Page 555 - Compendium of UGC Regulations 1957-2023

Regulations pertaining to Credits, Academic Programmes and Award of Degrees:

University Grants Commission
(Establishment and Operation of Academic Bank of Credits in Higher

Education) Regulations, 2021.
NOTIFICATION

New Delhi, -- July, 2021

F.No.14-31/2018 (CPP-II). In exercise of the powers conferred by clauses (f) and (g) of sub-
Section (1) of Section 26 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, the University
Grants Commission with the approval of the Central Government hereby makes the following
Regulations, namely:
1. Short title, Preamble, Application and Commencement:
1.1 THESE REGULATIONS MAY BE CALLED THE UNIVERSITY GRANTS
COMMISSION (ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF ACADEMIC
BANK OF CREDITS IN HIGHER EDUCATION) REGULATIONS, 2021.
1.2 Preamble:

Systemic issues of rigidity of academic programmes, teacher-centric educational process,
employment-only focus and lack of student-mobility, have been identified as retarding
reforms and globalisation of Indian Higher Education. The National Educational
Policy-2020 (NEP-2020), is based on principles of flexibility; no hard separations between
disciplines, multi-disciplinarity and holistic education, conceptual understanding,
creativity and critical thinking, ethics and human & Constitutional values, life skills,
respect for diversity and the local context, with focus on equity and inclusion. NEP-
2020, while enumerating the specifications of multi-disciplinary and holistic education,
recommends (under Section 11.9 therein) that there shall be an Academic Bank of Credit
(ABC), which could digitally store the academic credits earned by students from various
recognised Higher Education Institutions (HEI), so that HEIs could award degrees,
taking into account credits earned. Students shall be facilitated with horizontal mobility
across HEIs in the country with freedom to (i) choose ‘courses’, of their aptitude, (ii)
enrol in HEIs of their interest and (iii)opt for teachers of their choice. Accordingly, these
Regulations have been framed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the
establishment and operation of the “Academic Bank of Credits”.
1.3 Application:

These Regulations shall apply to all Universities in India established or incorporated
by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act; the institutions Deemed-
to be Universities declared as such under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956; and the
Autonomous Colleges as defined in these regulations.
1.4 Commencement:

They shall come into force with effect from the date of their notification in the Gazette
of India.

2. Definitions:
In these Regulations:
2.1. “Academic Bank Account” means an individual account with the Academic Bank of
Credits opened and operated by a student, to which all academic credits earned by the
Student from course(s) of study are deposited, recognised, maintained, accumulated,

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UGC Regulations