UGC Approval Checker: Is Your University and Degree Valid?

How you will study

Valid

2 of 2 checks passed

Checked by Career Bhavan against UGC’s and UGC-DEB’s lists on 2 November 2026.

Share

Can award a valid regular degree

  • On UGC’s list of universitiesCentral University, UGC status 2(f) and 12B. It can award degrees.
  • Not on UGC’s fake-universities listChecked against all of UGC’s declared fake universities.

Not sure a course is worth it, even when it is approved? A counsellor can check fees, recognition and your options with you, free.

A free call with a CareerBhavan counsellor, at a time that suits you.

The short answer

A degree is valid when the university is on UGC’s list and not on its fake-universities list, and, for online or distance study, when UGC-DEB lists that exact programme for the year you enrol. Pick your university, mode and programme to check all three against UGC’s own lists.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Type your university’s name or short form, such as IGNOU, AMU or NMIMS, and pick it from the list.

  2. 2

    Choose how you will study: regular (on campus), online, or distance (ODL).

  3. 3

    For online or distance, pick your programme from the university’s approved list, or say it is not there.

How the check works

Career Bhavan keeps three of UGC’s official lists as searchable data and checks them every month: UGC’s list of 1,304 universities (central, state, state private and deemed), UGC’s list of 32 fake universities, and UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 lists of the 210 universities allowed to teach online or by distance, with every approved programme. The checker finds your university on each list.

A regular degree needs the first two checks. An online or distance degree also needs the university on UGC-DEB’s list for that mode and your programme on its list, because approval is given programme by programme and year by year. Whatever the university, UGC does not allow engineering, medicine, dental, pharmacy, nursing, architecture, physiotherapy, law, agriculture, hotel management, culinary studies, an MPhil or a PhD in online or distance mode. IGNOU is the one exception to the list check: UGC exempted IGNOU from the UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 by letter F.No. 1-19/2020 (DEB-I) dated 30 March 2021, so its programmes do not appear on UGC-DEB’s lists.

Professional courses also need their council’s approval, such as AICTE for engineering and management or BCI for law. The checker does not cover those councils.

UGC lists checked 2 November 2026. UGC-DEB lists published September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a university is UGC approved?

Search its name on UGC’s list of universities, which covers central, state, state private and deemed universities. Then check it is not on UGC’s fake-universities list. For an online or distance degree, also check UGC-DEB’s list for the current academic year, because approval there is given programme by programme. This checker does all three in one step.

Is an online or distance degree valid for jobs?

Yes, if the university was on UGC-DEB’s list for that programme and mode in the year you enrolled. Regulation 22 of the UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 treats such degrees as equal to regular degrees. A programme that is missing from the list for your year is not recognised, even if the university itself is.

Is an IGNOU degree valid?

Yes. IGNOU was set up by an Act of Parliament, and UGC exempted it from the 2020 online and distance regulations by a letter dated 30 March 2021, which is why it does not appear on UGC-DEB’s lists. UGC’s ban on subjects such as engineering, medicine and law in distance mode still applies.

Which courses cannot be studied online or by distance?

UGC does not allow engineering, medicine, dental, pharmacy, nursing, architecture, physiotherapy, law, agriculture, hotel management and culinary studies in online or distance mode, nor an MPhil or PhD. A distance B.Tech or online LLB is not a recognised degree, whichever university offers it.

Why is IIT or NIT not on UGC’s list?

IITs, NITs, AIIMS and other Institutions of National Importance are set up by their own Acts of Parliament and award degrees under them, so they are not on UGC’s list of universities. Their degrees are valid. This checker covers universities.

My college is not in the list. Is it fake?

Not necessarily. Most colleges are affiliated to a university, and the degree is awarded by that university, not the college. Search the university your college is affiliated to. If you cannot find it, or the college says it awards its own degree without being a university, ask before you pay.

Related tools

See all tools
Saved0