UGC Declares 22 Fake Universities in India: Names, States, and Details

The University of Grant Commission has updated their list of fake universities in India recently. Based on the UGC fake university list 2026, there are a total of 32 universities in this country which are not recognised by the commission. Delhi has the highest number of fake universities. The UGC has urged parents and students to verify institutions before applying. This means, degree or certification from any of these 32 universities are invalid. Previously there were a total of 22 fake universities in India as per UGC.

To be recognised as a university, an institution either needs to be established as per Central/State/Provincial Act or an ‘institution Deemed to be University’ under section 3 or an institution specially empowered by an Act of Parliament to confer UGC specified degrees under section 22(3) of the Act. In this article below, we will discuss what can be called a fake university, the updated UGC fake university list and other important details.

What is a Fake University?

As per the University Grant Commission, to be eligible to be called a university, an institution must fulfil certain parameters of either being established under the provincial act by the central or the state. There can also be universities in India that are not established under these but fulfilled all the requirements by the UGC; these universities are labelled as “deemed-to-be-universities”. Here is a list of universities that UGC found out to be fake as per October 2025.