Dear @Malavika_M
UGC Guidelines on Original Marksheets & Degree Certificates in Admissions
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has clear directives to prevent hardship to students regarding original documents during admissions. According to a UGC notification (Dec 2016), institutions cannot insist on submitting original academic certificates (marksheets, school leaving certificates, etc.) at the time of applying for admission. Instead, students may provide self-attested copies, and the college/university should only verify the originals at the time of enrollment and then immediately return them to the student.
This policy was reiterated by the Ministry of HRD in 2018 to curb practices of withholding student documents. The intent is to ensure students aren’t blocked from exploring opportunities or forced to surrender originals unnecessarily.
Importantly, UGC expects universities to be accommodating when delays in issuing final certificates or mark sheets are beyond the student’s control. For example, during the pandemic when qualifying exam results were delayed, UGC’s academic calendar guidelines explicitly allowed provisional admissions and gave students extra time to submit final documents.
In a 2020 affidavit to the Supreme Court, UGC confirmed that its guidelines “contemplate provisional admissions wherever necessary,” with final certificates of the qualifying examination being accepted up to a later cutoff date.
This precedent shows that UGC acknowledges situations where academic records are delayed and promotes flexibility so students don’t lose an academic year. In practice, universities commonly grant provisional admission if a student’s previous university has not yet issued a degree certificate, typically requiring an undertaking that the student will produce the official certificate or mark sheet by a specified deadline. UGC’s student-friendly measures imply that it is not mandatory to have the final original degree in hand at the exact moment of admission, provided there is credible proof that the qualification is completed.
Admission Denial vs. Digital Verification of Records
Universities are expected to verify a candidate’s qualifications, but they should not outright deny admission if the necessary academic records can be verified through official channels. If a student’s results and credentials are available on an official university portal or a national academic database, this should serve as acceptable proof of eligibility, at least on a provisional basis. In fact, the Government of India has established the National Academic Depository (NAD) integrated with DigiLocker for this very purpose. Academic documents (marksheets, degree certificates, etc.) issued through DigiLocker are legally equivalent to original physical documents under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
This means a digital mark sheet or certificate in a DigiLocker account is considered as authentic as the paper original – institutions and verifiers can rely on it. The UGC and Ministry of Education have encouraged all universities to upload student academic awards to DigiLocker/NAD to enable secure online verification. With such systems in place, colleges can easily check the legitimacy of a student’s degree or marksheet online.
Denying admission despite verifiable proof of a student’s credentials goes against the spirit of these initiatives. UGC’s push for NAD is specifically to eliminate hurdles caused by paper document delays – “since original documents can now be shared online, paper delays are greatly reduced”.
There is no UGC rule that outright mandates rejecting a student without physical originals when the delay is due to the issuing institution. On the contrary, UGC’s guidance implies that students should not be penalized for administrative delays. Many universities follow a practice of provisional enrollment: for instance, they may accept a provisional certificate or online mark sheet as interim proof and allow the student to join, on the condition that the official documents will be submitted when available. UGC’s own allowance of provisional admissions in special cases supports this approach. Thus, an institution insisting on hard copies to the extent of cancelling admission – even after verifying the student’s credentials via official references – is not aligning with UGC’s student-centric policies. In short, if the academic record is clearly verifiable (through the previous university’s database, DigiLocker, or attested interim documents), an HEI is expected to accommodate the student rather than deny admission arbitrarily.
Expediting Provisional Certificates from Bangalore City University (BCU)
When the awarding university delays issuing mark sheets or degree certificates, students have the right to request provisional documents as a stop-gap. In the case of Bangalore City University (BCU), which, like many public universities, often hands out final degree certificates only after an annual convocation, there are steps a student can take to get their documents sooner:
- Request a Provisional Degree Certificate: Approach BCU’s Examination Branch or the Office of the Registrar (Evaluation) to apply for a provisional degree certificate. A provisional degree certificate issued by the university serves as an official interim proof of your graduation and is widely accepted for admissions and jobs.
