As early as 2001, there have been reports of India’s fake universities - which, despite lack of affiliation from the University Grants Commission, award their own degrees.

It is section 22 of the UGC act gives only a university that has been established or incorporated by or under a central act, provincial act or state act or an institution university status. Despite the UGC’s malpractices cell which tracks and disseminates information about these institutions, they’ve been running for over a decade!

UP leads with 9 fake universities, followed by Delhi’s 6, while 7 other states have a university each not approved by the UGC.

India’s fake universities - the UGC list

Uttar Pradesh
Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya Prayag (Allahabad)
Indian Education Council of UP (Lucknow)
Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag (Allahabad)
National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy (Kanpur)
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Achaltal (Aligarh)
Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi Kalan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya (Pratapgarh)
Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad, Institutional Area Khoda, Makanpur (Noida)
Gurukul Vishwavidyala (Mathura)

Delhi
Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, Jagatpuri (Delhi)
Indian Institute of Science and Engineering (New Delhi)
Commercial University Ltd, Daryaganj (Delhi)
United Nations University (Delhi)
Vocational University (Delhi)
ADR-Centric Juridical University, Rajendra Place (New Delhi)

Other states
Maithili University/Vishwavidyalaya, Darbhanga (Bihar)
Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society, Gokak, Belgaum (Karnataka)
St Johns University, Kishanattam (Kerala)
Kesarwani Vidyapith, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)
Raja Arabic University, Nagpur (Maharashtra)
DDB Sanskrit University, Putur, Trichi (Tamil Nadu)
Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine (Kolkata)