A digital visiting card for coaching centres, built on the CCPA's 2024 advertising rules
Parents read your results page before they read anything else. Since November 2024, a national rule decides what that page may say and how a topper's photo may be shown.
Yes. The CCPA's November 2024 guidelines bar guaranteed selection, assured ranks and false urgency in coaching advertising. A topper's photo needs the student's name, rank, course and whether the course was paid, plus written consent taken after the result. Keep your fees and facilities accurate and disclaimers in the same size as the claim.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Press Information Bureau, Government of India
- Courses, duration and feesKeep accurate
- Topper card: name, rank, course, paid or notWith consent
- Link to National Consumer HelplineShow it
- "Guaranteed selection"Leave off
- "Only 5 seats left" (not true)Leave off
What the CCPA guidelines ask of a coaching profile
The Central Consumer Protection Authority issued its Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024 on 13 November 2024. They apply to every person engaged in coaching, and to endorsers. A breach is a contravention of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The six rules below are the ones a profile touches.
Accurate about the course
Courses, duration, faculty qualifications, fees and refund policy must be true, and so must your description of infrastructure and facilities.
No assured results
No guaranteed selections, high scores, rankings or admissions, and no job security promises.
Results shown with their context
A student's photo comes with their name, rank and course details, and a statement of whether the course was paid.
Consent after success
A student's name, photo or testimonial is used only with written consent, taken after the student has succeeded.
No false urgency
You may not imply limited seats or exaggerated demand to push a decision.
Disclaimers in plain sight
Any disclaimer is prominent and in the same font size as the other important information.
Read as summarised by the Government of India's own press releases of 13 November 2024 and 17 April 2025. The full guidelines are on the Department of Consumer Affairs website, and the text there governs if it differs from this page.
Does your topper card carry everything the rules ask for?
Fill in what you plan to publish. The card on the right shows how it would read, and the note under it says what is missing. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It checks the items the guidelines name, and it does not replace a check of your consent form.
The disclaimer on the card is set in the same size as the rest of the text, which is what the guidelines ask. The wording of your own disclaimer is for you and your lawyer.
Can this go on my profile? Pick a line
Each answer comes from the CCPA guidelines, as the Government of India's press releases set them out. The table lists 13 items: 3 marked "Show it", 7 marked "Follow the rules" and 3 marked "Leave off".
The rule behind this answer: CCPA guidelines, 2024.
| Item | Verdict | Why | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your courses, their duration and fees, stated accurately | VerdictShow it | WhyFalse claims about courses, duration, faculty qualifications, fees and refund policies are prohibited, so accurate is the whole rule. Put the real numbers on the profile. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| Your refund policy, in plain words | VerdictShow it | WhyRefunds are on the list of things that cannot be misrepresented, and unpaid refunds were among the complaints behind the April 2025 notices. | RuleCCPA notices, April 2025 |
| Faculty names and qualifications | VerdictFollow the rules | WhyOnly what you can prove. A misleading claim about faculty qualifications is prohibited, and it is easy to check. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A topper's photo with name, rank and course | VerdictFollow the rules | WhyAllowed with the name, rank and course details shown, a statement of whether the course was paid, and the student's written consent given after the result. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A student's testimonial or video | VerdictFollow the rules | WhyYou need written consent, and it must come after the student has succeeded. Consent taken at enrolment does not count. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A count of selections | VerdictFollow the rules | WhyFalse claims about selection rates are prohibited. State what the number counts, for which year, and how many of those students took a paid course. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| Photos and a description of your building and library | VerdictFollow the rules | WhyYou must represent your infrastructure, resources and facilities accurately, so show what a student will actually use. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A link to the National Consumer Helpline | VerdictShow it | WhyEvery coaching centre is required to partner with the National Consumer Helpline, so students can raise a complaint. A link on the profile makes that visible. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A "limited seats" or countdown banner | VerdictFollow the rules | WhyOnly if the seat count is real and current. A false sense of urgency or scarcity is one of the practices the guidelines target. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A well-known person or past topper endorsing you | VerdictFollow the rules | WhyEndorsers must check the claims they promote and are accountable with the centre if the claims are false. Give them only claims you can prove. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| "Guaranteed selection", "assured rank" or "100% results" | VerdictLeave off | WhyAssured admissions, high exam scores, guaranteed selections and promotions are exactly what the guidelines prohibit, and notices were sent in April 2025 over them. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A promise of a job or a promotion after the course | VerdictLeave off | WhyJob security promises are on the prohibited list. | RuleCCPA guidelines, 2024 |
| A disclaimer in tiny type under a big result | VerdictLeave off | WhyDisclaimers must appear in the same font size as the other important information. | RuleCCPA advisory, April 2025 |
This is not a paper rule
- 16 February 2024
Draft put out for comment
The CCPA placed the draft guidelines for public comments after a committee with members from the Ministry of Education and the Department of Personnel and Training.
