UGC reiterates colleges to keep 25 percent extra seats for foreign students

NEW DELHI: To promote the internationalisation of Indian higher educational institutions (HEIs), the University Grants Commission (UGC) has once again reiterated guidelines mandating reserving supernumerary seats for international students.

Under the guidelines, HEIs have been asked to allocate up to 25 percent of supernumerary seats for international students.

In a public notice, it said that to facilitate the internationalisation of Indian HEIs, the UGC has framed the guidelines for admission and creation of supernumerary seats for international students in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in HEIs in India.

The guidelines were framed in 2022.

As per the guidelines, HEIs may create up to 25 percent supernumerary seats for international students, over and above their total sanctioned enrolment for UG and PG programmes.

Supernumerary seats are additional seats over and above the sanctioned intake approved by the appropriate authority and the government.

Implementing these guidelines will facilitate smooth and viable admission of international students in HEIs of India. A favourable environment will be created for attracting international students to Indian HEIs and make India a preferred destination for international students, the notice said.

“In light of the above, all Higher Educational Institutions (HEis) and their affiliated colleges/institutions are once again requested to adopt and implement the guidelines mentioned above for admission and providing supernumerary seats of international students in letter and spirit,” it added. The UGC also asked the colleges and universities to upload the action taken on http://uamp.ugc.ac.in.

The notice said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisages a new and forward-looking vision for India’s higher education system.

“Internationalization of higher education is one of the essential aspects of the NEP-2020, making higher education relevant internationally with the process of integrating an international and intercultural dimension in higher education,” it said.

Recently, it has been observed that opportunities to attract international students, academics, and funding have been growing. Many Indian HEls are now committed to increasing their global outreach, it added.

According to the guidelines, the reserved supernumerary seats are specially designated for international students.