Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (KD/NR)
 
Mangalore, Mar 12: Dakshina Kannada district has got its first private varsity, with the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) granting the deemed university status to one of its very own, Yenepoya Dental College. This status was granted under section 3(A) of the University Grants Commission Act (UGC) 1956 on February 27.
 
Yenepoya institutions functions under the board of trustees of the Islamic Academy of Education (IAE). This board has recommended the name of Abdullah Kunhi as the founder and the first chancellor of the newly constituted Yenenopoya University. It was Kunhi who founded the Institution's constituent college, the Yenepoya Dental College in the year 1991.

According to the sources, even Nitte Education Trust (NET) has applied for the deemed university status with the UGC. Vishal Hegde from NET said that they did not get any communication till Tuesday March 11. UGC team visited both the Yenepoya Dental college and Nitte institutions in October and November last year respectively.
 
According to the UGC norms an institution should  complete 10 years of existence. The Yenepoya University will have the Dental college as its constituent college, as it meets the said norms of the UGC. It is understood that  UGC would be approached to get deemed status for the Yenepoya Medical College as well, as it too will be completing 10 years of its existence in May this year. 
 
In NET barring the medical college, all other institutions like two engineering colleges, nursing, pharmacy, business administration colleges would be the constituents of the university, in case the university status is granted to it. It must be understood that deemed institutions can have their own common entrance test (CET) to select students and can even have additional quota of foreign students as well.