The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), a leading institution for Journalism and Mass Communication, has been granted the status of a deemed university, empowering it to award degrees rather than just diplomas, officials said on Wednesday.

"The IIMC has been declared as deemed-to-be-university under distinct category. The declaration extends to IIMC New Delhi and its five regional campuses located in Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir), Amravati (Maharashtra), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kottayam (Kerala), and Dhenkanal (Odisha). With this new status, IIMC is now authorised to offer degrees, including doctoral degrees," an official said.

The institute established under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, on 17 August 1965, is one of the premier institutions of its kind in the country, providing quality training in journalism and undertaking meaningful research in the field of media and mass communication.

The IIMC is also the training academy for Indian Information Service (IIS) officers.

"A big thank you to the UGC for declaring Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi and its five regional centres as a Deemed to be University under distinct category. IIMC is committed to give its best to promote education, training, and research in mass communication," the institute wrote on X.

The idea to grant deemed university status to the IIMC is not a new one. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry had approved the plan in 2016.

During a review of higher education institutes by the Niti Aayog in 2018, it was recommended that the IIMC be merged with either the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre for Media Studies or Jamia Millia Islamia's AJK Mass Communication Research Centre.

However, the institute, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Education Ministry (then HRD) had rejected the idea.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.