An estimated 894 Arts, Science and Commerce (ASC) undergraduate colleges have been conferred autonomous status by the University Grants Commission. They have full freedom to introduce new courses and draw up their own syllabuses and curriculums
Under s.3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, UGC has the discretionary power to confer academic and administrative autonomy on higher education institutions (HEIs) awarded top A grading by the National Assessment & Accreditation Council of India (NAAC), and which in the commission’s opinion have an excellent track record of higher education delivery. Accordingly an estimated 894 Arts, Science and Commerce (ASC) undergraduate colleges countrywide have been conferred autonomy by the commission.
However, it is noteworthy that this power is discretionary and not always exercised logically. For instance, while St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai has been awarded autonomy since 2010, St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and several other Delhi colleges which have the required NAAC rating have not been awarded autonomy, and remain tied to the apron strings of Delhi University.
It’s also noteworthy that in this year’s EW India Higher Education Rankings, the total score awarded to St. Stephen’s is comfortably higher than to St. Xavier’s. Moreover, an estimated 83 government colleges with even lesser scores have been awarded autonomy and are ranked separately inter se in EWIHER 2023-24 (see p. 66). But not St. Stephen’s. Like God, UGC also moves in mysterious ways.
Be that as it may, to facilitate school-leaving students to choose between private autonomous and non-autonomous private undergrad colleges, they are ranked separately in our institutional ranking league tables. It’s quite possible — indeed probable — that a large number of school-leavers would prefer to sign up with private autonomous rather than tightly-controlled non-autonomous colleges.
Just like the rankings of privately-promoted non-autonomous colleges are dominated by St. Stephen’s and several colleges affiliated with the relatively pampered Delhi University, the league table of private autonomous colleges is dominated by St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai (SXM) top-ranked for the past four years. Moreover, this league table is dominated by colleges promoted by Christian education missionaries, some of centuries vintage.
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