At least four private digital open universities are setting up base in Punjab. The Empowered Committee of Higher Education, Punjab, has already cleared the project of PhysicsWallah, an education company, to set up a digital university on a three-acre site in Patiala.
A senior government functionary said three more proposals are in the pipeline. These include MS University, Patiala; a cloud university in Hoshiarpur; and Amity University, Mohali. After approval by Empowered Committee, legislation for each university will be sent for approval in the upcoming session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
The digital universities will have physical campuses, but these will serve as administrative headquarters only. No classes will be held on campus.
To open doors for private players in digital education, Punjab Higher Education Department framed the “Punjab Private Digital Open Universities Policy 2026” in January this year. The policy enables students to complete degree courses from home via online education. Punjab claims to be the first state in India to introduce a policy allowing end-to-end digital full-degree and diploma programmes.
The initiative allows private institutions to set up fully digital universities in the state, using modern tools such as AI-enabled learning pathways, AI-proctored examination systems, and virtual laboratories to meet the evolving needs of students and professionals.
While Tripura set up a digital university earlier, it did so without a formal, comprehensive policy. Punjab’s policy will regulate and promote private digital open universities offering online and open distance learning (ODL) programmes. It aligns with established global digital-first institutions.
A senior government functionary said the broad objective of a private digital open university is “to provide teaching and training in higher education through digital, online, distance, or open modes and to make provisions for research and innovation through technology-enabled systems”.
What will be taught at the digital open universities
The universities will offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional programmes through online classes, digital assessments, and other technology-enabled tools, using the internet to bridge the gap between teacher and learner. Regulations for digital universities
As part of the regulatory policy, interested private players must have at least five years of credible experience in online learning, maintain a corpus fund of at least Rs 20 crore, and submit a processing fee of Rs 5 lakh to Punjab’s Department of Higher Education with the application. Once approval is received, another Rs 20 lakh must be paid to the government.
To safeguard the interests of Punjab residents, the government has stated that at least 15 per cent of seats in each university will be reserved for Punjab domiciles. The state government may impose penalties of up to Rs 25 lakh if any UGC or other norms are violated by private players.
