited list (below) |
| Does it hold other approvals? | Statutory or regulator letters, listed on the university's own site |
| Is the university debarred? | UGC notices on the DEB site. UGC's November 2024 notice lists universities banned from offering online or ODL programmes for set sessions |
UGC also tells universities to write "UGC entitled as per the UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 and its amendment(s)" instead of "UGC recognized" in their materials. If your ads say "UGC recognised" for an entitled university, check the wording with the university's counsel.
UGC's list of disciplines prohibited in ODL and online mode includes engineering, medical and para-medical subjects, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, nursing, dental, architecture, law, agriculture, horticulture, hotel management, catering technology, culinary sciences, aircraft maintenance, visual arts, sports and aviation, plus any programme that a statutory or regulatory body does not permit in these modes. Yoga and tourism and hospitality management at UG and PG level are not permitted online either. M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes in all disciplines are prohibited.
For management, computer applications and travel and tourism, UGC's August 2024 order says that central, state and private universities do not need prior approval, recommendation or NOC from AICTE to offer UG, PG and PG diploma programmes in those disciplines online or through ODL. Deemed universities still have to get AICTE's prior approval, recommendation or NOC. A deemed-university partner offering these programmes online needs that letter on file.
UGC decided at its 581st meeting on 25 June 2024 that learners must register on the UGC-DEB portal with their Academic Bank of Credit ID to get a DEB-ID. The DEB-ID is mandatory to enrol in ODL or online programmes at recognised or entitled institutions from the 2024-25 academic year. If you run the enrolment funnel, the DEB-ID step needs a place in your onboarding flow, and the university should own it.
Check the final wording with a lawyer who knows UGC's rules before you sign a partnership.
Not as a franchise. UGC's notices say the university must keep ownership of the programme, admissions, support centres and learning platform. What other roles a company can hold is not set out in the notices I read, so take written legal advice.
Regulation 22, quoted in UGC's FAQ, treats UG and PG degrees that follow UGC's Specification of Degrees notification, awarded in ODL or online mode by institutions recognised by the Commission under the Regulations, as equivalent to conventional degrees. Check the programme's status on the DEB site for the session you join.
UGC's FAQ says IITs, IIMs, IISc and other Institutes of National Importance do not come under UGC's purview for ODL and online approval.
The UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020, as amended. PIB says action against defaulters will be taken under applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Related on this site: edtech monetization models in India.