New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has already received 73 applications including from seven IITs for the Human Resource Development Ministry’s ambitious 20 world class institutions project with a day left for the deadline.

According to sources, 73 varsities including central universities, state universities, private and deemed-to-be universities have applied for the “institutions of eminence” tag. Out of these, six applications have been received under the greenfields category.

Among those who have applied from the public sector are seven Indian Institutes of Technology (Madras, Delhi, Bombay, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Guwahati, Roorkee), Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University and Mangalore University.

From the private sector O P Jindal Global University, Ashoka University, Manipal University and Amity University, among others, have applied for the tag.

The UGC had in September started inviting applications from all institutions that are keen to enter the top 100 of global rankings with the government’s assistance. The 90-day deadline expires tomorrow.

The Centre wants to establish a total of 20 ‘Institutes of Eminence’ — a distinct category of deemed-to-be- universities, supporting them to become “World Class” institutions.

By March-April 2018, 20 (10 each from public and private category) institutions will be accorded the eminence status with a mandate to achieve the world-class status over a period of 10 years.

As per the guidelines issued by the UGC, institutions in the top 50 of the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings or those ranking among top 500 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS University Rankings or Shanghai Ranking Academic Ranking of World Universities were eligible to apply.

New institutions were required to submit a 15-year vision plan to be among the top 500 globally ranked institutions, while existing institutions among the top 500 had to offer a plan to improve their ranking to be among the top 100 in the next 10 years.

A screening committee will go through the applications and select the institutions.