The Ministry of HRD has taken various steps to implement the scheme of Institutions of Eminence (IoEs). On 4th September 2019, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, on the advice of UGC and the Empowered Expert Committee issued orders to 5 public Universities conveying their declaration as Institutions of Eminence (IoE). These are IIT Madras, Banaras Hindu University, IIT Kharagpur, University of Delhi and University of Hyderabad. In addition, Letters of Intent were issued to 5 Private Universities for accepting and sending their preparedness for being declared as Institutions of Eminence. These are Amrita Viswavidyapeetham, Tamil Nadu, Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Odisha & Bharti Institute, Satya Bharti Foundation, Mohali. These institutions will need to submit their readiness for commencing academic operations as IoEs.

Further, in respect of 2 more Universities, Shiv Nadar University, UP and O.P Jindal University, Haryana letters were issued to the State Government to pass legislation in the State Assembly to cease the status of these Universities as Private Universities under the State and so as to enable them to be considered as IoE Deemed Universities. 

In regard to2 State Universities, Jadavpur University, West Bengal and Anna University, Tamil Nadu were also selected by the Empowered Committee and the State Governments have been asked to indicate their commitment towards their contribution under the IoE scheme.

Earlier, in the first round under the IoE scheme, 6 institutions were selected as IoEs:

The 3 Public Institutions were declared IoEs, while the 3 private institutions were issued Letters of Intent.  Till date we have 16 institutions as IoEs, apart from which  another 4 institutions where State Government’s confirmation and commitment is awaited.

Benefits of Institutions of Eminence

1. Government Institutions to get additional funding upto 1000 Cr.
2. The selected Institutions under IoE shall have complete academic and administrative autonomy.
3. The Institutions of Eminence will have complete financial autonomy to spend the resources raised and allocated, subject to general conditions & restrictions of the Statutes and GFR.
4. Academic collaborations with foreign higher educational institutions (in top 500) would be exemptfrom government approvals.
5. Freedom to hire personnel from industry, etc, as faculty who are experts in their areasbut may not have the requisite higher academic qualifications.
6. Freedom to recruit faculty from outside India (limit of 25% of its faculty strength for public institution).
7. Freedom to enter into academic collaborations with other Institutions within the country.
8. Freedom to have own transparent merit based system for admission of students.
9. Freedom to admit additionally foreign students on merit subject to a maximum of 30% of the strength of admitted domestic students.
10. Freedom to fix and charge fees from foreign students without restriction.
11. Freedom to determine the domestic student fees, subject to the condition that no student who gets selected admission is turned away for lack of finance. Every Institute to encourage scholarships and extension of loans facility.
12. Freedom to offer courses within a program as well as to offer degrees in newer areas, including inter-disciplinary ones, after approval of its Governing Council and conforming to the minimum prevailing standards. 
13. Freedom to have the flexibility of course structure in terms of number of credit hours and years to take a degree, after approval of their Governing Council and conforming to the minimum prevailing standards.
14. Flexibility in fixing of curriculum and syllabus, with no UGC mandated curriculum structure.
15. Freedom to offer online courses as part of their programmes with a restriction that not more than 20% of the programme should be in online mode. Certificate courses can entirely be through online mode.
16. Students enrolment capacity to be 10,000 in 15 years. (Lower figure permitted with justification)
17. Faculty Student Ratio should be 1:20 at the time of Notification and should increase to 1:10 in five years.
18. UGC Inspection shall not apply to Institutions of Eminence.

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NB/AK