Unable to attend college? Top open universities for quality distance education

NEW DELHI: Could not secure a seat in your dream college? Fret not, there are ample opportunities to complete higher education, as learning must not stop. Marks or grades do not define a student’s caliber. If you scored low in school or an entrance exam or you’re someone who’s unable to attend regular classes due to a job, financial restraints, or other reasons, then distance education is the right choice for you. There are many open universities in India which offer online as well as distance learning programmes.

While open universities such as IGNOU have been offering degrees for a long time, the sector saw a boom when Covid hit the country and learners were forced to resort to open sources of education. And the good part is, these open institutions have been recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) proving to be a great source for safe and quality education. In recent years, several open schools have started offering courses in demand and placements to their students.

Recently, the Ministry of education introduced a new category of ‘open university’ in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) under which the Indian institutions are ranked. IGNOU emerged as the top open university in India as per the NIRF ranking 2024.

Top open universities in India as per NIRF Ranking 2024

IGNOU

The Indira Gandhi National Open University ranked first in the 'open university' category of the NIRF 2024. The university offers various degree, certificate, and diploma programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The open university has been accredited with the highest National Asessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grade of A++. The university recently collaborated with international open universities to offer several programmes.

Anyone who has passed Class 12 or equivalent exam from a recognized board can apply for admission to the courses offered by IGNOU visiting the official website, ignou.ac.in. Weekend classes are conducted at regional centres spread across India. Candidates have to submit assignments and appear for the Term End Examination (TEE) at the end of semester to complete the programme and receive a degree or certificate.

Netaji Subhas Open University

Accredited by NAAC with grade A, the Netaji Subhas Open University is one of the top universities in India offering degrees with minimal admission requirements. The university recently secured the second position in the NIRF ranking 2024 for open university category. Located in West Bengal, the very first batch of the university started in 1998 for a bachelor’s degree programme in arts and commerce.

NSOU offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the field of humanities, social sciences, sciences, vocational studies, education, and professional studies. Interested students can apply for admission to the UG, PG courses through the official website, wbnsou.ac.in.

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University

The third best open university in India as per the NIRF ranking 2024, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), offers more than 80 programmes. Headquartered in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, the university has 270 study centres and seven regional centres. Professor Ami Upadhyay is the vice-chancellor of the university.

The university is currently running schools of humanities and social sciences, computer science, commerce and management, and education, distance education, and educational technologies. The courses are offered in both online and open and distance learning modes.

Also read NIRF Ranking 2024: IISc Bangalore retains top spot in ‘university’ category, JNU comes second again

Popular open universities in India

DU SOL

Delhi University’s School of Open Learning (SOL) is popular amongst students of Delhi. Those aspirants who are unable to secure a seat in the regular DU colleges can opt for the open school. The school started with 900 students in 1962 under the Campus of Open Learning and now hosts more than four lakh students. The admissions and exams for the school are conducted by DU. The open school offers UG and PG programmes and launched BA (Honours) in Psychology last year.

Interested candidates can apply for DU SOL admission 2024 at sol.du.ac.in. The prospectus, eligibility criteria, fee structure for various programmes are available on the website.

Besides, students can also consider open universities such as Sikkim Manipal Distance Education, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Amity University, Karnataka State Open University, among others.