The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified the UGC (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012 on 21 St September, 2013.

As per the Regulations, only such Foreign Educational Institutions shall be allowed to collaborate and have twinning arrangement with Indian Educational Institutions which are accredited wth highest grade in their homeland. The collaboration shall be allowed with only those Indian institutions which are accredited by nationally recognized accrediting agencies with a grade not less than B or its equivalent in respect of institutional accreditation or a threshold level of accreditation in respect of program accreditation, as the case may be.

Any Indian Educational Institution or Foreign Educational Institution already having a collaborative arrangement shall comply with these regulations within a period of six months from the date of their coming into force.

Any collaborative arrangement, by whatever name, between a Foreign Educational Institution and an Indian Educational Institution, in violation of the regulations shall be declared as “unauthorized collaboration” and action shall be taken against such institutions as per the provisions under the Regulations.

A franchise arrangement, by whatever name, between a Foreign Educational Institution and an Indian Educational Institution shall not be allowed under these regulations.

With the notification of these regulations, no Foreign Educational Institution or Indian Educational Institution shall establish or operate its educational activity in India through collaboration leading to award of degree(s) and postgraduate diploma(s) without express permission or approval of the commission.

Any dispute arising in regard to collaborative arrangement between Indian Educational Institution(s) and Foreign Educational Institution(s) shall be governed by the Indian law.

The UGC has so far not approved any proposal for collaboration with any foreign educational institution under these regulations.