University Grants Commission (India)

University Grants Commission

Viś‍vavidyālaya Anudāna Āyōga
Crest of the University Grants Commission
Abbreviation	UGC
Formation	28 December 1956; 67 years ago (1956-12-28)
Founder	Maulana Azad
Headquarters	New Delhi
Location	India
Official language	English, Hindi
Owner	Government of India
Chairman	Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar
Parent organization	Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India
Budget (2021–22)	₹4,693 crore (US$560 million)[1]
Website	ugc.gov.in

University Grants Commission (UGC; ISO: Viś‍vavidyālaya Anudāna Āyōga) is a statutory body under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. It was set up in accordance to the UGC Act 1956^[2] and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education in India. It provides recognition to universities in India, and disbursements of funds to such recognized universities and colleges. The UGC headquarters are in New Delhi, and it has six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore.^[3][4] A proposal to replace it with another new regulatory body called HECI is under consideration by the Government of India. The UGC provides doctoral scholarships to all those who clear JRF in the National Eligibility Test. On an average, each year ₹725 crore (US$87 million) is spent on doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships by the commission.