Section 12 in University Grants Commission (Open and Distance Learning) Regulations, 2017
12. Admission and fees.
(1)In order to provide opportunities for Higher Education to a larger segment of the population and to promote the educational well being of the community in general, the fee structure shall be devised by the Higher Educational Institutions in such a manner that it is affordable to all the stakeholders and the Higher Educational Institutions shall comply with the following:-(a)A Higher Educational Institution shall, for admission in respect of any programme in Open and Distance Learning mode, accept payment towards admission fee and other fees and charges -(i)as may be fixed by it and declared by it in the prospectus for admission, and on the website of the HEI;(ii)with a proper receipt in writing issued for such payment to the concerned student admitted in such Higher Educational Institutions;(iii)only by way of online transfer, bank draft or pay order directly in favour of the Higher Educational Institution.(b)It shall be mandatory for the Higher Educational Institutions to upload the details of all kind of payment or fee paid by the students on the website of the HEI.(c)The fee waiver for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Persons with Disabilities category of students shall be in accordance with the instructions or orders issued by Central Government or State Government:Provided that a Higher Educational Institution shall not engage in commercialisation of education in any manner whatsoever, and shall provide for equity and access to all deserving learners.(d)Admission of learners to a Higher Educational Institution for a programme in Open and Distance Learning mode shall be offered in a transparent manner and made directly by the headquarters of the Higher Educational Institution which shall be solely responsible for final approval relating to admissions or registration of students:Provided that a Learner Support Centre shall not admit a learner to any programme in Open and Distance Learning for or on behalf of the Higher Educational Institution.(e)Every Higher Educational Institution shall -(i)record Aadhaar details or other Government identifiers of learner;(ii)maintain the records of the entire process of selection of candidates, and preserve such records for a minimum period of five years;(iii)exhibit such records on its website; and(iv)be liable to produce such record, whenever called upon to do so by any statutory authority of the Government under any law for the time being in force.(f)Every Higher Educational Institution shall publish, before expiry of sixty days prior to the date of the commencement of admission to any of its programme in Open and Distance Learning mode, a prospectus containing the following for the purposes of informing those persons intending to seek admission to such Higher Educational Institutions and the general public, namely :-(i)each component of the fee, deposits and other charges payable by the learners admitted to such Higher Educational Institutions for pursuing a programme in Open and Distance Learning, and the other terms and conditions of such payment;(ii)the percentage of tuition fee and other charges refundable to a learner admitted in such Higher Educational Institutions in case such learner withdraws from such Higher Educational Institutions before or after completion of course or programme of study and the time within, and the manner in, which such refund shall be made to the learner;(iii)the number of seats approved in respect of each course or programme of Open and Distance Learning mode, which shall be in consonance with the resources;(iv)the conditions of eligibility including the minimum age of a learner in a particular course of programme of study, where so specified by the Higher Educational Institution;(v)the minimum educational qualifications required for admission in programme(s) specified by the relevant statutory authority or body, or by the Higher Educational Institution, where no such qualifying standards have been specified by any statutory authority;(vi)the process of admission and selection of eligible candidates applying for such admission, including all relevant information in regard to the details of test or examination for selecting such candidates for admission to each course or programme of study and the amount of fee to be paid for the admission test;(vii)details of the teaching faculty, including therein the educational qualifications and teaching experience of every member of its teaching faculty and also indicating therein whether such member is employed on regular or part time or visiting or contractual basis;(viii)pay and other emoluments payable for each category of teachers and other employees;(ix)information in regard to physical and academic infrastructure and other facilities, including that of each of the Learner Support Centres and in particular the facilities accessible by learners on being admitted to the HEI;(x)broad outline of the syllabus specified by the appropriate statutory body or by Higher Educational Institution, as the case may be, for every course or programme of study; and(xi)activity planner including all the academic activities to be carried out by the Higher Educational Institution during the academic session and the details of July cycle and January cycle shall be notified separately:Provided that the Higher Educational Institution shall publish information's referred to in clause (i) to (xi) on its website, and the attention of the prospective learners and the general public shall be drawn to such publication on its website and Higher Educational Institutions admission prospectus and the admission process shall necessarily be over prior to the beginning of the session:Provided further that the Higher Educational Institution may publish prospectus at any time before the expiry of sixty days.(g)No Higher Educational Institution shall, directly or indirectly, demand or charge or accept, capitation fee or demand any donation, by way of consideration for admission to any seat or seats in a course or programme of study conducted by it.(h)No person shall, directly or indirectly, offer or pay capitation fee or give any donation, by way of consideration either in cash or kind or otherwise, for obtaining admission to any seat or seats in a programme in Open and Distance Learning mode offered by a Higher Education Institution.(i)No Higher Educational Institution, who has in its possession or custody, of any document in the form of certificates of degree, diploma or any other award or other document deposited with it by a person for the purpose of seeking admission in such Higher Educational Institutions, shall refuse to return such degree, certificate award or other document with a view to induce or compel such person to pay any fee or fees in respect of any course or programme of study which such person does not intend to pursue or avail any facility in such Higher Educational Institution.(j)In case a learner, after having admitted to a Higher Educational Institution, for pursuing any programme in Open and Distance Learning mode subsequently withdraws from such Higher Educational Institutions, no Higher Educational Institution in that case shall refuse to refund such percentage of fee deposited by such learner and within such time as has been mentioned in the prospectus of such Higher Educational Institution.(k)No Higher Educational Institution shall, issue or publish-(i)any advertisement for inducing learners for taking admission in the Higher Educational Institution, claiming to be recognised by the appropriate statutory authority or by the Commission where it is not so recognised; or(ii)any information, through advertisement or otherwise in respect of its infrastructure or its academic facilities or of its faculty or standard of instruction or academic or research performance, which the Higher Educational Institution, or person authorized to issue such advertisement on behalf of the Higher Educational Institution knows to be false or not based on facts or to be misleading.(l)On being granted recognition under clause (i) of sub-regulation (4) of regulation 3, a Higher Educational Institution shall admit students to its approved programmes only from the academic session specified in the recognition order:Provided that enrolment of learners to the Higher Educational Institution, for any reason whatsoever, in anticipation of grant of recognition for offering a programme in Open and Distance Learning mode, shall render the enrolment invalid.
