Gangtok, 27th September: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has placed five private universities from Sikkim in its newly released list of defaulting state private universities, putting the Himalayan state ahead of larger states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Rajasthan despite its small size. The notice, dated 24th September 2025, was issued by UGC Secretary Prof. Manish Joshi on behalf of the Commission.
The public notice clearly states: “List of the defaulting State Private Universities that have not submitted the Information under Section 13 of the UGC Act, 1956, or have not uploaded the Public Self-Disclosure information on their respective website – regarding.” According to the UGC, all higher education institutions were earlier bound by the “Guidelines on Public Self-Disclosure by Higher Education Institutions, 2024, dated 10.06.2024”. The guidelines required every university to maintain a functional website with details that are “easily accessible to everyone, on the home page, without any need for registration or login.” The rules also directed that the websites must include a proper search facility.
In addition to this online disclosure, universities were instructed to submit detailed information to the UGC for inspection under Section 13 of the UGC Act, 1956. The notice reminded that this had to be done “in soft copy only in the prescribed format available at the UGC website at the link https://www.ugc.gov.in/oldpdf/proformaprivateuniversities.pdf along with supporting documents duly attested by the Registrar of the University within the stipulated period.” They were also asked to upload the filled-in format and appendices on their websites through a direct link on the homepage “so that the information is accessible to the students and the general public.”
Despite repeated reminders “through e-mails and online meetings,” the UGC said it has been observed that “54 State private Universities have not submitted the Information under Section 13 of the UGC Act, 1956, or have not uploaded the Public Self-Disclosure information on their respective website.”
From Sikkim, the five universities that figure in this defaulting list are: Medhavi Skills University, Singtam; Sikkim Alpine University (formerly EIILM University), South Sikkim; Sikkim Global Technical University, Namchi; Sikkim International University, West Sikkim; and Sikkim Skill University, Namthang. This makes Sikkim one of the worst affected states in terms of numbers, alongside Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, despite its relatively small size.
Overall, Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 10 defaulting universities, followed by Gujarat with 8, and Sikkim with 5. Other states have smaller numbers: Jharkhand and Uttarakhand have 4 each, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Manipur have 3 each, Uttar Pradesh has 4, Maharashtra has 2, while Assam, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura, and West Bengal have one each.
The UGC has cautioned that compliance is still expected, with the notice concluding: “All Universities are requested to comply with the UGC directions.”
With this announcement, Sikkim now finds itself at the centre of attention, with more defaulting universities than much larger states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.
