The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released fresh guidelines for conduct of exams, admissions and academic calendar. The new guidelines have been issued in view of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation. As per the notification, the admission process for first year/semester students for 2021-22 sessions has to be completed by September 30 and the classes shall commence latest by October 1, 2021. While the last date for filling up vacant seats is October 31, the deadline for accepting relevant documents for the qualifying examination is December 31, 2021. UGC in the notification instructed Higher Education Institutions to commence academic session for undergraduate students only after the declaration of results by the CBSE, ICSE and State Boards. For conduct of examinations, the notification stated that the provisions provided in the earlier released guidelines shall be applicable for the current academic session of 2020-21. Further, the Final Year Examinations for the 2020-21 session have to be compulsorily conducted in offline (pen & paper)/ online/ blended (online offline) mode by August 31, following the prescribed Covid-19 protocols. Assessment for intermediate semester/year students will be conducted based on internal evaluation and previous semester as stated in 2020 guidelines. For the academic calendar, the UGC stated that the provisions provided in its earlier notification will be applicable for academic session 2021-22. Meanwhile, Higher Education Institutions have been instructed to begin the academic session for intermediate semester/year students through online mode, as soon as possible while adhering to Covid-19 guidelines.