Checklist for University Websites: UGC Guidelines – Times of India

University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a new checklist for higher education institutions (HEIs) to follow. According to the checklist, universities must provide essential information on their websites such as admission process, fees and refund policy, facilities, developmental plan, collaborations, NAAC accreditation, and NIRF ranking. The UGC analyzed university websites after three years of the National Education Policy (NEP)2020 and found that many websites did not have basic minimum information or were not functioning properly. As a result, the UGC has now mandated that every university update their websites based on the checklist.

The checklist includes 11 categories, including “about HEI/university,” “administration,” “academics,” “admissions and fee,” and “campus harmony and wellbeing.” Each category has subcategories that cover various aspects of the university, such as institutional development plan, patents, foreign collaboration, industry collaborations, fellowships/scholarships, Academic Bank of Credits, socio-economically disadvantaged group cells, alumni associations, and more.

Furthermore, the checklist emphasizes the importance of providing information about any additional campuses associated with the university to ensure that students are not deceived. It also highlights the need for universities to include important telephone numbers, website addresses, and the university ombudsman for easy access by students, parents, research scholars, government officials, and alumni.

The UGC’s focus on updating university websites is driven by the goal of resolving the challenges faced by stakeholders in accessing basic information from various university portals. By enforcing this checklist, the UGC aims to improve transparency and facilitate easy access to essential information for all users.

In conclusion, the UGC has issued a comprehensive checklist for university websites to ensure that they provide accurate and essential information to the public. This step is necessary to improve the functionality and transparency of university portals, benefiting students, parents, researchers, and other stakeholders in the higher education sector.