Higher Education in India

India is the second-largest education network, globally. The country has around 950 universities and 45000 colleges. India provides quality education that is also affordable especially in the engineering and technology disciplines. The higher education system in India is dynamic. Educational institutes are recognized as Central Institutes, State Universities, private universities, deemed universities, public colleges, private colleges, and autonomous colleges.

The Study India Scholarships has partnered with many top colleges and universities. Most Indian institutes offer education for the following program level:

Undergraduate and Bachelor’s Level

• The UG Level or Bachelor’s degree can be obtained under 3 years of study.
• This includes Bachelor’s in Arts (B.A.), Bachelor’s in Science (B.Sc.), and Bachelor’s in Commerce (B.Com.).
• There are many professional courses as well like engineering (B.E., B.Tech.), Dentistry (M.D.), and Pharmacy (B.Pharma.). These can range from 4 to 5 years.
• Students’ eligibility criteria include a passing certificate of 10+2 years of schooling.

Post Graduate or Master’s Level

• The PG Level courses are of 2 years duration.
• It can be pursued once a student completes the Bachelor’s degree.

Doctoral Studies/ Ph.D. Level

This level of Education includes research work under a guide and submitting the thesis.

• Phil courses take about 18 months to 2 years for their completion.
• D. programs are a minimum of 3 years and can also take more than that.

Certificate and Diploma Courses

• These are short-term courses and only take about 6 months to a year for their completion.
• Many universities and colleges offer these part-time and full-time courses.

University Grants Commission (UGC)

This is the statutory body that ensures that Indian educational institutes maintain their quality standards, in terms of global educational trends. University Grants Commission, also known as UGC, was established in 2018 under the Categorization of Universities (only) for Grant of Graded Autonomy Regulations.

The UGC divides  universities into three categories:

• Category-I

Category-I University is recognized if it fulfills one or more of the following:

– NAAC should have accredited it, with a score of 3.51 or above.

– It must have received a corresponding accreditation grade/ score from a reputed accreditation agency as impaneled by the UGC.

– It Should have its place among the top 500 of reputed world rankings, such as Times Higher Education or QS.

• Category-II

Category-II University is recognized if it satisfies one or more of the following:

–  NAAC should have accredited the university with a score of 3.26 and above, up to 3.50; – University must have a corresponding accreditation grade/score from a reputed accreditation agency as impaneled by the UGC.

• Category-III

Category-III University comes into effect if it doesn’t fall under the above two categories.