India has seen a proliferation of dubious universities that are not recognized or accredited by educational authorities. Students need to steer clear of these “blacklisted” institutions to avoid wasting their time and money on worthless degrees. Here is a list of universities that have been flagged as fake, illegal, or substandard in India.

UGC Blacklisted Universities

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is the top regulatory body for higher education in India. It maintains a list of fake universities that are not authorized to confer degrees. Some examples include:

• Commercial University Ltd.
• United Nations University
• Vocational University
• Indian Institute of Science and Engineering

These universities are not permitted to use the word “University” in their names and their degrees are not valid.

AICTE Debarred Institutions

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) oversees technical and management colleges in India. It has blacklisted numerous institutes for infractions like submitting fake documents, lacking proper facilities, or misrepresenting facts. Some AICTE debarred colleges are:

• Indian Institute of Planning and Management
• Institute of Productivity & Management Science
• Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya

Degrees from these technical institutes will not be recognized by the government.

Universities with Fake Affiliations

Some shady universities pretend to be affiliated to reputed boards like UGC, AICTE, or DEC (Distance Education Council) but are actually operating illegally. Students should verify directly with the boards to confirm affiliation status.

Be Cautious

With India having hundreds of universities and tens of thousands of colleges, it can be tricky navigating the system. Refer to official blacklists when considering both public and private institutions. Consult education regulators to verify approvals and accreditation status before taking admission. Choosing an unrecognized university can have devastating consequences on your future prospects.

Regulatory Red Flags

When evaluating a university, look out for these suspicious traits:

• Name similar to a top university but not actually affiliated. For example, Stanford College or Oxford College.
• Address is a small residential or commercial building rather than a proper campus.
• Website has plagiarized content from other sites or uses unprofessional email domains.
• Claims international accreditations but does not name the specific agencies.
• Advertises unrealistic programs like part-time PhD degrees.
• Charges very low fees compared to market rates.

Consequences of Blacklisted Degrees

Getting a degree from an illegal university can have serious repercussions:

• Cannot obtain government jobs or higher education admissions. Degrees are not recognized.
• Difficulty in finding reputed private companies willing to accept the degree.
• May still have to repay education loans taken despite having a worthless degree.
• Time and money wasted on substandard education.