How to spot a Fake University
2016-07-13Lets begin with a simple exercise. From the list below can you spot the Fake Universities operating in India?
- Indian Institute of Science and Engineering, New Delhi
- St. John’s University, Kerala
- Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Kolkatta
- Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
Well, how many of you guessed two? And how many finally said three?
The real answer is — ALL of the above are fake universities being run today in our cities as per the University Grants Commission (UGC).
It is impossible to guess whether a University is approved or not by just their names. I mean, who would think that a University associating their name with "Gandhi" or "Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose" would turn out to be fake?
“St. John's” is a very common catholic sounding name and is unlikely to cause concern at the first glance. (Note: This University is not in anyway associated with St. John's Medical College, Bangalore, a reputed medical college).
Indian Institute of Science and Engineering sounds very authentic and 'Government-ish' ..... so one might miss this altogether if listed alongside institutes like Indian Institute of Technology or Indian Institute of Science!
IIPM, New Delhi, a brand with a recall value since many years, is NOT recognized by UGC!
So, here are some Takeaways:
- University Names are deceptive — fake ones tend to sound as non-discreet as possible
- Fake Universities also continue to operate and advertise themselves brazenly. Thus, seeing an advert in a newspaper or hoarding doesn't mean that the University is above board or approved.
- Students continue to mindlessly seek admissions into many such Universities — only to realize later that their years, effort and money have resulted in zero outcome. (Donating the same money to charitable causes would have at least provided them reasonable tax exemptions!)
OK, so how to spot a Fake University
The answer is very simple - UGC provides on its website, a comprehensive list of fake universities which is updated regularly. All you need to do as an aspiring student or an anxious parent is to check this list before making any decision.
The link to the UGC page that offers this information is http://bit.ly/1T8Q81y
Bottom line:
Always Exercise Caution, Stay Alert and Stay Informed.
About the blogger: Tarun is a Co-founder at MyExamPlan.com. He can be reached at tarun@myexamplan.com
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