UGC Full Form

The UGC's full form in education is the University Grant Commission. UGF was set up by the government of India as a statutory body following the UGC act 1956 for the coordination, determination, and maintenance of standards in higher education. It provides recognition to Indian universities and distribution of funds to such universities and colleges. The UGC headquarter is located in New Delhi.

To ensure effective coverage of all the regions throughout the country, six regional centers in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Bangalore are set up by UGC. The UGC offers doctor scholarships to those who clear the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in the National Eligibility Test.

What is the Full Form of UGC?

UGC full form is University Grant Commission.

UGC History

UGC's full name, University Grant Commission, was established in1945 to look after the work of three Central Universities of Aligarh, Banaras, and New Delhi. Its responsibility to cover all Indian Universities was further extended in 1942. 

The UGC in November 1956 became a statutory body upon the passing of the “ University Grant Commission Act, 1956” by the Government of India. The UGC in 1994 and 1995 disseminated its operation by setting up six regional centres in  Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Bangalore.  The headquarter of the UGC is located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi. It also has two bureaus or agencies, with one operating from 35, Feroze Shah Road, and the other from the South Campus of the University of New Delhi.

The Government of India set up a National Institution of Ranking Framework under UGC in December 2015, which aims to rank all educational institutes.

In December 2017, D.P. Singh, former director of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NACC) was appointed as a chairman of UGC  for 5 years. 

UGC Full Form in English and Its Mandates

The UGC full form in English, University Grant Commission,  has the incomparable divergence of being the only grant-giving agency in the country which has been laid down by two responsibilities with one being providing funds and the other with the task of coordination, determination, and maintenance of standard in institutions of higher education. 

The UGC Mandate Includes:

• Promoting and coordinating university education.

• Determining and maintaining the standard of teaching, examination, and research in universities.

• Formulating regulations on minimum standards of education. 

• Acting as an important link between the Union and State Government and institutions of higher education.  

• Advising the Central and State Government on the measures important for the improvement of university education.  

• Supervising developments in the field of collegiate and university education, distributing grants to the universities and colleges. 

UGC Long Form 

UGC's full name is University Grant Commission. The different types of Universities regulate by the UGC are as follows:

• Central University or Union University, are established in India by an Act of Parliament and are under the confines of the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education. In general, Central Universities are recognized by the UGC which drew its powers from the University Grant Commission Act 1956. The UGC listed 54 Central Universities as of March 31, 2021.

• Private Universities are appointed by the UGC. They can offer degrees but are not permitted to have off-campus affiliated colleges. As of December 2017, the UGC listed 282 private universities.

• State Universities are managed by the state government of each of the states and territories of India and are generally established by the local legislative act. The UGC listed 252 State Universities under section 12(B) of the UGC act 1956 and are eligible to receive central support as of May 17, 2021. Most State Universities are affiliated universities in that they manage many affiliated colleges (many located in a very small town) that generally offer a range of undergraduate courses, but may also offer postgraduate courses. Most established colleges may also offer Ph.D courses in some departments with the approval of the affiliating university.

• Deemed University or Deemed to be University is an accreditation offered to the higher educational institution in India. It is offered by the Department of Higher Education on the advice of UGC under section 3 of the UGC act. Indian Institute of Science was the first university to be granted deemed university status on May 12, 1958. The UGC listed 125 Deemed Universities as of March 31, 2021.

The UGC has also listed 24 fake universities operating in India. UGC had stated that these 24 self-titled unrecognized institutions functioning in violations of the UGC act have been declared as fake and are not eligible to confer any degrees.   

UGC Professions Council

UGC stands for University Grant Commission, along with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CISR), conducts National Eligibility Test (NET) for appointment of teachers in colleges and universities. UGC has NET qualification mandatory for teaching students at graduation and post-graduation level since July 2009. However, those holding PhD degrees are given only 5 percent relaxation.

Accreditation for higher post-secondary education over universities under the supervision of the University Grant Commission (UGC) is inspected by the following 15 autonomous statutory institutions. 

• All Indian Council For Technical Education

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research

• Bar council of India

• National Council for Teaching Education

• Rehabilitation council of India

• Medical Council of India/National Medical Commission

• Pharmacy council of India

• Indian nursing council

• Dental Council of India

• National Council for Rural Institutes

• Council of Architecture

• Cental, Council of Homeopathic

• Central Council of Indian Medicine

• Various State Council of Higher Education