PUNE: After Fergusson Collegeearned autonomy two years ago, it is on its way to becoming a university.
The college’s authorities received a letter from Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan(RUSA) on April 10 seeking a proposal for a university. These plans were submitted on Thursday.

The proposal will now be cleared by the state government and forwarded to the ministry of human resource and development and if accepted, the college will function as a university by June 2019.

Principal Ravindrasinh Pardeshi at a news conference on Friday said, responding to the invitation of RUSA, the college has submitted its proposal on April 19 showing its willingness to become a university.

The pre-requisites for the upgrade include autonomy, a healthy student-teacher ratio, postgraduate departments and preferably have filled 85% of their sanctioned faculty positions. Fergusson College has submitted academic, administrative, physical and financial reform proposal worth Rs 75.4 crore to RUSA.

Vikas Kakatkar, vice-chairman of Deccan Education Society that runs Fergusson College, said, “We are positive that by June 2019, we will function as a university and become a degree awarding institute. We have plans to establish eight schools in different disciplines under the university and upgrade our laboratory system, have new infrastructure for expansion and meet other requirements.”

A RUSA team will visit the campus and submit a report to the state government which will give a no-objection certificate and forward the proposal to the Union ministry for a final nod.
Fergusson College, after getting university status, may get finding of Rs 55 crore to be released partly by state government and partly by the Union government. The college has 27 departments in arts and science.