The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines concerning the admission and establishment of additional seats for international students in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across higher educational institutions (HEIs) in India.
HEIs have the authority to generate a maximum of 25% supernumerary seats for international students, exceeding their sanctioned enrollment quota for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The allocation of these 25% additional seats must be decided by the respective HEIs in accordance with specific guidelines and regulations provided by the regulatory bodies, taking into consideration factors such as infrastructure, faculty, and other requirements, according to the officials statement.
However, it’s important to note that these designated 25% supernumerary seats for international students do not encompass students under exchange programmes or those facilitated through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreements between institutions or between the Government of India and other nations.
Furthermore, HEIs are instructed to distribute these supernumerary seats proportionally among all departments, schools, centers, or any other academic units within the institution.
UGC stresses that these supernumerary seats are exclusively reserved for international students in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Should any of these seats remain unoccupied, they are not to be filled by any other candidate besides an international student.
The allocation of supernumerary seats in professional and technical institutes will be regulated by their respective statutory bodies, while PhD seats will adhere to the regulations set forth by the UGC.
Additionally, it is mandatory for all such institutions to establish an ‘Office for International Students’ tasked with maintaining comprehensive year-wise records including country of origin, number of students, program/subject of study, and duration of enrollment.