UGC decided this at its 584th meeting on 3 October 2024 and announced it on 11 February 2025; on 16 July 2025 it issued Suggestive Parameters for Peer-Reviewed Journals and posted the last list of 1,474 UGC-CARE journals (PDF), as on 10 February 2025, for reference only. In 2026, your university decides which journals count, and UGC encourages it to use those parameters.
The list of UGC-CARE Journals (now discontinued) as on February 10, 2025, hosted by UGC on ugc.gov.in: 1,474 journals, about 25 MB. It is a reference copy only: no journal can be added to it, and being on it is not a current approval.
Is the UGC CARE list still valid in 2026?
No. The UGC-CARE list is no longer maintained, and no journal can be added to it or approved through it. The UGC-CARE website now says the list has not been updated since October 2024, will not be updated further, and stays online for information only.
Here is how it ended, taken from UGC’s own notices.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Nov 2018 | UGC set up the Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (UGC-CARE), which went on to publish the UGC-CARE list of journals. | Public notice of 28 November 2018, cited in the 2025 notice |
| 3 Oct 2024 | At its 584th meeting, on an expert committee’s advice, the Commission decided to discontinue UGC-CARE listing and develop suggestive parameters instead. | UGC notice, 11 Feb 2025 (PDF) |
| Oct 2024 | The last update to the list. | UGC-CARE website |
| 11 Feb 2025 | Public notice announcing the discontinuation. Draft parameters were opened for feedback until 25 February 2025. | UGC notice, 11 Feb 2025 (PDF) |
| 24 Jun 2025 | At its 591st meeting, the Commission approved the final parameters and a reference copy of the old list. | UGC notice, 16 Jul 2025 (PDF) |
| 16 Jul 2025 | Public notice issuing the Suggestive Parameters for Peer-Reviewed Journals and a list of 1,474 UGC-CARE journals as on 10 February 2025, for reference only. | UGC notice, 16 Jul 2025 (PDF) |
Checked against the UGC notices and the UGC-CARE website on 29 September 2026. If UGC issues a newer notice, it takes precedence over this page.
What exactly did UGC change in 2025?
UGC replaced one central list with criteria that each institution applies itself. Four things changed in practice.
- No approved list. There is no current “UGC-CARE approved” or “UGC approved” journal. A journal that says so in 2026 is pointing to a list that has ended.
- An archive, not an endorsement. The final list of 1,474 journals is “a reference resource only”. In UGC’s words, inclusion or exclusion “does not imply validation or endorsement by the Commission”.
- Parameters instead. The Suggestive Parameters for Peer-Reviewed Journals set out 35 parameters in eight groups, from ISSN and peer-review policy to citation record and a policy on AI-generated content.
- Institutions decide. UGC suggests that universities and colleges set up internal committees to fine-tune the parameters for their disciplines. The journal rules that bind you are now your university’s, and they can differ between departments.
While the list ran, it had two parts, and people still search for them as “Group 1” and “Group 2”. Neither group is maintained now.
| Group | Which journals it held | How to check such a journal in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Group I | Journals that qualified through UGC-CARE’s own review | Judge the journal against UGC’s parameters, using the checklist further down this page |
| Group II | Journals indexed in globally recognised databases, including Scopus and the Web of Science citation indexes | Confirm current coverage in the database itself: Scopus Sources or Clarivate’s Master Journal List |
Where is the final UGC-CARE journals list?
UGC hosts it as a PDF titled The list of UGC-CARE Journals (now discontinued) as on February 10, 2025 (about 25 MB, 100 pages). Each row gives the journal name, ISSN, E-ISSN, UGC-CARE coverage years and the journal’s web address.
The coverage years are the column most people miss. Many journals were listed only for a window, for example from June 2019 to October 2020. Appearing in the PDF does not mean a journal was listed when your paper came out.
Search by ISSN, not by title
Journal titles can be near-identical, which is why the UGC-CARE site also kept a list of cloned journals. Use the ISSN or E-ISSN printed on your published article.
Match the coverage years
Check that your paper’s publication date falls inside the journal’s coverage window.
Keep the evidence
Save the relevant page of the list with your paper, in case a committee asks how an older publication was counted.
Use the PDF for papers published while the list was running. For a journal you are choosing today it proves nothing either way; judge that journal on the checks below.
How do you check a journal now? A checklist from UGC’s parameters
Use UGC’s eight parameter groups as a checklist and note what you find for each. The first column follows UGC’s numbering, so you can map your notes to any committee that uses the same framework.