- Obtain Attested Mark Sheets or Consolidated Transcript: While waiting for the formal mark sheets, you can request BCU (or your college) to provide an attested copy of your academic record. This might be a printout of your results from the university portal or a consolidated marks statement, stamped and signed by the Registrar or Principal. This attested document can accompany the provisional degree certificate. (In your case, you already tried getting attested copies from the college principal and university registrar, which is a correct step, even though the admitting university still insisted on originals).
- Follow up on Pending Marksheet Issuance: Since you mentioned the results are on the UUCMS portal and some semesters’ marksheets (3rd and 4th semester) were already available in DigiLocker, it indicates BCU has uploaded part of your records. The remaining 5th and 6th semester mark sheets likely haven’t been uploaded yet because they are pending administrative processing or the convocation issuance. You should directly contact BCU’s examination authority or the NAD/DigiLocker nodal officer at BCU to expedite this. Provide your registration number and details, and request that the pending semester results be uploaded to DigiLocker (NAD) at the earliest. Universities often upload digital certificates once they finalize results – for example, Bangalore University stated that after convocation, they “immediately” upload degree certificates to DigiLocker. BCU’s NAD contact (as per the university website) can assist in ensuring your digital records are complete.
Most institutions will accept this combination in lieu of the final original degree for the time being. It may also help to get an official letter from BCU (or your college) addressed “To whom it may concern,” stating that “Ms. X has completed all requirements of the BBA degree, and the official degree certificate/mark sheets will be issued by [date] due to administrative timelines.” Such a letter, on letterhead with signatures, can reassure the new university about the legitimacy of the delay. While Symbiosis (the admitting university) has been strict so far, presenting them with a University-issued provisional certificate plus an official explanation letter might persuade them to grant a conditional admission until your originals are available.
Grievance Redressal and Legal Recourse for Students
If you find that UGC helplines and other contacts are unresponsive, don’t give up – there are formal grievance mechanisms and last-resort options you can pursue:
-
UGC’s e-Samadhan Grievance Portal: UGC has launched an online system called “e-Samadhan” to handle student grievances in a time-bound manner samadhaan.ugc.ac.in. Instead of calling various helpline numbers, you can register on this portal (using your student details) and lodge a detailed complaint. Provide all relevant information – your background, the issue with admission denial, the delay from BCU, and how it’s costing you time and money. The e-Samadhan platform is monitored by UGC officials and is intended as a single-window for issues like yours, ensuring faster resolution. Once you submit a complaint, you will get a grievance ID and you can track the status. UGC has made it a priority that institutional grievances get addressed quickly through this system. (Do note that you should keep all evidence ready to upload – emails from Symbiosis about document requirements, proof of your results, any communications with BCU, etc., to substantiate your case.)
-
Centralized Public Grievance (CPGRAMS): Another route is the Government of India’s PG Portal (pgportal.gov.in), where you can file a public grievance addressed to the UGC or Ministry of Education. You can also lodge a public grievance to the Department of Higher Education of your state.
-
Legal Action (Last Resort): If all administrative remedies fail, students have the option of legal recourse. Education is considered a fundamental part of one’s rights, and courts have intervened in cases where institutions’ actions jeopardized students’ careers. One approach is to file a writ petition in the High Court under whose jurisdiction the university falls, citing the violation of your rights and UGC norms. Courts can direct a university or even UGC to resolve the matter. For instance, when Bangalore City University had withheld certificates for several batches of students, the affected college (Srishti School of Design) approached the High Court to seek a remedy. Similarly, a court could order an admitting university to provisionally admit a student if it finds the university’s stance unreasonable.
UGC’s rules favor the student – institutions should not bar a qualified student from admission due to document delays outside the student’s control. There are provisions for provisional admission and verification through digital means. Your strategy should be two-pronged:
(1) Obtain credible interim documentation (provisional certificate, digital records) from Bangalore City University as quickly as possible, and
(2) Escalate the issue through official grievance channels to ensure the admitting university (Symbiosis) and regulators are aware of the situation.
Backed by UGC’s guidelines and the fact that your academic credentials are verifiable, you have a strong case. If you persist via the proper channels, you stand a good chance of either securing your admission now or, worst case, getting a remedy (like deferment or refund) that protects you from losing out entirely.