The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been declared a deemed-to-be university, enabling it to award its own academic degrees, according to an official notification issued by the Ministry of Education on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The status has been granted under a distinct category and covers NCERT along with its six constituent units. These include the Regional Institutes of Education in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru and Shillong, as well as the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education in Bhopal.

NCERT, which serves as the apex body for school education in India, undertakes activities such as educational research, curriculum development, and the preparation of textbooks and teaching-learning materials.

The Union government had approved the move three years ago under the ‘De Novo’ category, which allows institutions to pursue research and academic programmes in emerging or specialised areas not widely offered elsewhere.

The notification outlines conditions for the new status, stating that NCERT must not engage in commercial or profit-making activities. All academic programmes must adhere to UGC norms and relevant statutory bodies. The institution must also seek approval from the UGC before launching new courses or establishing off-campus or offshore centres.

At present, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered by NCERT’s Regional Institutes of Education are affiliated with universities such as Barkatullah University, Bhopal; MDS University, Ajmer; University of Mysuru; Utkal University; and North-Eastern Hill University.

The Ministry has directed NCERT to initiate research and doctoral programmes and develop new academic offerings. It has also been asked to participate in the National Institutional Ranking Framework and implement the Academic Bank of Credits system, including creating student identities and uploading credit data to the designated digital platform.

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