UGC Banned ODL Healthcare Courses: If you want to study medical and related subjects from home or online, then this will not be possible now. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has banned medical and related healthcare courses being run through Online and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. This decision will come into effect from the education session starting from July-August 2025. UGC has directed all colleges and universities to strictly follow this decision.

Let us know why UGC has taken this decision. After this decision, which courses running in online and distance learning mode will now be closed?

This is the reason why the decision has been taken
UGC has taken this decision in the 592nd meeting held on 23 July 2025. This decision has come after the recommendations made under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021. These recommendations have been issued after the 24th meeting of the Distance Education Bureau Working Group held on 22 April 2025.

Ban on these courses

According to this new rule of UGC, many courses like Psychology, Microbiology, Food and Nutrition Science, Biotechnology, Clinical Nutrition, and Dietetics have been banned.

What will be the effect?

If there is a degree program in which there are more than one subjects and one of those subjects is related to health, then only the subject related to health will not be able to be studied online. For example, if there are subjects like Psychology and History in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, then online study of Psychology will be banned, but the study of History will continue.

Warning also on the tie-up with a foreign university

According to the rules of UGC, it is necessary to get approval from UGC first for a partnership with any foreign institution. This approval is given under the rules of 2022 and 2023, which are related to joint or dual degrees with foreign institutions and the opening of their campuses in India. According to UGC, such a warning was given earlier on 12 December 2023. Despite this, many colleges and edtech platforms are running online degree or diploma programs in collaboration with foreign institutions without approval.

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