In India, a deemed university or deemed-to-be-university is an accreditation granted to higher educational institutions by the Ministry of Education. The status of a deemed to be university allows full autonomy in courses, syllabus, admissions, and fees. Institutions that are deemed-to-be-university enjoy academic status and privileges of a university. They have expanded the base of higher education in the country and are offering education and research facilities in various disciplines such as Medical Education, Physical Education, Fisheries Education, Languages, Social Sciences, Population Sciences, Dairy Research, Forest Research, Armament Technology, Maritime Education, Yoga, Music, and Information Technology, among others.

To be declared as a deemed-to-be-university, an institution of higher education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in a specific area of study, can be declared by the Central Government on the advice of the UGC as an Institution ‘Deemed-to-be-university’. The status of deemed-to-be-university is awarded in accordance with the Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. For an institution to be eligible to be declared as ‘Deemed-to-be-University,’ it should fulfill the following criteria:

• Has been accredited with the highest grade by NAAC and/or by NBA continuously for two cycles and again gets the highest grade in the third cycle.
• Has been in existence for at least 15 years.
• Has been declared by the Central Government on the advice of the UGC as an Institution ‘Deemed-to-be-University’.

As of November 2022, the UGC lists 127 institutions that have been granted the deemed-to-be-university status.