The UGC has told Calcutta University that it is free to hold open-book exams as part of the end semester/ final-year test “so long as they are timed for two or three hours”, an official said. If the institution allows more time, the UGC said, the evaluation will not be categorised as an exam.

The UGC letter reached CU on September 16, two weeks after the university had announced that it would conduct open-book exams for final-year undergraduate students and give them 24 hours to upload the answers.

The official said the faculty councils for undergraduate and postgraduate studies met on Friday and resolved “to abide by the UGC directive”.

“The UGC took note of the CU’s decision and said the open-book assignment can be held so long as it is timed for two or three hours, not 24 hours,” he said.

Repeated calls to vice-chancellor Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee went unanswered. She did not respond to text messages from this newspaper either.