WHAT'S RCI? WHICH INSTITUTIONS ARE RCI RECOGNISED

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The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) was established as a registered society in 1986. The Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992 gave it statutory status, and RCI became a statutory body on 22 June 1993. The Act was subsequently amended in 2000.

RCI functions under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.

Its major responsibilities include:

• regulating professional training in rehabilitation and special education;
• prescribing minimum standards for recognised training programmes;
• approving and monitoring institutions conducting RCI-regulated programmes;
• standardising curricula and training requirements;
• maintaining the Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR) of qualified rehabilitation professionals and personnel; and
• regulating professional practice under the RCI Act.

RCI regulates a wide range of professional programmes, including:

• Certificate Courses
• Diploma Courses
• Postgraduate Diploma Courses
• Bachelor's Degree Programmes
• Master's Degree Programmes
• Professional Clinical Psychology programmes
• Continuing Rehabilitation Education (CRE) programmes

The exact programmes offered and recognised change over time as RCI introduces new courses and modifies existing training pathways.

RCI maintains the Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR) for recognised rehabilitation professionals and personnel.

Major categories include:

• Clinical Psychologists
• Rehabilitation Psychologists
• Rehabilitation Counsellors
• Audiologists and Speech Therapists
• Prosthetists and Orthotists
• Rehabilitation Social Workers
• Special Educators
• Orientation and Mobility Specialists
• Community-Based Rehabilitation Professionals
• Vocational Counsellors and Placement Officers
• Rehabilitation Engineers and Technicians
• Multipurpose Rehabilitation Therapists and Technicians
• Hearing Aid and Ear Mould Technicians

and other professional/personnel categories recognised under the RCI Act.

Professionals do not technically apply for “RCI accreditation.” Institutions and programmes receive RCI recognition/approval, whereas qualified professionals apply for registration in the Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR).

RCI is the statutory regulatory body responsible for professional training and registration in Clinical Psychology in India.

For many years, RCI recognised and regulated the two-year M.Phil. Clinical Psychology programme. Following the discontinuation of M.Phil. programmes under the new higher-education framework, admissions to M.Phil. Clinical Psychology were permitted only up to the 2025–26 academic session.

The programme has now been replaced by the Master in Clinical Psychology (M.Clin.Psy.), a two-year RCI-regulated professional programme.

The principal professional routes to becoming an RCI-registered 

Clinical Psychologist therefore include:

M.Clin.Psy. → CRR Registration → Clinical Psychologist

RCI-recognised M.Phil. Clinical Psychology → CRR Registration → Clinical Psychologist

RCI-recognised Psy.D. Clinical Psychology → CRR Registration → Clinical Psychologist

The Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology is currently a four-year RCI-recognised professional doctoral programme.

Candidates who completed an RCI-recognised M.Phil. Clinical Psychology before its discontinuation continue to hold a recognised professional qualification.

RCI does not simply recognise a university forever.

Recognition is generally programme-specific, institution-specific and granted for specified academic sessions. An institution may be recognised for one RCI programme but not another, and approval may be granted, extended, made conditional or discontinued depending on whether the institution continues to meet RCI standards.

Before joining any Clinical Psychology programme, students should therefore check:

1. Is the institution currently approved by RCI?
2. Is the specific programme approved?
3. Is the approval valid for the academic session in which I am taking admission?
4. What intake has RCI approved for that programme?

Do not rely only on a university website or an old advertisement claiming that the institution is “RCI recognised.”

These two terms are often confused.

RCI Recognition: Given to an institution/programme that meets RCI's prescribed training standards.

CRR Registration: Given to an individual who has completed an appropriate RCI-recognised qualification and fulfils the requirements for registration.

People often informally call CRR registration an “RCI licence,” but the more accurate term is RCI/CRR registration.

Under Section 13 of the RCI Act, a person must possess a recognised rehabilitation qualification and be registered in the Central Rehabilitation Register to practise as an RCI-regulated rehabilitation professional.

RCI regularly publishes and updates its list of approved institutions and programmes.

Because recognition may change from one academic session to another, students should always consult the latest RCI list of approved institutions before taking admission.

This is particularly important for M.Clin.Psy., as institutions are currently transitioning from the previous M.Phil. Clinical Psychology system and approvals for the new programme are being issued progressively.