NCAHP curricula, including Applied Psychology and Behavioural Health, are mandatory from 2026–27
First curricula approved by NCAHP notice dated 24 April 2025; later notices through 2026 are covered below.
NCAHP approved its first ten competency-based curricula in April 2025, including Applied Psychology and Behavioural Health, and said they would be mandatory from the 2026–27 academic session. By June 2026 it had released 17 curricula covering around 28 professions and directed institutions, including AIIMS, NIMHANS and PGIMER, to comply.
What happened
An NCAHP notice dated 24 April 2025 approved curricula for ten professions scheduled under the 2021 Act: Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology; Applied Psychology and Behavioural Health; Dialysis Therapy Technology and Dialysis Therapy; Health Information Management; Medical Radiology and Imaging Technology; Nutrition and Dietetics; Optometry; Physician Associates; Physiotherapy; and Radiotherapy Technology. Institutions could adopt them from 2025–26, and they were to be implemented mandatorily from 2026–27.
Further curricula followed for medical laboratory sciences (October 2025), occupational therapy (October 2025), emergency medical technology and burn care (November 2025), respiratory technology (December 2025), medical and psychiatric social work (January 2026), medical physics and nuclear medicine technology (March 2026), and a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (July 2026). Several have since received corrigenda. The Applied Psychology and Behavioural Health curriculum received Corrigendum-1 on 1 April 2026 and should be read with it.
In a letter dated 18 June 2026 to Institutions of National Importance, including AIIMS, NIMHANS and PGIMER, and to all higher education institutions offering these programmes, NCAHP said it had released 17 competency-based curricula covering around 28 professions, to be implemented from 2026–27. It noted that variations persist in the duration, norms and structure of courses offered, and instructed institutions to comply with the Act and the Commission’s standards.
An NCAHP letter dated 3 August 2026 added that new courses may not be started in scheduled professions whose curricula have not yet been approved.
Why it matters
For students choosing a psychology or allied health programme in India, the approved curriculum is now the reference point for what a recognised programme should contain and how long it should run. The UGC’s August 2026 amendment lists the Bachelor of Psychology as a four-year degree, matching the NCAHP framework.
Educators and programme heads are directly affected: NCAHP’s June 2026 letter warns that variations from the prescribed norms may affect the recognition and registration of graduates.
What happens next
NCAHP issued a public notice on 21 August 2026 stating that admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate allied and healthcare courses for 2026–27 must be completed on or before 30 September 2026. Curricula for several diploma programmes are still being drafted.
Sources
- National Commission for Allied and Healthcare ProfessionsApproved curricula and corrigenda
- National Commission for Allied and Healthcare ProfessionsNotice on approval of curricula, 24 April 2025
- National Commission for Allied and Healthcare ProfessionsLetter on compliance with curriculum standards, 18 June 2026
- National Commission for Allied and Healthcare ProfessionsPublic notice on the 2026–27 admission process, 21 August 2026