SLQF - Certification Process
UGC STANDING COMMITTEE ON QUALITY ASSURANCE CERTIFICATION OF SLQF LEVEL OF QUALIFICATIONS OFFERED BY STATE UNIVERSITIES
Scope of Certification Process
It is recommended that certification should be confined to qualifications currently awarded by the 15 universities under the UGC, since the authority of the UGC is confined to these HEIs. Universities may request certification of any qualification, at any SLQF Level
Certification of the SLQF Level is applicable only to programmes of study introduced or revised after 1 January 2016 to ensure compliance with SLQF 2015.
The certification process is not applicable to qualifications awarded for programmes of study designed and approved prior to 1 January 2016, or to a programme that is no longer offered. However, such programmes may be considered for attestation of SLQF Level equivalency in terms of minimum admission requirements, duration of programme, major component of contents, and mode of delivery and assessment. This will confirm that a particular qualification awarded for a programme of study that was designed prior to 1 January 2016, including any discontinued programme of study, is academically equal to a comparable SLQF-compliant qualification.
Procedure for certification of SLQF Level or attestation of equivalent SLQF level
It is envisaged that all programmes offered by a Faculty will be considered for certification or attestation of equivalence, simultaneously. The general procedure will be as follows:
| Stage 1. | University submits all applications from a Faculty simultaneously for UGC Certification / attestation of equivalence for all programmes offered by a Faculty | |
| Stage 2. | Each application is taken up for individual consideration by SLQF Certification Committee | |
| Stage 3. | Compliance is verified by a site visit, where necessary | |
| Stage 4. | SLQF Certification Committee makes recommendation to UGC | |
| Stage 5. | UGC formally endorses recommendations of Certification Committee | |
| Stage 6. | QAC issues certificates to university, and UGC informs the public through database on website | |
| However, the procedure may be modified somewhat according to the type of qualification: | ||
| 1. | Postgraduate programmes: the claimed SLQF Level can be verified during the proposed PR process in 2021 by the reviewers, and certification by the Certification Committee can be issued thereafter. | |
| 2. | Undergraduate programmes: the claimed SLQF Level can be verified by reviewers during the next review cycle followed by certification by the Certification Committee. If certification is required prior to that, a separate site visit will be required. | |
| 3. | Programmes leading to qualifications claimed to be at Levels 3 & 4, will be certified after a site visit. | |
Application for SLQF certification or attestation of equivalency
The application for SLQF certification or for attestation of equivalency should be made on the relevant application form which will be made publicly available by the UGC, through its website.
Site visit for SLQF certification
The site visit will provide an opportunity for verification of supporting evidence for claims made in the application for SLQF certification, and to meet relevant stakeholders.
Reports issued by the SLQF Certification Committee
The recommendations made to the Commission by the SLQF Certification Committee should take the form of a formal report.
The final recommendation may be one of 2 options
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The effective period of certification will be from the date of University Council or UGC approval of the SLQF compliant programme, until re-certification during the next review cycle.
Qualifications awarded for programmes of study designed and approved before 1 January 2016 will be granted attestation of SLQF Level Equivalency for the requested period.
Appeals for reconsideration of decisions made by Certification Committee
If the Certification Committee finds that a programme does not meet the requirements for certification of SLQF compliance at the level claimed by the Faculty, the Faculty may appeal this decision by submitting a fresh application.
Certificate issued to university
This should be a formal certificate signed by the Chairman, UGC. It can be a hard copy, or an electronic copy. Details will be determined by the Certification Committee, and subject to Commission approval.
Informing the public
Information regarding certification of the SLQF Level of qualifications offered by each university should be made known to the public through the UGC website, based on a database maintained by the QAC-UGC. Details will be determined by the Certification Committee, and subject to Commission approval.