Behala College will be granted autonomous status, Calcutta University decided on Tuesday, accepting a recommendation of the UGC.

Calcutta University’s syndicate, the university’s highest decision-making body, which met on Tuesday, passed a resolution stating that the college will be granted autonomy.

Behala College, a state-aided college that received the highest possible rating from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in early July, had been informed by the UGC about the autonomous status, freeing it from Calcutta University’s administrative control and allowing it to make independent academic decisions.

The university had been requested by the UGC on July 2 to issue the necessary notification about Behala College’s autonomy, within 30 days. The college is required to abide by all UGC regulations for autonomous colleges.

Sharmila Mitra, the principal of the college, met CU’s officiating vice-chancellor, Santa Datta, on July 4, appealing that the formalities be completed to confer autonomy to the college.

Om Prakash Mishra, the state government’s nominee to the CU syndicate, said: “The syndicate on Tuesday unanimously accepted the recommendation of the UGC on granting autonomous status to Behala College. The recommendation was confirmed. A formal notification will soon be issued, allowing the college to start its journey as an autonomous institution”.

The college in the middle of July wrote to CU registrar Debasish Das, informing that the college wants to hold the postgraduate admission independently, as UGC has recommended autonomy.

CU regulates postgraduate admissions in its departments at the university campuses and affiliated colleges like Behala College, which runs postgraduate courses.

Postgraduate admission process starts in August.

Since the undergraduate admission process has started at the government and aided colleges through the state-run centralised admission portal on June 18, the college will conduct undergraduate admission independently starting from next year, the principal said.

“Now that the syndicate has accepted the recommendation of UGC, we will hold postgraduate admission on our own from this year,” principal Mitra said.