NCERT Granted 'Deemed University' Status: A Major Decision by the Central Government
The Central Government has granted 'Deemed University' status to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Acting on the advice of the UGC, the Union Ministry of Education has declared the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as an institution 'Deemed to be University' under a specific category. An official notification regarding this matter has also been issued. According to the information provided in the notification, this status has been conferred upon NCERT under a 'Special Category' pursuant to Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956.
Union Ministry of Education, on the advice of the UGC, hereby declares National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as an Institution deemed to be University under distinct category
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2026
In a notification, the ministry says, "An online application was uploaded on… pic.twitter.com/ry15rgWChl
The UGC had recommended the issuance of a 'Letter of Intent' (LoI) to NCERT, subject to certain conditions. The recommendations of the UGC Expert Committee were duly considered and subsequently approved by the Commission. The issued notification states: "Under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, an online application was uploaded on the UGC portal seeking to grant the status of 'Deemed to be University'—under a distinct category—to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), located at Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi. This encompasses the following six constituent units:
Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer, Rajasthan
Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Regional Institute of Education, Manasagangotri, Mysore, Karnataka
North East Regional Institute of Education, Shillong, Meghalaya
Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh."
Consequently, NCERT will now be able to independently offer degree programs as part of its efforts to strengthen teacher education and educational research, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It is pertinent to note that NCERT was established in 1961 under the Societies Registration Act, with the mandate to assist and advise the government on matters related to school education. According to this Act, apart from universities, any higher educational institution operating at a very high level in a specific field of study may be declared a 'Deemed-to-be-University' by the Central Government, on the advice of the UGC. Institutions that are granted 'Deemed University' status enjoy the same academic standing and privileges as universities.
