St Xavier's, one of the most prestigious institutes in the metropolis has become the first autonomous college under Mumbai University.

The South Mumbai degree college was granted academic autonomy from the University Grants Commission (UGC) on May 31 out of the 600 colleges affiliated to the Mumbai varsity.

According to University sources, the autonomy will be implemented in phases starting from this academic year and the college will have freedom to have its own curriculum and hold exams in a semester-based system.

The College will offer a curriculum prepared by its faculty and it will adopt a credit-based semester system, St Xavier's Principal Fr Frazer Mascarenhas said.

There will be two semesters per year and the system will allow multi-disciplinary studies with a strong foundation course, he said.

Regarding exams, the prinicipal said 60 per cent will be given to end semester exams and 40 per cent to a continuous evaluation process including seminars, presentations and other assignments.

Earlier, H R College in South Mumbai was also granted autonomy by UGC three years back but it did not implement it.

Another well-known college Ramnarain Ruia in Matunga had also applied for autonomy along with St Xavier's in 2007 but Ruia requested the University of Mumbai to alter its rules regarding the statutory composition of the governing council of autonomous colleges.

Dr Suhas Pednekar, Principal, Ruia College said, if the Clause 612 of the University of Mumbai Act is not changed, then the college management would lose its autonomy in the process.

Clause 612 prescribes that an autonomous institution must be governed by 11-member board, with five members from the college management and six from various state and central government agencies and teachers.

The UGC, has for the last few years, been asking all colleges in the country to become autonomous to improve the standard of education.