Established by an Act of Parliament in 1985, The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has made a significant mark in the areas of higher education in the country. The university also offers high-quality teaching through the ODL, Open and Distance Learning mode. About 228 certificate, degree, diploma and doctoral programmes are offered by the university.
For the July 2020 session, the programmes offered by IGNOU include multiple courses in the masters, bachelors, and PGD level. MA in English, PGD in Rural Development, BA in Hindi, PG Certificate in Adult Education, Population and Sustainable Development, Appreciation Course on Environment, Dairy Farming, Awareness Programme on Value Added Products from Fruits and Vegetables are some of the available courses.
Previously, IGNOU had added 24 courses on the SWAYAM Portal and opened admission to 10 online programmes.
IGNOU Admission 2020
The university undertakes admission process under two cycles: January and July based on candidate’s aggregate mark obtained in the specific degree or examination.
The admission process for the July 2020 session has been extended till August 31, 2020. Interested students can still apply for UG, postgraduate diploma (PGD) and diploma, postgraduate certificate (PG certificate) and certificate, awareness and appreciation courses at the university.
For admissions and for re-registrations, the interested candidates can also apply on the IGNOU official websites: ignouadmissions.samarth.edu.in or ignou.smarth.edu.in. The admission process has been extended due to delayed Board results and the rise in the COVID 19 cases across the country.
IGNOU UG Courses 2020: B.Com, BBA, BA, BSc
The specializations and eligibility criteria for B.Com courses are mentioned below:
| Specialization | Eligibility Criteria |
| General | 10+2 qualification; Non 10+2 applicants who have completed Bachelors Preparatory Programme (BPP) of the university are also eligible for admission |
| Accountancy and Finance | 10+2 or it’s equivalent. Additionally, anyone of the following qualifications: · Passed Foundation from ICAI/ Common Proficiency Test/ PE/ · Registration in Professional Competence Course/ PEII/ ICAI Intermediate (Chartered Accountancy First Stage) · Already passed Professional Competence Course/ Intermediate /PEIII |
| Corporate Affairs and Administration | 10+2 or it’s equivalent and Company Secretaryship Foundation Programme registration |
| Financial and Cost Accounting | 10+2 or it’s equivalent and ICWAI Foundation Course registration |
Under BBA, the university provides two specializations:
- BBA in Retailing
- BBA Service Management (for which the applicant has to give IGNOU entrance test)
Under BA, the university provides six specializations:
- English
- Hindi
- Urdu
- General
- Economics (Hons.)
- Tourism Management
Under B.Sc, the university provides six specializations:
- Geology
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Zoology
- Anthropology
- Hospitality and Hotel Administration
Other IGNOU undergraduate courses include Bachelor of Arts in Tourism Studies (BTS), Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA), Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS), Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme (BPP), Bachelor of Education (BEd) and BSc Nursing (Post Basic) (BScN(PB)).
IGNOU PG Courses 2020: MA, M.Sc, M.Com
At post-graduation level, the university offers MA, M.Sc and M.Com. The duration of PG courses is 2 years for the candidates who have a Bachelor’s degree.
The specializations provided in the MA programme are mentioned below:
- Economics
- Journalism & Mass Communication
- History
- Psychology
- Political Science
- English
- Sociology
- Rural Development
- Anthropology
- Rural Development
The specializations and eligibility criteria for the M.Sc programme is mentioned below:
| Specialization | Eligibility Criteria |
| Mathematics with Applications in Computer Science | Bachelor’s degree/ Honours in Mathematics with at least 50 % marks in aggregate. |
| Food Nutrition | B.Sc. (Home Science) specialization in Food and Nutrition, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition or PG Diploma in Dietetics or equivalent. |
| Hospitality Administration | Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc) in Hospitality and Hotel Administration from NCHMCT or, Bachelor’s Degree from AICTE approved Institutes in Hotel Management and Catering Technology. |
| Counselling and Family Therapy | Bachelor’s degree with a specialisation in subjects such as Human Development and Family Studies, Human Development and Childhood Studies, Child Development, Social Work, Medicine or other allied disciplines. |
The specializations provided in M.Com programme are mentioned below:
- General
- Finance & Taxation
- Business Policy and Corporate Governance
- Management Accounting & Financial Strategies
IGNOU M.Phil And Ph.D Admission 2020
The university provides an MPhil programme in about 10 subjects and PhD programme in more than 20 subjects. For admission, the candidates have to appear for the entrance examination. In case of PhD, candidates with MPhil degree (along with coursework and dissertation) or those who have cleared NET (conducted by UGC/ ICAR/CSIR) will be exempted from appearing in the entrance exam.
The entrance examination for admission to PhD/M. Phil program will be conducted in 13 cities across the country.
The specializations provided under the M.Phil program are mentioned below:
- Commerce
- Chemistry
- Political Science
- Geography
- Sociology
The specializations provided under PhD program are mentioned below:
| Specialization | Eligibility Criteria |
| Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication | M.Phil. Degree or Master Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. |
| Ph.D. in Geography | M.A./ M.Sc. in Earth Systems Science, Geography, and Relevant Discipline of Geospatial Technology. |
| Ph.D. in French | MA in French |
| Ph.D. in Chemistry | M Phil Degree or Master’s Degree in Chemistry. |
| Ph.D. in Theatre arts | M. P. A. in Theatre Arts with min 55% marks OR M. Phil in the required field with at least 55% marks. |
| Ph.D. in Physics | M.Phil. in Physics with course work and UGC-NET (including JRF) / CSIR-NET (including JRF) / UGC/ SLET/ GATE or should be a teacher fellowship holder. |
| Ph.D. in Fine Arts | M. Phil in the required field with at least 55% marks from any recognized university or Master’s Degree in Fine Arts/ Drg. and Ptg. / Visual Arts/ Design with min 55% marks (50% marks for SC/ ST). |
| Ph.D. in Statistics | PG in Statistics/ Applied Statistics with at least 55% from any recognized university |
| Ph.D. in Biochemistry | Master’s Degree |
IGNOU Online Admission 2020: Relevant Documents
The applicants shall possess the following documents during registration online:
- Scanned Photograph (less than 100 KB)
- Scanned Signature (less than 100 KB)
- Scanned copy of Age Proof (less than 200 KB)
- Scanned copy of relevant Educational Qualification (less than 200 KB)
- Scanned Copy of Experience Certificate (if any) (less than 200 KB)
- Scanned Copy of Category Certificate, if ST/SC/ OBC (less than 200 KB)
Students’ Help
An IGNOU statement has also released two mail addresses in online registration and application to help students. These are:
Student Service Centre: [email protected]
Student Registration Division: [email protected]
Common Prospectus: http://ignou.ac.in/userfiles/Common-Prospectus-English.pdf
