Unaccredited Universities Offering Online Degree in India – UGC Guidelines 2025

Unaccredited Universities Offering Online Degree in India – UGC Guidelines 2025

#MBA
Arushi PanditaUpdated on 19 Jun 2025, 02:56 PM IST

Online education has witnessed a significant growth in recent years, with over 95 UGC-approved colleges offering online degree programmes. These degrees provide flexible and accessible learning options to students and working professionals. However, this rapid growth has led to a rise in unaccredited institutions, raising concerns about academic quality and the credibility of online degree courses.

Unaccredited Universities Offering Online Degree in India – UGC Guidelines 2025
Unaccredited Universities Offering Online Degree in India – UGC Guidelines 2025

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has laid down guidelines for higher educational institutions (HEIs) in India for offering programmes under online mode. These guidelines ensure that only accredited institutions are allowed to offer online programmes. The UGC has also prohibited HEIs from offering online programmes.

Unaccredited Universities For Online Programmes

The table below highlights the list of unaccredited institutes offering online degrees in India as per the latest UGC guidelines:

Unaccredited InstitutionsStateDetails

Suresh Gyan Vihar University

Rajasthan

Banned from offering online programmes for five academic sessions beginning from July–August 2024.

No applications for the academic year 2024-25 and 2025-26 shall be considered to offer online programmes, even under the “Entitled Category.”

Periyar University

Tamil Nadu

Banned from offering online programmes for two academic years, 2024-

25 and 2025-26, starting from academic

session beginning July-August 2024, even under "Entitled Category".


The institutions listed above are prohibited by the UGC from offering online degree programmes. Therefore, students are strongly advised to verify the recognition status of higher education institutions for their academic session on the official UGC DEB website. They should also review details on the respective HEI’s websites and take note of any banned online programmes or restrictions on the official website.

Also Read: Online MBA Enrolment vs. Passing Percentage vs. Placements: Trends Revealed

UGC Guidelines 2025: Why Institutions Are Prohibited From Offering Online Degrees?

According to the UGC guidelines, some higher educational institutions have been restricted from offering online degree programmes. The reasons outlined below explain why certain institutes are barred from offering online courses in India:

No Approval from UGC-DEB

The UGC Distance Education Bureau (UGC DEB) is the regulatory body that grants approval to institutions for offering online and distance education programmes in India. Institutes without this specific approval cannot legally offer online courses in India. The approval process involves meeting various criteria related to infrastructure, faculty qualifications, content quality, and assessment mechanisms.

Failure to Maintain LMS

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are digital platforms essential for delivering online education. The UGC guidelines mandate that institutes maintain robust, user-friendly LMS platforms with specific features for content delivery, student tracking, and assessment. Institutions that fail to maintain adequate LMS infrastructure are disqualified from offering online degree programmes.

No Clarity in Programme Details

UGC guidelines encourage universities to have complete transparency in programme structure, curriculum, learning outcomes, and assessment methods. Institutions must provide detailed information about these aspects on their official websites. Institutes that offer incomplete programme details are regarded as not adhering to UGC regulatory standards.

No Track Record of Academic Delivery

The UGC requires institutions to demonstrate proven experience in delivering quality education. Institutes with established track records of at least 3-5 years in online or blended teaching can offer online courses. This ensures that only experienced educational providers offer quality online education to students. However, institutes with no prior experience in delivering online education are not eligible.

Also Read: Does IIM BLACKI Offer Online MBA?

List of Prohibited Programmes in Online Mode

The programmes mentioned below are prohibited from being offered under ODL and online modes:

Engineering

Medical

Physiotherapy

Occupational Therapy and other Para-Medical disciplines

Pharmacy

Nursing

Dental

Architecture

Law

Agriculture

Horticulture

Hotel Management

CateringTechnology

Culinary Sciences

Aircraft Maintenance

Visual Arts

Sports

Aviation

Yoga

Tourism and Hospitality Management


Apart from the above programmes, M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes in all disciplines are also prohibited under Open and Distance learning and online mode.

