COIMBATORE; The University Grants Commission, the apex body for higher education, on Wednesday published a list of fake universities in the country for the benefit of students.

A total of 21 universities have been listed by the UGC . Eight of these 21 fake universities are in Uttar Pradesh (the highest in the country) while six others are in Delhi.

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal have one fake university each.

According to the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, only a university established by the Central/State/Provincial Act or an institution deemed to be university under Section 3 of the Act is allowed to call themselves as university.

Thereby, any institution that does not comply with the above rule is prohibited from using the term 'university' under Section 23 of the Act.

"Therefore, students and public at large are informed that such 21 self-styled and unrecognized institutions, functioning under the contravention of the UGC Act are declared as fake, and are not entitled to confer any degrees further," the UGC said in its notice.

Here is the list of the fake universities:

1. Maithili University, Darbhanga, Bihar

2. Varanseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Delhi

3. Commercial University Ltd, Delhi

4. United Nations University, Delhi

5. Vocational University, Delhi

6. ADR- Central Juridical University, Delhi

7. Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Delhi

8. Badagnavi Sarkar World Open Educational Society, Belgaum, Karnataka

9. St. John's University, Kishanattam, Kerala

10. Kesarwani Vidyapith, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

11. Raja Arabic University, Nagpur, Maharashtra

12. D D B Sanskrit University, Putur, Trichy, Tamil Nadu

13. Indian institute of Alternative Medicine, Kolkata, West Bengal

14. Mahila Gram Vidyapith, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

15. Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

16. National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

17. Netaki Subhash Chandra Bose University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

18. Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Uttar Pradesh

19. Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vidyalaya, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh

20. Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad, Noida-Phase II, Uttar Pradesh

21. Gurukul Vishwavidyalaya, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh