Section 5 in All India Council for Technical Education (Categorisation of Standalone Institutions for Grant of Graded Autonomy) Regulations, 2019
5. Dimensions of Autonomy for Category-II Standalone Institutions.
- 5.1 Standalone Institutions may start a new course/programme in disciplines that form a part of its existing academic framework without approval of the AICTE with the nomenclature of Diploma, Post Diploma Certificate, Post Graduate Certificate and Post Graduate Diploma in new and innovative areas that are relevant to local, national or international needs, with information to the AICTE.5.2Standalone Institutions may start skill courses, consistent with the National Skills Qualification Framework, without approval of the AICTE, consistent with the approved nomenclature of AICTE.5.3Standalone Institutions, subject to the Rules, Regulations and Guidelines of Government of India, may hire, without approval of the AICTE, foreign faculty having taught at any institution appearing in top five hundred of any of the world renowned ranking frameworks, such as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings or the QS Rankings, upto twenty percent over and above of their total sanctioned faculty strength. Standalone Institutions will have the freedom to hire foreign faculty on "tenure/contract" basis as per the terms and conditions approved by their Governing Council/Statutory bodies.5.4Standalone Institutions shall be free to admit foreign students on merit, subject to a maximum of twenty percent, over and above of the strength of their approved domestic students. Standalone Institutions would be free to fix and charge fees from foreign students without any restriction.5.5Standalone Institutions, while following the pay scales as laid down by the AICTE, shall build in an incentive structure to attract talented faculty, with the condition that the incentive structure shall have to be paid from their own revenue sources and not from AICTE or Government funds. Such incentive structure shall be strictly merit based with clear defined, transparent and objective criteria and shall not be universal. It must necessarily be approved by the Board of Management of the Institution. The AICTE shall be informed of the incentive structure within thirty days of approval by the Board of Management of the Institution.5.6Standalone Institutions may offer courses in the Open and Distance Learning mode, without approval of the AICTE, provided it satisfies all the norms & standard laid down by AICTE from time to time.5.7Standalone Institutions shall be exempted from annual monitoring of their institutes and learning resource centre(s), as stipulated under AICTE approval process handbook as amended /modified from time to time, except when there is substantive evidence of their not meeting basic minimum criteria or of irregularities or malpractices.5.8In case there is any external review required by the AICTE under any statute or executive order, then it would be sufficient that the institution sends a report to the AICTE in a prescribed review format.
