Calicut varsity authorities hopeful of getting UGC nod for more online courses

The authorities at the University of Calicut are hopeful that the University Grants Commission (UGC) will approve its request to have more online programmes under its Centre for Distance and Online Education.

The centre recently launched online postgraduate (PG) programmes in Political Science, History, Economics, and Sociology. According to sources, the university had earlier sought approval for three undergraduate (UG) and six PG programmes. Permission was granted only for four PG programmes, and clarifications were sought on the others. The university has already uploaded its response. A senior official told The Hindu on Wednesday (February 25, 2026) that permission for the rest of the courses was expected soon.

Meanwhile, the sources said that all the offered programmes had been classified into two schemes. Under one scheme, the whole learning process can be conducted through the online mode, and exams can be written at the Learning Support Centre under the university or at affiliated colleges. Special help will be provided for students in five districts under the university’s jurisdiction. As per the second scheme, both learning and exam writing can be done online.

The officials pointed out that the courses are equivalent to the other regular courses run by the university. Foreign citizens and employed people can seek admissions. There is no age limit. Those who are pursuing regular programmes will be allowed to switch to an online programme and vice-versa. Students who are currently doing a regular programme in affiliated colleges can simultaneously join another programme through the online mode.

However, Syndicate member P. Rasheed Ahammed said in a release that the university earlier used to run 13 PG programmes and 12 UG programmes, which were discontinued after the Sreenarayana Guru Open University began its full-fledged operations. He claimed that many students in northern Kerala districts who wanted to pursue distance education courses were forced to depend on universities in other States. Mr. Ahammed also alleged that the cost of these online courses were higher than the previous distance education programmes.