After receiving numerous admission related complaints every year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has released an elaborate notice to ease out the admission process. The notice deals with refund policies and the provision of submission of original documents during admissions.
The notice is applicable to all undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs run by universities and colleges receiving financial assistance by UGC.
FEE REFUND
The notice clearly states that no university can make buying the prospectus mandatory. It also prohibits charging of fees for the entire program. This means that educational institutes can only charge fees in advance for a semester/ year and not more than that. It also laid down the 5 tier system for the fee refund:
- 100% Refund: If admission is withdrawn 15 days before the last date of admission.
- 90% Refund: If admission is withdrawn in less than 15 days before the last date of admission.
- 80% Refund: If admission is withdrawn in less than 15 days after the last date of admission.
- 50% Refund: If admission is withdrawn in less than 30 days after the last date of admission.
- 0% Refund: If admission is withdrawn after 30 days of the last date of admission.
NON RETENTION OF ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES
The notice explicitly states that no institute can force a student to submit mark-sheets, transfer certificates, or any other document. However, submitting an attested copy is mandatory, which will be considered valid for all purposes.
At the time of admissions, the colleges/universities concerned would physically verify the original certificates and return the same immediately. Under any circumstance, the institution cannot take into custody the original document of the candidate.
ACTION AGAINST DEFAULTERS
The notice also mentions a list of measures that UGC can take if a university/college fails to adhere to the guidelines. These also include stringent actions like withholding grants and cancellation of affiliation of the concerned institute by the UGC.
At present, most colleges in Delhi University ask the student to submit the original certificates at the time of admissions. No official statement has yet been issued by the authorities regarding the implementation of the notification.
The UGC notice can be downloaded from here.
