The University Grants Commission (UGC) has conferred graded autonomy category 1 status upon the University of Lucknow, opening new doors for various educational opportunities, a report by IANS stated.

The upgraded status will empower the university to take major strides in diverse areas, including education, research, and innovation.

It also opens avenues for activities such as skill-based education, introduction of new courses, online learning programmes, and establishment of additional campuses without the approval of UGC, added IANS.

Speaking about the new achievement, LU Vice-Chancellor Prof Alok Kumar Rai said, "Attaining this status is a big stride, particularly in LU's pursuit of internationalising higher education in alignment with National Education Policy. This will also help us in doing away with procedural bottlenecks."

A university attains category 1 status if it has a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) score of 3.51 or above.

LU has the highest NAAC grade of A++ and 3.55 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and has been awarded the status of category 1 graded autonomy.

As per the regulation, LU will now be able to establish research parks, incubation centres, university-society linkage centres, in self-financing mode, either independently or in collaboration with private partners, without the need for UGC approval.

Further, LU will now be able to recruit foreign faculty, establish research collaborations with international universities, and admit foreign students.

The status endows LU with academic freedom, paving the way for many educational opportunities.