- 13 November 2024
Guidelines issued
On the same day the CCPA said it had issued 45 notices and imposed ₹54.60 lakh in penalties on 18 institutes for misleading advertisements.
- 17 April 2025
Notices after JEE and NEET results
The CCPA sent notices over guaranteed placement, assured ranks, refusal to refund fees and misleading advertisements, and put its running total at 49 notices and ₹77.60 lakh on 24 centres.
This page explains published guidelines. It is not legal advice, and the CCPA decides how they apply to your centre.
One place for fees, facts and a demo booking
The accuracy rule is easiest to keep when fees, batches and the refund policy live in one page you edit once. A parent taps your card at a school event or an exhibition, and the profile opens with no app on an iPhone XS or later or any NFC Android phone. See the exhibitions calendar for education fairs.
Service listings
Each course or batch with its duration and fee. The accurate numbers are the whole rule, so keep this the single source.
Appointment booking
Book a demo class or a counselling call. Bookings show as a list or a calendar.
PDF catalogue or brochure
Your prospectus with fees and the refund policy, as a file that opens without an app.
Enquiry form and lead capture
A parent asks about a batch and the message, number and email arrive in your dashboard.
Photo gallery
Photographs of classrooms and facilities, which you should keep true to what a student will see.
Direct UPI payments
A button that opens the parent's own UPI app with your UPI ID filled in, for a fee instalment. The money goes to your bank.
What a coaching centre pays
Course listings, booking, the prospectus and the enquiry form are on Basic. UPI fee payments are on Pro.
Questions from coaching centres and tutors
Do the CCPA guidelines apply to a small tutor as well as a big institute?
The guidelines apply to every person engaged in coaching, and they define coaching as academic support, imparting education, guidance, instructions, study programmes or tuition. A "coaching centre" is one that coaches more than fifty students, but the advertising rules are not limited to centres of that size. Endorsers who promote a coaching service are covered too.
Can I show my toppers on the profile?
Yes, with conditions. Each result needs the student's name, rank and course details, and it must say whether the student paid for the course. You need the student's written consent to use their name, photo or testimonial, and it can be taken only after the student has succeeded, not at enrolment.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Press Information Bureau, Government of India
Can I say "guaranteed selection" or "100% results"?
No. The guidelines prohibit false claims about selection rates, success stories and exam rankings, and about assured admissions, high scores, guaranteed selections and job security. In April 2025 the CCPA sent notices to coaching institutes over guaranteed placement or selection and assurances of a JEE or NEET rank.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Press Information Bureau, Government of India
Can I write "only 10 seats left"?
Only if it is true. The guidelines target creating a false sense of urgency or scarcity, such as implying limited seats or exaggerated demand, to pressure students into deciding at once.
What has to be accurate on the profile?
The courses you offer, their duration, the faculty's qualifications, the fees and the refund policy, and the infrastructure, resources and facilities you describe. Misleading statements about the quality or standard of the service are prohibited.
Does small print protect me?
No. Disclaimers must be prominently displayed, in the same font size as the other important information. A result shown in large type with a disclaimer in tiny type does not meet that.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Press Information Bureau, Government of India
What happens if a centre breaks the rules?
A breach is treated as a contravention of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the CCPA can impose penalties. By April 2025 it had issued 49 notices and imposed penalties of ₹77.60 lakh on 24 coaching centres, and told them to stop the misleading advertisements.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Press Information Bureau, Government of India
Do parents need an app to open the profile?
No. A tap on the NFC card or a scan of the QR code opens the profile in the phone's browser.
See also: freelancers and independent tutors, content creators, who can be endorsers and what Google allows when you ask for reviews. Every profession is on the industries page.
Sources
The rules are as the Government of India's Press Information Bureau reported them on the dates shown. The guidelines themselves are on the Department of Consumer Affairs website.
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Central Consumer Protection Authority Issues Guidelines for "Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector". Checked .
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India, CCPA advises coaching centres to strictly adhere to Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector, 2024. Checked .
Show fees that are true, and results that come with their context.
One tap opens your courses, your fees and a demo booking, and you change a batch once for every parent.