The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a list of 23 "self-styled, unrecognised" universities, eight of which are in Uttar Pradesh. The higher education regulator has warned students against taking admission in these institutions.

"Students and public at large are hereby informed that at present 23 self-styled, unrecognised institutions are functioning in various parts of the country in contravention of the UGC Act," UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said.

Eight of these universities are in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Delhi (seven). Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Puducherry have a fake university each.

Unrecognised universities in UP are Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya (Varanasi), Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya (Prayagraj), Gandhi Hindi Vidyapeeth (Varanasi), National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy (Kanpur), Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Open University (Aligarh), Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya (Mathura), Maharana Partap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya (Pratapgarh), and Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad (Noida).

In Delhi, Commercial University Ltd, United Nations University, Vocational University, ADRCentric Juridical University, Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University) and Viswakarma Open University for Self-Employment have been declared as fake.

Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society (Karnataka), St John's University (Kerala), Raja Arabic University (Maharashtra) and Sree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education (Puducherry) have also been included in the list.

West Bengal and Odisha have two fake universities each -- Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research, Nababharat Shiksha Parishad and North Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology.

"In case of Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad in Lucknow, the matter is sub-judice," Jain said.