Online PG Course Fuels Quality Worry After UGC Clears One-Year Online Master’s Move
Basant Kumar Mohanty | 04 August 2026 | The Print
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has allowed students to pursue one-year postgraduate courses in distance and online modes from the current academic session, leaving academics divided over the merit of the decision.
Under the National Education Policy (NEP), the duration of a PG course is two years for those completing a three-year UG course and one year for those with a four-year bachelor’s degree.In a circular last week, the UGC asked universities offering two-year PG courses in online and distance modes in specific disciplines to bring in one-year PG programmes within the flexible framework from the current academic session
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday, minister of state for education Sukanta Majumdar said Delhi University’s School of Open Learning has started admitting students for the one-year PG programme under the open and distance learning (ODL) mode from the 2026-27 session.