Blitz Bureau
THE University Grants Commission (UGC) has released guidelines allowing students to complete undergraduate degrees faster or slower than the standard duration by earning required credits. The commission will seek public inputs before implementing them next year. Under the new policy, higher education institutions (HEIs) will offer Accelerated Degree Programmes (ADP) and Extended Degree Programmes (EDP) alongside standard programmes. Students can opt for these alternatives after admission into a standard programme, based on their performance in the first or second semester.
“The introduction of accelerated and extended degree programmes is a transformative step in making higher education more inclusive and flexible, allowing students to move through the curriculum at their own pace while meeting the required academic standards,” UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said.
ADP students will follow the same curriculum and credit requirements as standard programmes but complete degrees faster. They can transition to ADP after the first or second semester. A three-year undergraduate programme can be completed in five semesters, while a four-year programme can be completed in six or seven semesters. EDP students will also follow the same curriculum but over an extended duration. They can opt for EDP after the first or second semester, taking fewer credits per semester. Threeyear or four-year programmes can be extended by up to two semesters.
