The University Grants Commission (UGC) has framed guidelines for adoption of Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) for all undergraduate and postgraduate level degree, diploma and certificate programmes under the credit system awarded by Central, State and Deemed to be Universities. The details of the guidelines are available at http://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/9555132_Guidelines.pdf . The CBCS will enable students to take courses of their choice, learn at their own pace, undergo additional courses and acquire more than the required credits, and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to learning. The CBCS guidelines also provide for standardized Letter Grades, corresponding Grade Points, uniform method for calculation of Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and a consolidated Transcript Format to indicate a student’s performance in each semester. The grading system is considered to be better than the conventional marks system and hence it has been followed in the top institutions in India and abroad. Adoption of grading system will facilitate seamless mobility of students across the institutions within and across countries and also enable employers to assess the performance of students.

The UGC has circulated these guidelines to the Vice-Chancellors of all universities and requested them to introduce this system from the academic year 2015-16. The details of adoption of the guidelines are not centrally maintained in the UGC. The UGC has indicated in the guidelines that it is desirable that Higher Educational Institutions move to CBCS and implement the grading system.

This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Irani in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha question.

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DS/RK/CREDIT SYSTEM