MDU reassures students and parents on NAAC A+ status, distance & online degrees

Rohtak: Days after Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda and JJP leader and former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala questioned the NAAC ranking of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) and sought action against officials, the university on Saturday asserted that its NAAC Grade A+ status remains intact and that its distance and online degrees are fully valid.

Addressing a press conference today, varsity registrar Dr Krishan Kant Gupta and Dean Academic Affairs Prof S.C. Malik said MDU “continues to adhere strictly to all national regulatory norms and remains fully committed to quality in teaching, research and outreach”.

Explaining the position on NAAC, they recalled that MDU was accredited with grade A+ in 2019 for five years under the Revised Accreditation Framework (RAF). Before this cycle ended, NAAC issued public notices on 27 January 2024 and 5 December 2025, announcing a shift to a new system of Basic (Binary) Accreditation followed by Maturity-Based Graded Levels (MBGL) as per the Dr Radhakrishnan Committee. For all institutions whose RAF validity was due to expire in this transition window, NAAC has extended validity for up to three months after the launch of MBGL, allowing them to apply under the new format.

“In simple terms, NAAC itself has put a transition framework in place and universities like MDU continue to be treated as accredited during this period,” Dr Gupta said. He added that MDU had written to NAAC well before the end of its cycle, expressing readiness to apply under the new system and seeking continuity of its A+ grade. “The moment NAAC operationalises the new methodology, we will apply,” he said.

On quality benchmarks, Prof Malik pointed out that under vice-chancellor Prof Rajbir Singh, MDU is ranked 43rd among state public universities in the latest NIRF rankings, has figured consistently in the top 100 universities in India for over five years, and that 22 MDU researchers were listed among the world’s top 2% scientists in 2025 based on Stanford University data.

Clarifying on the Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE), the officials said all programmes are being run as per UGC (ODL and Online) regulations, with approvals valid up to the 2025–26 session. UGC–DEB has generated DEB IDs for all students admitted in 2025–26, confirming regulatory validity. “Every learner enrolled in an approved programme will complete it and receive a valid degree,” Dr Gupta stressed, adding that MDU also plans to start new distance and online programmes.

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