Is University Grants Commission (UGC) Down?

If you're experiencing issues with University Grants Commission (UGC), try these troubleshooting steps:

Basic Steps

• 1. Verify the official UGC portal URL: Ensure you are accessing https://www.ugc.gov.in directly, and not a typo or a cached redirect from a phishing page.
• 2. Clear your browser cache and cookies: Old cached versions of UGC pages, especially for notice boards, regulations PDFs, or the "Recognized Universities" database, often cause layout breaks or "404" errors. Hard refresh with Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac).
• 3. Test on a different browser or in incognito mode: The UGC website (a government portal) frequently uses older JavaScript libraries. If a page freezes on Chrome, try Firefox or Edge. Incognito mode bypasses problematic extensions.
• 4. Check your network connection and disable VPN/Proxy: UGC servers often block foreign IPs or known VPN ranges. Disconnect your VPN or switch from a mobile hotspot to your home Wi-Fi, and vice versa.
• 5. Try a different device: If the site loads on your phone but not your laptop, the issue is local to your machine—not the UGC server.

Intermediate Steps

• 1. Test DNS resolution specifically for ugc.gov.in: UGC's nameservers are sometimes slow to propagate. Open your command prompt (Windows) or terminal (Mac/Linux) and run nslookup ugc.gov.in. If it fails to resolve, switch your DNS to Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) temporarily.
• 2. Check for scheduled maintenance or specific module outages: The UGC portal often hosts large PDFs for "UGC Regulations" and the "Higher Education Institutions" list. If you can load the homepage but not the PDF viewer or the Online Application portal (SAKSHAM), it is a service-specific failure on their end—not your browser.
• 3. Disable ad-blockers and privacy extensions: UGC’s site uses third-party scripts for accessibility widgets and visitor counters. Aggressive blockers (like uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger) can stop the entire page from rendering, showing a blank white screen. Whitelist ugc.gov.in and reload.
• 4. Inspect the browser's developer console (F12): Go to the Network tab and reload the page. If you see ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT or 403 Forbidden on the main request, it indicates a regional firewall or that UGC's servers are rejecting your ISP's IP range—often temporary and resolves within hours.

Still stuck? If the UGC website remains unresponsive after these steps, the outage is likely widespread. Please click the 'Report Outage' button on this Is It Down Bro? status page to log the incident. Your report helps other students and faculty verify that the problem is not just on their end.