Gujarat University Gets UGC Grade-II Autonomy, Can Open Overseas Campus

Gujarat University has become the first government university in the state to receive Grade-II Graded Autonomy from the University Grants Commission (UGC), giving it greater academic and administrative freedom.

The autonomy will enable the university to introduce new academic programmes, offer skill-based courses, appoint foreign faculty and establish off-campus centres in India and abroad without seeking prior approval for several academic decisions.

Greater Academic Freedom

The proposal for graded autonomy was submitted during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor Dr Neerja Gupta after the university secured an A+ grade from NAAC.

Following an evaluation, the UGC approved the university's Grade-II autonomy at its meeting held in July.

To qualify for Grade-II autonomy, universities must have a NAAC score between 3.0 and 3.5. Gujarat University has a NAAC score of 3.30 and has also featured multiple times in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Top 100.

What Will Change?

With the new status, Gujarat University will be able to:

• Launch new undergraduate, postgraduate and skill-based programmes.
• Introduce diploma and certificate courses with greater flexibility.
• Appoint up to 20% foreign faculty on a contractual basis against approved teaching posts.
• Establish off-campus centres in India and overseas.
• Expand Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes.
• Offer performance-based salaries in special cases beyond UGC pay scales, as permitted under the regulations.

Overseas Campus Planned

University officials said the institution is now preparing to establish its first off-campus centres in Gujarat and abroad, marking a significant step in its international expansion plans.

The graded autonomy is part of the UGC's 2018 policy aimed at giving high-performing universities greater independence in academic, administrative and financial matters.