Will biannual admissions in Indian institutions accelerate higher education?

Accelerating higher education through biannual admissions

Biannual admissions in higher education has been in vogue in educational institutions abroad for some time. Usually this takes place in July/August (fall semester) and January/February (spring semester). In India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) announced last month that universities and colleges will be allowed to offer admissions twice a year from the 2024-25 academic year. The UGC chairman pointed out that not only does this have the potential to increase the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) but will also help make India a global study destination for aspiring overseas students.

The concept was introduced in 2022-23 for Open and Digital Learning (ODL) and Online Learning (OL) modes. This resulted in nearly two million enrollments in July 2022 and almost 0.5 million in January 2023. These numbers led to the UGC and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) allow biannual admissions in their recent statutory meetings. However, this is not mandatory. Student admissions will now be possible in July-August and January-February in keeping with international standards for both online and physical modes. The aim is primarily to increase student intake and introduce new programmes in emerging fields. Of course, this will necessitate amendments in the existing rules and regulations.

In a recent communication, the AICTE conveyed its commitment to take measures to substantially increase the GER in higher education by allowing technical institutions to admit students twice annually, as this would enable better utilisation of infrastructure in institutions and also promote employment opportunities. Currently, AICTE does not allow institutions to admit students after mid-September. As a result, many seats in technical institutions go unfilled each year. Also, if those pursuing non-technical programmes desire to switch to technical programmes in a short period of time, they need to wait for a year for admission causing unnecessary stress. Admission to the spring semester will bring a substantial number of overseas students to India, as it will be in sync with their domestic timelines. This new approach also gives students more flexibility and allows them to explore more career options.

With biannual admissions, students will not have to wait for a year in case they miss the first cycle due to delayed results or personal reasons. As this system is already being followed globally, its adoption by Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) will also help enhance international collaborations and student exchange programmes. The UGC chairman also pointed out another benefit, mainly, better functional flow within HEIs with proper planning of resource distribution such as faculty, laboratories, classrooms, and support services. The move will also allow industries to conduct campus recruitment twice, improving employment opportunities for graduates.

The primary factors that influence the decision of an institution, whether in India or abroad, include lucrative contemporary programmes with relevance to employment prospects, research possibilities, programme quality, availability of the required facilities and affordability. If Indian institutions will look into and take care of these aspects, the exodus of students is likely to be curtailed.

While Central, State, and Deemed-to-be universities can adopt the recommendations with suitable amendments by their respective statutory bodies, affiliated colleges will need directions from the university they are affiliated to after due presentation in the Academic Council, Senate and Syndicate. HEIs considering implementation of biannual admissions must carefully study the nuances of this process such as workforce requirement for admissions in two sessions, infrastructure, faculty requirement, scheduling exams for both sessions, declaration of results, convocations and concomitant activities such as placements and facilitating graduates for advanced study programmes.

The writer is Pro Vice-Chancellor, Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science (Deemed to be University) Padur, Chennai.