Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), M Jagadesh Kumar on August 21, 2022, announced that universities and higher education institutions across India will now be allowed to create up to 25% supernumerary seats for foreign students in their undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes. The decision was taken at the meeting of the UGC held to discuss the internationalization of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in India. Internationalization of higher education was termed an essential aspect of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He said that the internationalization of higher education will help in integrating the international and intercultural dimensions in higher education. As per the statement given by Kumar:
The supernumerary seats will be created over and above the total sanctioned strength and the decision regarding these seats will be taken by concerned higher educational institutions (HEIs) according to specific guidelines and regulations issued by the regulatory bodies considering the infrastructure, faculty, and other requirements.
Indian HEIs may admit international students based on the equivalence of entry qualifications held by them. The equivalence is to be determined by UGC or any other body recognized by UGC for such purpose or the concerned regulatory bodies of the country. HEIs may adopt a transparent admission process for admitting international students.
He added:
The seats shall be exclusively meant for international students both in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. A seat remaining unfilled in the supernumerary category should not be allocated to anyone other than an international student. International students in this context shall be defined as the ones who shall possess a foreign passport.
The UGC Chairman said that the decision regarding 25 percent supernumerary seats has to be carried out by the concerned higher educational institutions as per specific guidelines/regulations issued by the regulatory bodies considering the infrastructure, faculty, and other requirements. He also said that there will be no entrance test for foreign students. He said:
Indian HEIs may admit international students based on the equivalence of entry qualification held by them. The equivalence is to be determined by UGC or any other body recognized by UGC for such purpose or the concerned regulatory bodies of the country. HEIs may adopt a transparent admission process for admitting international students.
It was further informed by the UGC chairman that the supernumerary seats for international students will not include the international students under exchange programmes. Also, students who arrived in India through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between institutions or between the Indian government and other countries will not be included.
