UGC Prohibits More Professional Courses in Online & Distance Mode: Here’s What You Need to Know

Table of Contents

Updated Guidelines Affect Psychology, Healthcare, and Nutrition Programmes Too

**UGC-Prohibits-More-Professional-Courses**

In a significant regulatory update, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has expanded its list of professional courses prohibited under Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online Modes. This move aims to ensure that professional education in India retains its academic rigour, practical exposure, and industry relevance.

Which Professional Courses Were Already Banned?

The UGC had already prohibited several practice-based and professional courses from being offered through online or distance learning modes due to their high dependency on laboratory work, clinical exposure, field training, and studio-based instruction.

These include:

🏗️ Engineering
🩺 Medicine
🦷 Dental Sciences
💊 Pharmacy
👩‍⚕️ Nursing
🧑‍🦽 Physiotherapy
🏛️ Architecture
🎨 Applied Arts
🧬 Paramedical Sciences
🌾 Agriculture & Horticulture
🍽️ Hotel Management & Catering Technology
🎭 Visual Arts
⚖️ Law

What’s New? Psychology & Healthcare Now Included

In its latest directive, the UGC has now extended this prohibition to new domains, particularly:

🧠 Psychology
🏥 Healthcare & Allied Health Sciences
🥗 Nutrition and Dietetics

The rationale behind this step is to safeguard the quality of training, which in these fields also relies heavily on hands-on practice, live counselling sessions, internships, patient interaction, and field-based learning.

Why Is UGC Restricting These Courses in ODL/Online Format?

According to UGC officials, professional education demands more than just theoretical knowledge. Students pursuing these courses must gain:

🔬 Practical exposure through labs, studios, or hospitals
🧪 Clinical training and live practice
💼 Industry internships and supervised fieldwork
🎯 Skill-based competency evaluation

Distance or purely online modes cannot replicate this environment effectively. Hence, the UGC wants to prevent the dilution of academic standards in professional disciplines.

How Will This Affect Students & Institutions?

This move is expected to impact thousands of aspirants who were planning to pursue such professional courses via online or distance education, especially working professionals and students in remote regions.

Additionally, universities and private institutions offering these programmes will now be required to:

❌ Discontinue admissions in the prohibited courses under ODL/online modes
🔁 Restructure their course offerings
✅ Align with UGC guidelines to avoid punitive action or derecognition

What Should Students Do Now?

🔎 Verify the UGC approval status of any course before enrolling.
🎓 Opt for regular/on-campus programmes for professional disciplines.
📚 Explore alternative academic or vocational programmes that are UGC-approved in ODL/online modes.

Also Read: UGC Introduces New Regulations for Recognition of Foreign Qualifications in 2025