Page 556 - Compendium of UGC Regulations 1957-2023

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

transferred, validated or redeemed for the purposes of the award of degree/diploma/
certificates etc. by an awarding institution.
2.2 “Academic Bank of Credits” or “ABC” means an academic service mechanism as a
digital/virtual/online entity established by the University Grants Commission with
the approval of the central government, to facilitate students to become its academic
account holders, thereby paving the way for seamless student mobility between or
within degree-granting HEIs through a formal system of credit recognition, credit
accumulation, credit transfers and credit redemption to promote distributed and flexible
teaching-learning.

2.3. “Academic Flexibility” means the provision for innovative and interchangeable
curricular structures to enable creative combinations of Courses/Programmes in
Disciplines of study leading to Degree/Diploma/Post Graduate Diploma/Certificate
of Study offering multiple entry and multiple exit facilities, while removing rigid
curricular boundaries and creating new possibilities of life-long learning.
2.4. “Autonomous college” means any institution, whether known as such or by any other
name, accorded with autonomous status by the UGC upon the recommendations of the
affiliating university and the State Government concerned, by virtue of which it provides
for a course/programme of study with academic and innovative flexibility for obtaining
any qualification from a university; and which, in accordance with the Statutes and
Ordinances of such university, is recognised as competent to provide for such course/
programme of study and present students undergoing such course/programme of study
for the examination leading to the award of such qualification.

2.5. “Commission” means the University Grants Commission established under the UGC
Act, 1956.

2.6. “Course” means one of the specified units which go to comprise a specified programme
of study.
2.7. “Credit” means the standard methodology of calculating one hour of theory or one hour
of tutorial or two hours of laboratory work, per week for a duration of a semester (13-15
weeks) resulting in the award of one credit; which is awarded by a higher educational
institution on which these regulations apply; and, Credits’ for internship shall be one
credit per one week of internship, subject to a maximum of six credits.

2.7.1. “Credit-accumulation” means the facility created by ABC in the ‘Academic
Bank Account’ opened by students in order to transfer and consolidate the
‘credits’ earned by them by undergoing Courses.

2.7.2. “Credits-recognition” means the credits earned through a registered HEI
and transferred directly to the ABC by such HEI.
2.7.3. “Credit-redemption” means the process of commuting the accrued ‘credits’
in the ‘Academic Bank Account’ of the students maintained in ABC for the
purpose of fulfilling the ‘credits requirements’ for the award of Degrees/
Diplomas/Certificates/Course work for Ph.D. programme etc., by the
registered degree-awarding HEIs.

2.7.4. “Credit-transfer” means the mechanism by which the Registered HEIs
are able to receive or provide prescribed ‘credits’ to individual Academic
Bank Accounts in adherence to the UGC credit norms for the ‘course/s’
undertaken by students enrolled in any Registered HEI within India.

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University Grants Commission