In a decision that could reverberate across India’s higher-education sector, the Central Information Commission (CIC) on 15 July 2026 directed Delhi University to proactively disclose the number of foreign students admitted on the basis of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards. The order follows a right-to-information (RTI) appeal in which the university admitted it did not maintain separate statistics for OCI-based admissions between 2020 and 2024. Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi called the omission “a matter of concern” and invoked Section 25(5) of the RTI Act to recommend that DU start publishing OCI admission data on its website within six weeks. The ruling emphasises that transparency is vital for foreign applicants comparing Indian universities and for policymakers monitoring the impact of India’s 2019 OCI Reforms, which grant holders parity with NRIs in fees and course options. Why it matters: universities increasingly compete for the children of the Indian diaspora as well as for third-country nationals attracted by India’s affordable English-medium degrees. Precise OCI enrolment data help mobility planners forecast demand for student accommodation, visa facilitation and post-study work opportunities. Lack of data also complicates capacity planning for the Bureau of Immigration, which issues student visa extensions and converts entry visas to research visas on campus. Practical implications for mobility managers: 1) expect DU and other central universities to launch dedicated OCI admission dashboards, improving counselling accuracy; 2) anticipate tighter documentation checks this cycle as institutions overhaul record-keeping; 3) encourage expatriate employees to retain copies of their children’s OCI cards and entry stamps, as universities may request them for retrospective validation. The CIC’s intervention may set a precedent compelling all public universities to publish granular international-student statistics, aligning India with global transparency norms and enhancing its attractiveness as a study-abroad destination.
Source: Live Law
