Students taking admission to Open Distance Learning (ODL) courses have been provided with a list of cautionary guidelines by the University Grants Commission. The UGC has stated that degrees obtained through ODL are on par with degrees awarded in the conventional mode, as per Regulation 22 of the UGC Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes Regulations 2020.

The UGC had introduced amendments to these regulations in a bid to invite more foreign scholars to enrol in Indian institutes. The guidelines inform that students must check the status of the educational institution they wish to enrol under ODL courses with and ensure that they are not marked in the "no admission" category. 

There are also certain courses that the UGC has prohibited under the ODL mode. These include Physiotherapy, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Law, Horticulture, Agriculture, Engineering, Aircraft Maintenance, Visual Arts, Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Sports. ODL programmes from state, central and private universities are also prohibited from being offered through franchisement to enrol more students.

Apart from these, students are also asked to verify that all specifications of the course, including qualification, duration and nomenclature comply with the regulations of the UGC.