Students beware! UGC releases list of 22 FAKE Universities across India

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has again raised a concern with a red flag, this time against the Institute of Management and Engineering in Delhi, advising students not to be deceived by degree programs that are not approved. The regulator said that the institute is not recognized under the UGC Act 1956 and therefore any degree issued by it has no academic or professional value.

The warning comes from UGC's ongoing campaign to shut down fake universities, which continue to appear despite the repeated warnings made to the public. The Delhi, based institute has been charged with running unrecognised engineering courses at its Kotla Mubarakpur campus, thereby contravening Section 22 of the UGC Act, which is very strict about who can award degrees.

In other words, it is not a university. It is not set up under any Central or State law, nor is it listed under UGC's recognized categories (Sections 2(f) or 3).

Fake Universities in India: A Persistent Problem

This is not an isolated situation. Across India, there are 22 such institutions that are currently masquerading as universities without obtaining proper approval. According to the latest data from UGC, there are nine such institutions in Delhi, two more are located in Uttar Pradesh, and five. The rest are located in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Puducherry.

The numbers for Delhi are not shocking, the city's large student population, combined with anonymity and a network of brokers, provides an ideal environment for such frauds. To appear genuine, these institutes often choose such names as National Institute, University of Management, or School of Technology.

In the case of Uttar Pradesh, the trend is quite different. Lots of fake entities there use such names as Vidyapith, Parishad, or Open University to look like authentic distance, learning institutes. Their pitch? Low, cost courses and easy degrees that come with official, looking certificates but have no value.

The small states with fewer cases indicate one thing very clearly: the fake, degree model can be easily reproduced anywhere where there is a high demand and a low level of awareness.

List of Fake Universities by UGC 2025

Delhi

Uttar Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

West Bengal

Maharashtra

Puducherry

In an earlier notification in March 2022, UGC also included these two universities in Kerala and Karnataka as fake.

Karnataka & Kerala

Why Fake Universities Keep Thriving

The regulations are there, but public knowledge and law enforcement don't keep up.

Information about universities that are recognized is regularly updated by the UGC, which also publicly names fakes. Still, a lot of students do not bother with verification at all and trust instead the ads, counsellors, or social media pages promoting degrees as "industry, approved" or "globally validated".

Terms like autonomous, international collaboration, or industry tie, up might look convincing but they do not have any legal power to confer degrees.

Although UGC is able to warn, the actual authority to close these institutions lies with state governments, a procedure that is delayed due to paperwork, overlapping jurisdictions, and, to be honest, lack of interest. Most of the offenders simply rename their operations, relocate, and resume activities under a new name before the authorities even respond.

So the problem is not that laws are missing, it is the absence of swift reactions to violations.

How to Avoid Falling for a Fake University

Five minutes of your time for a quick check could prevent you from regretting for years. Every student should have this checklist before enrolling:

• UGC recognition: The institute needs to be listed under Sections 2(f) or 3 of the UGC Act.
• Confirm with the authorities: In case of engineering, pharmacy, or management courses, also check with bodies as AICTE, PCI, or NMC.
• Be cautious about buzzwords: Terms as "internationally certified, " "industry linked, " or "autonomous" do not indicate degree granting rights.
• Make sure of your diploma: Genuine degrees can be confirmed via DigiLocker or NAD QR codes.
• Check out UGC's fake university list: If there is the name of the institution, get going.

The fake ones do not only promise you what they can't deliver; they rely heavily on trust and ignorance. Until it becomes second nature for students and parents to always verify, this shadow industry will continue to operate because credibility in the Indian education market still has to fight its way to the top.