Lucknow, Nov 29 : The University Grants Commission (UGC) has conferred graded autonomy category 1 status upon the University of Lucknow, opening new doors for various educational opportunities. The upgraded status will empower the university to take major strides in diverse areas, including education, research, and innovation. It also opens avenues for activities such as skill-based education, introduction of new courses, online learning programmes, and establishment of additional campuses without the approval of UGC. The decision to grant graded autonomy category 1 status aligns with the UGC's initiative to grant autonomy to well-performing universities, in accordance with the UGC (Categorization of Universities for Grant of Graded Autonomy) Regulations, 2018. This regulation classifies universities into three categories. A university attains category 1 status if it has the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) score of 3.51 or above. LU has the highest NAAC grade of A++ and 3.55 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and has been awarded the status of category 1 graded autonomy. According to its requirement, the university can also start degree and diploma courses in the field of innovation by recognizing the local, national and international needs. The new status will enable the university to start skill-based courses against the backdrop of the National Skill Qualification Framework. As per the regulation, LU will now be able to establish research parks, incubation centres, university-society linkage centres, in self-financing mode, either independently or in collaboration with private partners, without the need for UGC approval. Further, LU will now be able to recruit foreign faculty, establish research collaborations with international universities, and admit foreign students. The status endows LU with academic freedom, paving the way for many educational opportunities. "Attaining this status is a big stride, particularly in LU's pursuit of internationalizing higher education in alignment with National Education Policy. This will also help us in doing away with procedural bottlenecks," said LU VC Prof Alok Kumar Rai. /IANS