As the new National Education Policy (NEP) announced and in order to allow students to acquire multiple skills and to improve the career prospects, the UGC introduced new guidelines to allow a candidate to pursue two degree programmes at the same time. The aim is to provide as much flexibility as possible to the students. These guidelines are part of the NEP and are aimed to customise and personalise education, even allow multidisciplinary education across various domains. It is a great opportunity for students to expand their skills. The programme will be implemented from the current academic year (2022-23). Students can either opt for two degrees or a combination, to exemplify, a degree and a diploma, from either the same university or a different institute.

Can I Pursue both the Degrees in Physical Mode??

Yes, students are now eligible to pursue two degrees in physical-physical mode, physical-online mode or online-online mode. Two full-time programmes can be taken up in physical mode; however, the time schedule for classes and other academic activities for both degree programmes should not clash with each other, for example, if a student is pursuing B.Tech from IIT Delhi in the morning or regular session, he can pursue BA in Economics from Delhi University, provided it is offered in the evening session. Courses can be taken from the same university or from different universities. Students will also be allowed to pursue multidisciplinary programmes as well.

Hey what about the attendance??

Kumar also added, “UGC does not mandate any attendance requirements and these are the policies of the universities.” All academic programmes have minimum attendance requirements for students to be able to take the exams, universities will have to devise the attendance criteria for these courses.

How to get admissions in certain universities??

The admission criteria for courses that will be offered for dual degree programmes, will be decided by the respective universities and institutions. However, in the case of central universities, candidates will have to appear and qualify in CUET – Common University Entrance Test in order to seek admission to dual degree programmes. The university will have to frame its own academic ordinances based on the UGC guidelines on two degrees which will govern this arrangement.

Can I carry my credits forward??

The dual degree program scheme will permit students to carry credits across degrees only if they fulfil the basic requirements. However, when it comes to degree programmes, candidates will be required to earn and fulfil all credit requirements as specified by the university guidelines. No concession in credit requirements will be offered as part of the Dual Degree Programmes.

Can I pursue one undergraduate programme, and one postgraduate programme at the same time??

No, as suggested by UGC, students are provided flexibility in choosing the Dual Degree Courses so they can pursue two degrees either at the undergraduate level or at the postgraduate level. Therefore, students are not eligible to pursue undergraduate degree and postgraduate degree simultaneously as part of the UGC’s Dual Degree Programme.