Days after UGC announced the new academic calendar for the upcoming academic session, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had issued new guidelines wherein it has specified that all new PGDM and PGCM Courses will commence from 1st August 2020.
In a letter issued to all the higher education institutions involved in offering higher education courses in management, architecture, engineering, pharmacy, AICTE has asked them to follow all the guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission.
Earlier on 30th April 2020, UGC had issued guidelines regarding the academic calendar and exam schedule that was to be followed by the educational institutions in India. This letter from AICTE has been issued to all polytechnics, universities, affiliated technical institutions, and deemed to be universities.
Due to the nationwide lockdown prompted by the Coronavirus pandemic, AICTE has developed the following academic calendar to be followed by the affiliated institutions: –
| S. No. | Particulars | Date |
| 1 | Classes starting for existing PGDM/PGCM students | 1st July 2020 |
| 2 | Last date for cancellation of seats for PGDM/PGCM students with full refund fewer Rs. 1000 | 25th July 2020 |
| 3 | The final date for admission in PGDM/PGCM courses | 31st July 2020 |
| 4 | Commencement of new academic session for PGDM/PGCM students | 31st July 2020 to 1st August 2020 |
| 5 | Last dates for admission into distance learning and open learning courses | 15th August 2020 and 15th February 2021 |
The letter issued by AICTE to the affiliated institutions also specified that the institutions should not hike the admission fee or any other fees for the upcoming academic session 2020-21.
Moreover, the educational institutions have been instructed to not pressurize the students to pay any form of advance fee during the nationwide lockdown.
The letter also elaborated on the pending examinations. As per the letter, if the examinations for the first-year students for the session 2019-20 could not be completed due to the lockdown, the mode of examination or promotion to higher classes shall be performed as per the guidelines of UGC released on 29th April 2020.
The institutions can commence the session through online mode for the current academic calendar and then shift to regular classroom mode only after explicit instructions from the ministry of human resource development.
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