UGC to Handle Equivalency and QAAC of Foreign Degrees

UGC to Handle Equivalency and QAAC of Foreign Degrees

The authority to issue equivalency certificates for students who have completed higher education abroad, previously held by Tribhuvan University (TU), will now be transferred to the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Nepal. As the national regulatory body for higher education, UGC has been officially granted legal authority over equivalency, credit transfer, and Quality Assurance and Accreditation (QAA) through recent amendments to the University Grants Commission Act, 2050.

The amended Act has already been authenticated by President Ramchandra Paudel and published in the Nepal Gazette. The revision includes a new provision granting UGC the power to determine the equivalency of academic qualifications issued by foreign universities or equivalent educational institutions.

Legal Amendments and Implementation Timeline

UGC Chairperson Devraj Adhikari confirmed that equivalency certification will now be managed directly by the Commission. Until now, the Curriculum Development Centre under the Office of the Rector at TU was responsible for this process.

According to the amendment, UGC will officially begin issuing equivalency certificates from 1st Shrawan 2083 (mid-July 2026). However, students who already received equivalency from TU before this date are not required to reapply.

Adhikari stated that the legal changes expand the scope of UGC’s responsibilities. “This amendment was passed by Parliament based on UGC’s proposal. We will begin developing guidelines to govern equivalency assessment,” he explained.

Need for Reform and National Standards

Currently, even students graduating from other universities within Nepal are required to obtain equivalency from TU for government service eligibility. This outdated requirement exists largely due to some universities failing to meet proper academic standards, prompting government agencies to demand TU’s equivalency.

The UGC plans to address this issue through clear policy guidelines. The amended Act also mandates that UGC must publicly update and publish a list of universities and qualifications recognized through equivalency at six-month intervals.

Concerns were raised in the past about TU’s discretionary decisions in granting equivalency. The 2075 High-Level Education Commission report had also recommended transferring this responsibility to UGC.

Legal Basis for Credit Transfer and QAA

The amendments provide UGC with a definitive legal mandate to manage both credit transfer and QAA implementation, areas where it previously had no formal legal recognition. The Commission will now develop clear national standards and operating procedures for these areas.

A committee led by Professor Govinda Nepal is currently drafting a directive for credit transfer mechanisms. “We are working on establishing a national standard for inter-university credit transfer, something that was lacking in Nepal until now,” said Chairperson Adhikari.

He also shared plans to establish a Credit Bank, which would record academic attendance and provide opportunities for students who are unable to complete their studies on time to resume within a defined period.

Triggered by Tragedy and Student Safety Concerns

The issue of credit transfer gained attention after the tragic death of Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Odisha, India, and reports of mistreatment of Nepali students. Following the incident, several Nepali universities, including TU, Kathmandu University, and Purbanchal University, encouraged returning students to apply for credit transfers.

However, the absence of a national standard and legal clarity had created challenges in accommodating them.

Strengthening Quality Assurance Through QAA

To uphold the quality of higher education, the amended Act mandates the implementation of QAA across academic institutions. Chairperson Adhikari confirmed that the Commission will actively enforce this provision.

Of the approximately 1,400 campuses in Nepal, only 137 have received QAA certification to date. QAA standards include benchmarks for academic infrastructure, number of faculty members per department, student-teacher ratios, lab and library resources, and physical infrastructure such as land and buildings.

UGC is responsible for monitoring and evaluating institutions based on these indicators and determining QAA eligibility. Education policy also requires higher education institutions to obtain QAA certification. TU has adopted a policy to grant new programs or affiliations only to QAA-certified campuses. Currently, TU is affiliated with around 1,000 campuses.

Foreign-Affiliated Colleges Under Scrutiny

In December of last year, the Ministry of Education issued a directive requiring all foreign-affiliated colleges in Nepal to obtain mandatory QAA certification from UGC.

However, a study committee involving experts found that this directive had not been enforced. Of the 59 foreign-affiliated colleges, only 10 had obtained QAA certification. The report noted that only those 10 were affiliated with universities ranked within the global top 1,000.

As per the directive, only institutions affiliated with globally top-ranked universities and holding QAA status should be allowed to operate in Nepal.

The report concluded that the Ministry’s weak regulation and oversight have led to the continued operation of substandard foreign colleges that do not comply with guidelines.