The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued an updated list of 22 fraudulent universities and institutes operating throughout the country without official recognition. In an official notification, the UGC announced that these institutions are not authorised to grant degrees, and any degree earned from them will be regarded invalid.

The commission made it clear that according to the UGC Act, "the right of conferring or granting degrees shall be exercised only by a university established or incorporated by a Central, State, or Provincial Act, or an institution deemed to be a university under Section 3, or one specifically empowered by an Act of Parliament," EduGraph reports

The regulating body has once again warned students and parents to verify the legitimacy of higher education institutions before applying for admission. This fresh warning comes after the UGC detected fraudulent universities in several states, with Delhi having the biggest number of unrecognised institutions.

The UGC has also notified the Institute of Management and Training in Delhi, and the International Islamic University of Prophetic Medicine in Calicut, Kerala, for functioning without permission. 

It further stated that the University of Colombo, which was previously found promoting degree programs in India, has no permission to provide undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral courses in the country.

According to the UGC's most recent list, Delhi leads with multiple fraudulent colleges, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Puducherry.