NCERT to be granted deemed university status: Here is what that changes
The National Council of Educational Research and Training, an institution long associated with school textbooks and curriculum design, may soon step into a different institutional role. According to sources in the Ministry of Education, NCERT is likely to be granted deemed-to-be-university status by the end of January, ANI reports.The groundwork for the decision has been completed, and the University Grants Commission is expected to take it up in an upcoming meeting. “The preparation has been done. The UGC has to hold a meeting to make a decision. We are hopeful that once the next meeting takes place, the update will come by the end of the month,” a source told ANI.The proposal is not new. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced the plan in 2023, describing the move as a way to convert NCERT into a research-focused institution that could engage in global academic collaboration and contribute more actively to the international education ecosystem.What is changing now is the likelihood of formal approval.
What NCERT is today
NCERT is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education. Its mandate sits firmly at the school level. It designs national curricula, publishes textbooks used across central and state board schools, conducts educational research and supports teacher training.Despite its influence, NCERT is not a university. It does not award degrees, conduct independent postgraduate programmes or operate as a higher education institution. Its authority flows from policy relevance, not academic accreditation.Deemed university status would alter that structure.
What deemed-to-be-university status means
In India, universities are recognised by the University Grants Commission under the UGC Act, 1956. A deemed-to-be-university is a specific category granted to institutions that demonstrate academic strength in a defined area, on the recommendation of the UGC and with approval from the Central Government.According to the UGC website, there are around 145 institutes with deemed university status. The Indian Institute of Science was the first to receive it in 1958, while Tamil Nadu currently has the highest number of such institutions.Deemed universities enjoy full academic autonomy. They can design courses, develop curricula, set admission criteria and fix fees. Crucially, they can award their own degrees at the graduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.This autonomy is the core difference between deemed universities and institutions that operate under affiliating universities.
What changes for NCERT
Once accorded the status, NCERT will be able to function as a full-fledged research university. According to ANI, this will allow it to initiate expanded in-house research programmes and formally enter higher education and doctoral training.NCERT will also be able to award its own degrees, significantly widening its institutional footprint beyond school education. This positions it differently within India’s education system, where bodies that design school curricula and those that award higher education degrees have traditionally remained separate.Funding is expected to continue primarily from the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education, ANI reports. That detail matters because it suggests NCERT’s academic expansion will remain anchored within the school education framework, rather than being absorbed into the higher education bureaucracy.
Why the move matters
The proposal reflects a broader policy shift under the National Education Policy, which encourages research-driven institutions and vertical integration across education levels. NCERT becoming a deemed university would concentrate curriculum authority, research capacity and degree-granting power within a single institution.The deemed university status changes governance, accountability and academic power.
What happens next
The final decision rests with the UGC, followed by Central Government approval. If granted, NCERT will join a category of institutions that operate with significant autonomy within India’s higher education system.For an organisation that has shaped what students read in classrooms for decades, the shift marks a move from influencing education indirectly to formally producing degrees and research. The implications will unfold not just in universities, but eventually in how school education policy itself is researched, trained and revised.For now, the proposal is waiting for one meeting. But once approved, it would permanently alter what NCERT is allowed to be.