| Parameter group | What UGC lists | How you can check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Preliminary criteria (1.1–1.9) | Title, ISSN, a regular publishing schedule, publisher contact details, a transparent review policy, a secure and professionally managed website, a clear open-access or subscription policy, inclusion under ONOS or similar repositories, and an archive of past issues | Match the title, ISSN and web address in the ISSN Portal. Open the last few issues to see they came out on schedule. Find a postal address and a written peer-review policy. |
| 2. Editorial board (2.1–2.3) | Named editors with affiliations and expertise, eminent subject experts, and a rigorous review process with clear timelines | Look up two or three editors on their own institution’s website and confirm they list this role. |
| 3. Editorial policy (3.1–3.5) | Aims and scope, subject areas, article processing charges (APC), average publishing timeline and acceptance rate | Check that your paper fits the stated scope and that any fee is published on the site before you submit. |
| 4. Content quality (4.1–4.2) | Articles that add to knowledge and stay within the journal’s aims and scope | Read three recent articles. A journal that mixes unrelated fields in one issue is a warning sign. |
| 5. Journal standards (5.1–5.7) | Standard referencing, professional layout, quality figures, a citation record in reputable databases, print continuity where relevant, a well-kept website and content in Indian languages where relevant | Check how recent articles are formatted and whether they are cited anywhere you can verify. |
| 6. Research ethics (6.1–6.4) | Ethics guidelines for authors, plagiarism checks, conflict-of-interest disclosure and a policy on AI-generated content | Find the publication ethics statement, the similarity-check step and the AI policy on the journal’s site. |
| 7. Visibility (7.1–7.2) | Impact factor or a similar factor, if applicable, and indexing in reputed databases | Verify each indexing claim on the database’s own site, never through a logo on the journal’s site. |
| 8. Impact (8.1–8.3) | Self-citation within a normal range, total citations compared with peer journals, and CiteScore | Compare the journal’s CiteScore on Scopus with other journals in your subject. |
Groups, numbering and the “What UGC lists” column follow Annexure-I of the UGC notice of 16 July 2025. The “How you can check” column is our practical guidance, not UGC wording. ONOS is the central One Nation One Subscription scheme.
A logo on a journal’s website is not evidence. Check Scopus coverage on Scopus itself, Web of Science coverage in Clarivate’s Master Journal List, and the ISSN in the ISSN Portal. Our guide to the Scopus indexed journals list walks through each step.
Does a PhD in 2026 still need papers in UGC-CARE journals?
Not under UGC’s own PhD rules. The UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, notified on 7 November 2022, do not mention the UGC-CARE list and do not set a minimum number of papers before a thesis is submitted. They do require:
- At least 12 credits of coursework, including a Research and Publication Ethics course and a research methodology course.
- Research supervisors with a PhD and at least five publications (professors and associate professors) or three (assistant professors) in peer-reviewed or refereed journals.
Many universities add their own publication condition for thesis submission, and some older ordinances, forms and job advertisements still say “UGC-CARE listed”. Ask your department or Research Advisory Committee how it reads that line now, and get the answer in writing if you can. For the rest of the doctorate, see PhD guidance and PhD thesis writing support.
Which journal claims should make you stop?
- “UGC approved” or “UGC-CARE approved” in 2026. No such current approval exists.
- Indexing you cannot find. The journal claims Scopus or Web of Science, but the database has no active record for its ISSN.
- A website that does not match the ISSN record. Cloned journals copy a real journal’s title and ISSN on a different domain.
- An impact factor from an unfamiliar source. The Journal Impact Factor comes only from Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports. The UGC-CARE site itself warned that journals showing misleading or false metrics were not eligible for the list.
- Acceptance promised within days. UGC’s parameters ask journals for a rigorous review process with clear timelines. A promise of near-instant acceptance usually means review has been skipped.
- Fees that are not on the website, or are due before review. Parameter 3.3 asks for a transparent fee structure.
How can The Ultimate Project World help with journal selection?
We write research papers in IEEE, Springer or the target journal’s format, shortlist peer-reviewed or Scopus-indexed journals with you using the checks on this page and your university’s rules, and help you answer reviewer comments point by point. See research paper writing and publication support.
For examples of write-ups from delivered M.Tech projects, the AI video generator project was prepared in IEEE, Springer and journal formats, and the network traffic prediction project in IEEE format.
Acceptance is decided by the journal’s editors and reviewers. We are not affiliated with UGC or any journal, and we never sell guaranteed publication. Follow your university’s academic rules and submit work you understand and can defend.
Frequently asked questions
Is the UGC CARE list discontinued?
Yes. UGC decided to discontinue UGC-CARE listing of journals at its 584th meeting on 3 October 2024 and announced it in a public notice dated 11 February 2025. The list has not been updated since October 2024 and will not be updated again.
Where can I download the final UGC CARE list PDF?
UGC hosts the final list of 1,474 UGC-CARE journals, as on 10 February 2025, as a PDF on ugc.gov.in, linked from its public notice of 16 July 2025. It is a reference resource only and does not endorse any journal.
Do papers published in UGC CARE journals before 2025 still count?
UGC published the final list so it can be referred to in academic activities. Check that your paper came out within the journal’s coverage years in that list. How an older paper counts for a PhD, an appointment or a promotion is decided by the institution applying its own rules.
What replaced the UGC CARE list?
UGC’s Suggestive Parameters for Peer-Reviewed Journals, issued with the public notice of 16 July 2025. They set out 35 parameters in eight groups, and UGC suggests that each institution fine-tune them through internal committees.
What were Group I and Group II journals?
They were the two parts of the UGC-CARE list. Group I held journals that qualified through UGC-CARE’s own review, and Group II covered journals indexed in globally recognised databases such as Scopus and the Web of Science. Neither group is maintained after the 2025 discontinuation.
Is a journal that says it is UGC approved genuine?
Treat the claim as a warning sign. There is no current UGC journal approval, so judge the journal on its ISSN record, peer-review policy, editorial board, fees and indexing that you have verified yourself.
Do UGC PhD rules require papers in UGC-CARE journals?
The UGC PhD Regulations 2022 do not mention the UGC-CARE list and do not set a minimum number of papers before thesis submission. Many universities set their own publication rules, so check your university’s PhD ordinance.
