AICTE Directs Colleges to Admit NIOS Students Equally

• AICTE urges institutions to accept NIOS students for higher education.
• NIOS certificates are recognized equivalent to CBSE, CISCE, and state boards.
• Institutions must update admission guidelines to ensure inclusivity for NIOS students.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has cautioned institutions against refusing admission to students with National Institute of Open Schooling certificates, emphasizing that these qualifications are completely legitimate for access to higher and professional education.

The body overseeing technical education has observed that these actions contravene directives of the National Education Policy and negatively impact students’ rights to pursue higher education.

“It has been brought to the notice of the Council that some AICTE-approved higher education institutions have denied admission to students who have passed their examination through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), despite these students fulfilling the prescribed eligibility criteria,” the council said.

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“NIOS is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and is recognised on par with other national and state boards such as CBSE, CISCE, and State Boards of School Education,” it added.

The AICTE has instructed all higher education institutions to recognize students who have completed NIOS and fulfill the eligibility criteria as equivalent to students from other recognized boards. Institutions have been encouraged to revise their admission guidelines and public announcements to clearly incorporate NIOS-qualified students, thus fostering inclusivity and removing any uncertainties in the admission process.