St. Francis College for Women has the distinction of being one of the first colleges in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to implement autonomy, which was conferred on the college by the University Grants Commission, through letter no. F.24–7/87(NFE) dated 9th May 1988. PG autonomy was granted in 2010.

While the college remains affiliated to Osmania University, it has autonomy at the U.G. & P.G. level in:

• Designing the courses and syllabi.
• Innovative teaching methodology.
• Devising methods of evaluation, examination and tests pertaining to the award of the degree/diploma by Osmania University.
• Admission of students.

Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)

In keeping with the UGC Guidelines for Higher Education, the college introduced CBCS from the year 2016 onwards. A revision was carried out and approved in April 2020.

Objectives:

• International academic compatibility to courses and credits offered.
• Greater flexibility for students in their choice and areas of study through different electives, facilitating institution–industry interaction.
• Introduces students to inter-disciplinary & skill-based courses. The term Credit is the unit by which course work is measured.
• One credit per semester is equal to one hour of teaching, lecture (L) or tutorial (T) per week.
• Three hours of practical work/field work (P) per week.

A course, usually referred to as a paper, comprises of lectures, tutorials, laboratory work, field work, outreach activities, project work, or vocational training. The term choice refers to the student’s selection of a course of study or an elective paper or both. CBCS provides an opportunity for students to choose from prescribed courses comprising of Core, Elective, and Foundation courses, evaluated following the grading system.

Types of Courses:

• Core Courses: Compulsory papers covering fundamental concepts of the discipline.
• Elective Courses: Chosen from a pool of courses—specific, specialized, advanced, or supportive to the main discipline.
• Discipline Specific Elective (DSE): Offered within the main subject area.
• Generic Elective (GE): Chosen from unrelated disciplines to gain broader exposure.
• Foundation Courses:
• Compulsory Course (CC): Focuses on communication skills (English, Second Language or Modern Indian Languages).
• Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC): Mandatory for all disciplines, aimed at knowledge enhancement.
• EVS – Environmental Studies
• IKS – Indian Knowledge System
• Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC): Skill-based courses offering practical training and hands-on experience.
• Project Work / Dissertation: Application-oriented study involving real-life problem-solving under faculty supervision.

Non-CGPA Ability Enhancement Compulsory Courses (AECC):

• HV & PE – Human Values and Professional Ethics
• BCS – Basic Computer Skills