ODL and Online Degrees Now Equivalent to Conventional Degrees Says UGC in Recent Public Notice

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in a recent public notice announced very clearly that the degrees obtained in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode or in the online mode “shall be treated equivalent to the corresponding” degree obtained in the conventional (regular) mode. This is true for degrees at undergraduate, postgraduate, and postgraduate diploma levels. 

However, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the degrees obtained in the ODL or Online mode must be from those higher education institutions that have been approved by the statutory body of the Ministry of Education (MoE) of India. This is really important because if you obtain a degree from any institution that has not been approved by the Govt. of India, then your degree will stand invalid. 

So, now it is clear for those who are confused whether their online/distance degrees are valid for government jobs or not. The answer is that YES the degrees obtained through the ODL or online mode of education are completely valid for government jobs as these degrees are completely equivalent to those obtained through the conventional regular modes.