Dual Degree: Now Officially Allowed

Published On: 13 Jun 2025

Starting April 2025, the UGC’s new policy allows students to pursue two degrees simultaneously! Whether you prefer combining regular classroom courses, blending online and offline learning, or enrolling in two online programs together, these flexible options promote a truly multidisciplinary education. The UGC 2025 guidelines also recognize previously earned dual degrees, provided they adhered to the respective university's regulations.

UGC’s New Policy: An Overview

The Commission in its 589th meeting held on 3rd April 2025 has approved partial modification of the UGC Guidelines for Pursuing Two Academic Programmes Simultaneously.

The details of the same are as follows

Policy Effective From: 3rd April 2025 (UGC notification)
Allowed Combinations: 2 regular degrees (non-clashing timings)

1 regular + 1 online/ODL
2 online degrees

Exclusions: PhD with any other degree
Past Degree Validity: Degrees earned pre-2025 are valid if

Followed university rules
From UGC-recognized institutes

Approval: Only UGC-DEB recognized online/ODL programs allowed

Highlights of UGC's Updated Guidelines

The revised guidelines offer students more options to combine different academic programmes without restrictions. Here's what you need to know
Two Full-Time Degrees - Possible with Non-Overlapping Schedules: Students can now enroll in two full-time physical (regular) mode programmes simultaneously
Mix of Regular Online/Distance Learning (ODL) Allowed: Students can pursue: One full-time (physical) + one ODL/Online degree OR Two ODL/Online degrees together
Only UGC-Recognized Institutions Eligible: ODL/Online programmes must be offered by UGC-approved or government-recognized institutions Degrees from unrecognized institutions will not be valid
No Retrospective Penalty for Past Dual Degrees: If a student has already pursued two degrees simultaneously before these guidelines, their qualifications will remain valid if they followed previous UGC rules
PhD Students Not Covered Under These Rules: The dual degree policy does not apply to PhD programmes

Guidelines for Pursuing Two Academic Programmes Simultaneously

Background

The National Education Policy - NEP 2020 states that pedagogy must evolve to make education more experiential, holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner- centred, discussion-based, flexible, and, of course, enjoyable. The policy envisions imaginative and flexible curricular structures to enable creative combinations of disciplines for study, that would offer multiple entry and exit points, thus, removing currently prevalent rigid boundaries and creating new possibilities for life-long learning and centrally involve critical and interdisciplinary thinking.

With the rapid increase in demand for higher education and limited availability of seats in regular stream, several Higher Education Institutions (HEis) have started a number of programmes in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode to meet the aspirations of students. It has also led to the emergence of online education programmes which a student can pursue within the comforts of her/ his home. The issue of allowing the students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously has been examined by the Commission keeping in view the proposals envisaged in the National Education Policy - NEP 2020 which emphasizes the need to facilitate multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes.

In view of above, UGC has framed the following Guidelines

Objectives: To allow the students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously keeping in view the following objectives envisaged in NEP 2020:

recognizing, identifying, and fostering the unique capabilities of each student, by sensitizing teachers as well as parents to promote each student's holistic development in both academic and non-academic
spheres;
no hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra- curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams, etc. in order to eliminate harmful hierarchies among, and silos between different areas of learning;
multidisciplinarity and a holistic education across the sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and sports for a multidisciplinary world in order to ensure the unity and integrity of all knowledge;
enabling an individual to study one or more specialized areas of interest at a deep level, and also develop character, ethical and constitutional values, intellectual curiosity, scientific temper, creativity, spirit of service.
offering the students, a range of disciplines including sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, languages, as well as professional, technical, and vocational subjects to make them thoughtful, well-rounded, and creative individuals.
preparing students for more meaningful and satisfying lives and work roles and enable economic independence.

Guidelines

A student can pursue two full time academic programmes in physical mode provided that in such cases, class timings for one programme do not overlap with the class timings of the other programme.
A student can pursue two academic programmes, one in full time physical mode and another in Open and Distance Learning (ODL)/Online mode; or up to two ODL/Online programmes simultaneously.
Degree or diploma programmes under ODL/Online mode shall be pursued with only such HEis which are recognized by UGC/Statutory Council/Govt. of India for running such programmes.
Degree or diploma programmes under these guidelines shall be governed by the Regulations notified by the UGC and also the respective statutory/professional councils, wherever applicable.

These guidelines shall come into effect from the date of their notification by the UGC.

Provided that two academic programmes, pursued simultaneously, before issuing of these guidelines, in accordance with the UGC First Degree and Master Degree Regulations, statutes/ordinances of the university/ universities concerned, and by following the norms prescribed by the statutory professional council(s) and the Distance Education Council/Distance Education Bureau of the UGC, wherever applicable, shall be treated as valid.

The above guidelines shall be applicable only to the students pursuing academic programmes other than Ph.D. programme.

Based on the above guidelines, the universities can devise mechanisms, through their statutory bodies, for allowing their students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously as mentioned above