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Komal
14 October, 2025
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The educational world is changing by the minute, making it hard for us to keep up. Don’t worry — we have got you. We bring to you the weekly roundup of the educational news happening in and around India. The bulletin covers any new developments, policy changes, breaking news, and much more.
Let’s take a look at Learning Route’s weekly news bulletin (October 6, 7, 9, 9, 10 and 11, 2025): As per latest education news, UGC approves 101 universities for online and distance learning, IIT Palakkad and the Ministry of Minority Affairs sign an MoU, World University Rankings 2026 are announced, ISB and Emeritus announce a new Venture Capital and Private Equity course, NTA Swayam examination 2025 registration opens, and some other insights. Here are all the updates you need to know. Are you ready to explore with us?
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recognised 20 category-1 institutions and 101 universities for providing open and distance learning programmes for the academic year 2025-26. Moreover, 113 universities were approved to provide online courses, while 13 institutes shall offer specialised online learning courses. Check UGC approved universities list.
As per the approval, October 15 is the final date for students to apply for admission to the recognised ODL and online courses. Most of these universities do not require AICTE approval for the specific courses. This announcement followed the UGC’s invitation of applications from colleges and universities under the UGC (Open and Distance Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Palakkad and the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU is signed under the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme. It was signed on October 8, 2025, at Palakkad, Kerala.
The goal is to empower individuals from minority communities in Kerala and equip them with future-ready technical skills in the emerging fields. Under the MoU, IIT Palakkad is responsible for training 400 candidates. Moreover, the trainees shall receive a stipend during the period of training and will be offered placement support for both employment and entrepreneurship opportunities upon completion.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 have been officially announced. According to the rankings, the University of Oxford has retained its number one position yet again for the tenth consecutive year. The University of Oxford is followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University at numbers 2 and 3, respectively.
A total of 1900 institutions were evaluated across 100 countries. This time, the leading Asian universities didn’t show any ascent in the rankings; moreover, there was a steady decline in the rankings of the universities from the United States of America. The universities are ranked based on their autonomy, stronger support for fundamental research, and academic freedom.
India has broken a ceiling in the World University Rankings 2026. It has the second-highest number of ranked universities after the United States of America. There are a total of 128 institutions representing India. Among them, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, leads the country. The institute retained the 201-250 band in the rankings, followed by Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai; Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Himachal Pradesh. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi; KIIT University, Odisha; Lovely Professional University, Punjab; University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, ranked under the 501-600 band.
The Indian School Business and Emeritus has designed a 22-week online programme. The programme is known as the Venture Capital and Private Equity Programme. This course would equip you with knowledge, skills, and frameworks to handle the complex issues existing in the private equity and venture capital industry. The curriculum would cover concepts such as deal sourcing, valuation, due diligence, portfolio management, and more.
The Venture Capital and Private Equity course is especially designed for mid- and senior-level working professionals with 5+ years of work experience. Whether you are a consultant, investment banker, finance manager, portfolio manager, or founder, this course can be a great choice. This 22-week course shall start on December 30, 2025. The total fee for the course is INR 4,61,000 (excluding GST).
India and the United Kingdom are strengthening their bilateral relations. From defence and security to education and innovation, new dimensions are being added. Nine British universities are all set to set up their campuses in India. This major expansion in education was announced on Friday upon the arrival of the UK delegation in Mumbai, India.
Out of nine, a list of some of the universities has already been released. The University of Southampton already has an operational campus in Gurugram. A Letter of Intent for the opening of the University of Lancaster’s campus in Bengaluru has already been signed. The University of Surrey has approval to build its campus at GIFT City. Other universities are the University of Liverpool, the University of York, the University of Aberdeen, and the University of Bristol.
In a recent update, the University of Leeds (UoL) has announced an International Excellence Scholarship for 2026 for aspiring students across the world. A total of 500 students shall be eligible for the scholarship. The scholarship offers financial assistance to the meritorious international applicants planning to pursue both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
The scholarship award includes £3,000, £6,000, and £16,000. As it is merit-based, to be eligible you must have a stellar academic record, leadership potential, and the drive to contribute towards a vibrant and inclusive community at UoL.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the Combined Defence Services (CDS 2) exam results 2025. A total of 9,085 candidates have qualified for the examination and have advanced to the interview round. You can check your results on the official UPSC website at upsc.gov.in. You can also check out the official merit list on the portal.
The National Testing Agency has opened registration for the Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (Swayam) 2025, July–September examination. The examination is open for 648 courses, allowing candidates an opportunity to earn a certificate. The online Swayam registration started on October 8, 2025 and shall close on October 30, 2025. The last day to pay the examination fee is October 31, 2025. The NTA Swayam examination is scheduled for December 11, 12, 13, and 14. The date for the release of the admit card and the final results has not been announced yet.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras has collaborated with Vertiv, a global leader and the IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, to build digitally skilled professionals in India. Under this partnership, the goal is to enhance skills and knowledge related to modern digital infrastructure.
The goal is to help 2,000 STEM students learn about data centre operations and maintenance. It includes a 35-hour self-paced online programme. The selected set of 160 students will have the opportunity to attend a 5-day immersive programme at the IIT Madras campus. This will be followed by an award for a Certified Intelligent Data Centre-Operations & Maintenance certification.
Stay tuned with Learning Routes for more such weekly educational updates!
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