Also Read: Think Twice! These Online Programs Could Be a Waste of Your Time and Money

The UGC guidelines aim to protect students from unaccredited institutions offering unrecognised online degrees, ensuring academic integrity in online education. Students must verify an institute’s recognition status on the official UGC-DEB portal before enrolling, thus protecting their future and valuing their education.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the duration of a valid online MBA in India?
A:

The minimum duration of an online MBA programme is two years as per UGC guidelines.

Q: What should students verify before enrolling in an online degree?
A:

Students must verify the UGC-DEB approval, NAAC or NIRF status, programme transparency, faculty qualifications, and infrastructure such as LMS on official websites.

Q: How can I check if an institute is UGC-approved for an online MBA?
A:

Students must check UGC guidelines for online MBA or other programmes by visiting the official UGC-DEB website and confirm the approval status of institutions offering online programmes.

Q: Why did UGC ban institutions from offering online degree courses?
A:

UGC banned certain institutions due to lack of approvals, poor infrastructure, no adherence to UGC guidelines, and failure to meet quality benchmarks.

Q: Can unaccredited universities offer online MBA in India?
A:

Only UGC-DEB-approved institutions with NAAC accreditation or NIRF ranking are eligible to offer online MBA programmes in India.

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Questions related to MBA

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to MBA ?

Hello, the MBA in Finance at Andhra Mahila School of Informatics is a 2 year program where you’ll study subjects like accounting, financial management, and strategy along with projects and internships. The total fee is around 90,000. Placements are decent, with an average package of about 3.5 to 4 LPA, and companies like Deloitte, Infosys, and ICICI visit the campus. If you stay focused and build skills, you can get good opportunities through the placement cell.

Yes, you can pursue an MBA at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, through the CAT exam.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Educational Qualification: A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) from a recognized university.

  • Entrance Exam: A valid CAT score is required for admission.

Admission Process:

  1. Application: Register online through the BBAU admission portal.

  2. Entrance Exam: Appear for the CAT exam and obtain a valid score.

  3. Counseling: Shortlisted candidates will be called for counseling based on their CAT scores.

  4. Document Verification: Submit necessary documents for verification.

  5. Fee Payment: Complete the fee payment to confirm admission.

Course Details:

  • Duration: 2 years (full-time).

  • Specializations: Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, among others.

Placement Opportunities:
BBAU has a strong placement record, with top companies recruiting MBA graduates.

For more details and to apply, visit the  official BBAU MBA admission page

Yes Anil, after completing GNM with 4 years of experience, you are eligible to pursue MBA or PGDM. It’s a good option if you want to grow into hospital administration, healthcare management, or pharma management roles. Institutes like Goa Institute of Management (Healthcare PGDM), Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, or even General MBA programs in reputed B-schools can be considered. Your professional experience will add strong value during admission and placements. I would personally suggest going for a Healthcare/Hospital Management specialization to align with your background.

Hello,

Here are some of the top MBA colleges in Mumbai:

  • IIM Mumbai (NITIE)

  • SJMSOM, IIT Bombay

  • SPJIMR

  • JBIMS

  • NMIMS (School of Business Management)

  • K J Somaiya Institute of Management

  • TISS Mumbai

  • Welingkar (WeSchool)

  • SDA Bocconi Asia Center

If you are looking for top placement and brand value , IIM Mumbai, SJMSOM, SPJIMR and JBIMS are the best.
For affordable options with good ROI , TISS and JBIMS stand out.

Hope it helps !

Hello

As you want to pursue mba near Delhi NCR , we can sugget you some good colleges for that !

The colleges are -

1.Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi

2.Department of Management Studies (DMS), IIT Delhi

3.Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon

4.Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Delhi

5.IIM Rohtak (NCR region)

You can go for private colleges too like Great lakes , jaipuria , BIMTECH , IMI

These above colleges provide good placements too , you can surely go for it according to your convenience

Hope this helps !