UGC declares 22 institutions fake, degrees from these ‘universities’ invalid
New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared 22 institutions across India as fake universities, warning students that these entities are operating without proper recognition and are not authorised to award degrees under the UGC Act, 1956.
Any qualifications obtained from these institutions, the Commission said, hold no academic or professional validity.
The latest case to come under scrutiny is the Institute of Management and Engineering, located in Kotla Mubarakpur, Delhi. The UGC clarified that the institute is neither established under any Central or State Act nor recognised under Sections 2(f) or 3 of the UGC Act. Consequently, its engineering degrees are invalid.
Delhi tops the list with the highest number of fake universities, according to an updated list released by the Commission in October 2025. These fake universities are:
All India Institute of Public & Physical Health Sciences (AIIPHS)
Commercial University Ltd., Daryaganj
United Nations University; Vocational University
ADR-Centric Juridical University
Indian Institute of Science and Engineering
Viswakarma Open University for Self-Employment
Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University)
World Peace of United Nations University (WPUNU)
Institute of Management and Engineering, Kotla Mubarakpur.
Uttar Pradesh follows the capital in terms of the number of fake universities. The list includes:
Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Aligarh
Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow
Mahamaya Technical University, Noida.
Andhra Pradesh:
Christ New Testament Deemed University; Bible Open University of India, Visakhapatnam.
West Bengal:
Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine and Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research, Kolkata.
Maharashtra:
Raja Arabic University, Nagpur.
Puducherry:
Sree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education, Thilaspet.
Additionally, two institutions earlier declared fake in March 2022 remain on the list: Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society, Belgaum (Karnataka) and St. John’s University, Kishanpattam (Kerala).
Meanwhile, the UGC has approved 101 universities and 20 Category-I institutions to offer Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes for the 2025-26 academic year, scheduled to commence in July-August.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
