NEW DELHI: There are 274 universities and 7,070 colleges in India which have been accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), HRD Minister Smriti Irani said. Citing information provided by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the human resource development minister said there are 676 universities and 37,204 colleges in the country.

"Accreditation is the only reliable source about the quality of an institute. According to the information provided by the UGC, 274 universities and 7,070 colleges have been accredited by the NAAC," Smriti Irani said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The NAAC is an autonomous body established by the UGC to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country.

She said the UGC has also introduced the Colleges with Potential for Excellence (CPE) scheme and till date 221 colleges are enjoying the CPE status, whereas 10 colleges out of them have been awarded the status of 'college of excellence'.

The minister said India has 184 private universities and 17,803 private colleges.

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