Can Indian Students Do Two Degrees at the Same Time? Real Stories + UGC Policy 2025

Updated for 2025 UGC Guidelines

BACKGROUND PURSUING TWO ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES SIMULTANEOUSLY:

UGC Guidelines for Pursuing Two Academic Programmes Simultaneously:

UGC (2022) allowed students to pursue two academic programmes at the same time – in any combination (Full Time + Full Time / Full Time + Open and Distance Learning / Full Time + Online / Open and Distance Learning + Online) subject to university feasibility.

The Commission in its 589th meeting held on 3rd April 2025 has approved partial modification of the UGC Guidelines for Pursuing Two Academic Programmes Simultaneously. The details of the same are as follows:

The existing provision in point no. 5 of the modification:

These guidelines shall come into effect from the date of their notification by the UGC. No retrospective benefit can be claimed by the students who have already done two academic programmes simultaneously prior to the notification of these guidelines.

The modification approved by the guidelines Commission in point no. 5 of the guidelines on 3rd April 2025

These guidelines shall come into effect from the date of their notification by the UGC. Provided that two academic programmes, pursued simultaneously, before issuing of these guidelines, in accordance with the UGC First Degree and Master Degree Regulations, statutes/ordinances of the university/ universities concerned, and by following the norms prescribed by the statutory professional council(s) and the Distance Education Council/ Distance Education Bureau of the UGC, wherever applicable, shall be treated as valid.

Guidelines Pursuing Two Academic Programmes Simultaneously:

1. A student can pursue two full time academic programmes in physical mode provided that in such cases, class timings for one programme do not overlap with the class timings of the other programme.

2. A student can pursue two academic programmes, one in full time physical mode and another in Open and Distance Learning (ODL)/Online mode; or up to two ODL/Online programmes simultaneously.

3. Degree or diploma programmes under ODL/Online mode shall be pursued with only such HE is which are recognized by UGC/Statutory Council/Govt. of India for running such programmes.

4. Degree or diploma programmes under these guidelines shall be governed by the Regulations notified by the UGC and also the respective statutory/professional councils, wherever applicable.

5. These guidelines shall come into effect from the date of their notification by the UGC.

Provided that two academic programmes, pursued simultaneously, before issuing of these guidelines, in accordance with the UGC First Degree and Master Degree Regulations, statutes/ordinances of the university/ universities concerned, and by following the norms prescribed by the statutory professional council(s) and the Distance Education Council/Distance Education Bureau of the UGC, wherever applicable, shall be treated as valid.

Based on the above guidelines, the universities can devise mechanisms, through their statutory bodies, for allowing their students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously as mentioned above.

NOTE: The above guidelines shall be applicable only to the students pursuing academic programmes other than Ph.D. programme.

UGC Notification

REAL STORIES MY ANALYSIS ON TWO DEGREES AT THE SAME TIME BY INDIAN STUDENTS:

UGC’s permission to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously is one of the most progressive reforms after NEP-2020. The idea is brilliant, flexibility, multi-disciplinary learning, skill stacking, faster employability. It recognises that today’s careers are no longer “single-discipline”.

However, the implementation gap is very real.
Many universities still hesitate. Timetables clash. Exam cycles collide. Attendance rules remain rigid.
Professional councils (like BCI, NMC etc.) have not fully aligned. So, on paper -yes, the student is free.
But on the ground – approvals still depend on institutional interpretation.
In short: UGC has opened the gate. But the pathway is not yet concretely paved.

Ground Reality Concerns:

As per my opinion “Dual degree freedom should not become dual degree confusion.” This reform will succeed only when every institution adopts it with clarity, consistency, and student-first execution. The biggest structural contradiction (So paper policy ≠ ground reality) is also there. One more point I want to add that “UGC allows two full-time degrees, but professional councils regulate professional eligibility.”

Universities have not updated ordinances / academic handbooks till now.

My Opinion and Ground reality:

Issue: Institutional resistance

Problem in actual implementation: Many universities still not accepting simultaneous admission in regular + regular. Universities say “we don’t have policy yet”.

Issue: Time table / attendance

Problem in actual implementation: Two regular courses → clashes in timetable / attendance enforcement – especially where 75% attendance rule strictly applied

Issue: Regulatory overlap

Problem in actual implementation: Professional councils (BCI, NMC, PCI, COA) have not uniformly aligned with UGC on two Full Time programmes

Issue: Exam calendar conflict

Problem in actual implementation: Most universities run parallel exam cycles → semester exams overlap

Issue: Administrative confusion

Problem in actual implementation: No common digital credential registry. Universities do manual NOC / undertaking.

Finally, the policy is progressive, but India’s higher education ecosystem (especially professional councils + exam logistics) is not structurally ready for 100% frictionless dual-degree execution.

The purpose of this academic note is to analyses this reform not as an announcement, but as a governance problem: What has changed? What is still structurally not aligned?

UGC has made the legal enabling framework. But implementation is still institutionally discretionary. I think UGC must give proper guidelines what to do or what not to do. Actually, students are the actual sufferer because of the Incomplete Knowledge.

In short: regulatory permission exists; operational design does not exist.

By: Dr. Dharmender Patial

(LLB, LLM, PhD, IIM Kashipur Alumnus)

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