Students finalising college admissions should verify an institution’s recognition before paying fees, with the University Grants Commission listing 32 self-styled or unrecognised institutions as fake universities.

The official list is marked “as of February 2026” on the UGC website. It should therefore be treated as an admission-season verification resource—not as a list newly issued on August 10.

Among the 32 names is Daksha University (Vocational and Life Skill Education), New Pundag, Ranchi, the only institution from Jharkhand on the list. No institution from Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh appears in the UGC’s fake-university category.

The UGC has warned that degrees issued by unrecognised institutions are neither recognised nor valid for higher education or employment. It has urged students to check the commission’s official university and fake-institution lists before taking admission.

State-Wise List of 32 Fake Universities

Andhra Pradesh

1. Christ New Testament Deemed University, Guntur.

2. Bible Open University of India, Visakhapatnam.

Arunachal Pradesh

3. Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine.

Delhi

4. Mountain Institute of Management & Technology.

5. World Peace of United Nations University.

6. Institute of Management and Engineering.

7. National Institute of Management Solution.

8. All India Institute of Public & Physical Health Sciences State Government University.

9. Commercial University Ltd.

10. United Nations University.

11. Vocational University.

12. ADR-Centric Juridical University.

13. Indian Institute of Science and Engineering.

14. Viswakarma Open University for Self-Employment.

15. Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University).

Haryana

16. Magic & Art University, Faridabad.

Jharkhand

17. Daksha University (Vocational and Life Skill Education), Ranchi.

Karnataka

18. Global Human Peace University, Bengaluru.

19. Sarva Bharatiya Shiksha Peeth, Tumkur.

Kerala

20. International Islamic University of Prophetic Medicine, Kozhikode.

21. St. John’s University, Kishanattam.

Maharashtra

22. Raja Arabic University, Nagpur.

23. National Backward Krushi Vidyapeeth, Solapur district.

Puducherry

24. Usha Latchumanan College of Education.

25. Sree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education.

Rajasthan

26. Rajeev Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management, Bhiwadi.

Uttar Pradesh

27. Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag.

28. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Aligarh.

29. Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow.

30. Mahamaya Technical University, Noida.

West Bengal

31. Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Kolkata.

32. Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research, Kolkata.

How Students Can Verify a College or University

Before paying an admission or counselling fee, students should:

1. Search for the university on the UGC’s official list of recognised central, state, private and deemed universities.

2. Check whether the specific course is permitted, particularly for medicine, law, pharmacy, teacher education, engineering and other professionally regulated programmes.

3. For distance or online courses, verify that the university and programme have the required approval for that mode and academic session.

4. Do not rely only on a brochure, advertisement, social-media page or the use of words such as “approved,” “international” or “university.”

5. Preserve payment receipts and written admission claims in case a complaint becomes necessary.

UGC says information about institutions offering programmes in violation of the UGC Act can be sent to ugcampc@gmail.com for examination and appropriate action.

The fake-university list is different from other UGC compliance categories, including institutions that have not appointed an ombudsperson or state private universities listed as defaulters. Those categories should not be presented as proof that an institution is a fake university.

Official verification page: UGC list of fake universities