Nalanda Open University (NOU): Courses, Fees, Admissions 2026, Placements

Nalanda Open University is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Ministry of HRD, the Government of India and the Distance Education Bureau (DEB). NOU is also a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the International Council of Open and Distance Education (ICDE) and the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU). Additionally, Nalanda Open University was established in 1987 under the ACT of Bihar Government, Nalanda Open University (NOU).

Nalanda Open University (NOU) offers placement assistance to students seeking challenging jobs in the industry. Along with that, the University also provides training and career guidance services to shape the careers of students by developing their personalities. As per the Shiksha students' reviews, the the highest package and average package offered in recent Nalanda Open University placements were INR 10 LPA and INR 5 LPA, respectively. 

Note: The stats mentioned above is the overall placement data. Hence, it is not course-specific.

Yes, you can join Nalanda Open University UG-level courses directly after Class 12 resuts are announced. Students are selected based on academic merit only. For admission to courses, such as BA, BSc, BCom, BBA, BCom, and more, you may apply after Class 12 is completed.

To get admission in Nalanda Open University courses, students have to simply apply online. The applications will be live once the admission cycle begins. Students can pay the course fees to get admission in the university. No money order/ Demand Draft/ Postal Order is accepted by NOU.

Nalanda Open University has several pros and cons of studying for various students. The good and bad sides are given below:

Good side of studying at NOU:

• In comparison to other regular universities, NOU is affordable in terms of everything. The tuition fee, along with other fee components is lower.
• The system of distance learning is flexible for students living in different parts of the nation.
• NOU offers UG, PG, Diploma and Certificate courses across various specialisations. All these courses are recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Distance Education Council (DEC). 

Bad sides of studying at NOU:

• Due to the distance learning mode, students lack interaction with the faculty. This can impact the learning experience of students. 
• Open universities such as NOU Bihar and Patna IGNOU often lack placement opportunities, practical training and exposure.
• Students miss out on extra-curricular activities, vibrant college life, fests, events, internships and seminars.

No, Nalanda Open University is not hard to get as the admission process is based on merit scores. Additionally, open universities are easier to get in comparison to regular colleges/universities. This is one of the reasons that makes open universities accessible to all the students around India. However, for specific programmes such as BEd or PhD, students would be required to appear for the entrance exams. The fee for all the courses is affordable. Interested students must visit the official website of NOU and apply for the desired course.

NOU Patna provides multiple UG & PG courses in Open & Distance Learning Mode. These courses allows people to access education widely and remotely. ODL courses can be pursued in either online or offline mode. Candidates can choose an institute that provides their desired course in their preferred mode. Other institutes that offer such courses are listed below:

• IGNOU, Delhi
• TimesPro, Mumbai
• IIMTS
• SOL, Univeristy of Delhi
• Imarticus Learning
• Parul University
• Amity University Online
• Online Manipal
• Veranda HigherED
• Hike Education.

The University has not revealed the course-specific placement data. As per the overall placement data available on the Shikhs students' review page, the highest package and average package grabbed by NOU Patna students passed out in recent years was INR 10 LPA and INR 5 LPA, respectively. State Bank of India, Dainik Jagran, Bandhan Bank, Axis Bank, and many other renowned companies participated in the placement process over the years.

Check below the list of top companies who participated in Nalanda Open University placements in recent years:

Students who are looking for admission at NOU can purchase the prospectus by two medium. First by post, the same can obtained by post by sending a demand draft of INR 500. The amount to be paid in favor of Nalanda Open University, Patna. This is note that, no cash medium would be accepted to paid the amount. Second from Study Centre, all counselling cum-study centre have also been permitted to sale the prospectus on payment of INR 500. 

Nalanda Open University MA is offered in different specialisations. The admission is merit-based. Students are to appear for their previous qualifying examination with valid scoring. The admission process can be started by visiting the official website of the university.

For all the postgraduate programmes offered by Nalanda Open University, the admissions are merit-based. For some of the postgraduate programmes the NOU admissions are entrance-based. Moreover, the mode of application is online. Candidates need to visit the official website for applying online. Also, candidates can visit the campus and apply offline.

 NOU Patna offers a two-year PG course of MA across 15 specialisations, which are taught through five different schools at the university. These specialisations are Economics, Education, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Maithili, Public Administration, Urdu, etc. Apart from this, the university also offers MA in Bhojpuri and English, but these specialisations are currently suspended by the university till any further update. 

In order to get admission to B.Ed at Nalanda Open University, candidates need to get a UG degree with 50% aggregate for General and 45% aggregate for reserved category candidates in any discipline from a recognised board as per the minimum eligibility criteria. Apart from that, students also need to have a proven teaching experience of two years. Admission to BEd is done through a valid score of the BEd CET entrance exam, which is a state-level entrance exam conducted for the candidates of Bihar. 

The placement data for BBA is not out officially. However, the students have revealed the overall placement details on the Shiksha students' review page. The overall statistics for Nalanda Open University placements are mentioned below:

NOTE: The above placement data is fetched from the Shiksha students' reviews.

As per the Shiksha students' reviews, the Nalanda Open University highest package for recent recruitment processes stood at INR 10 LPA. As soon as the official salary statistics are out it will be updated here. Meanwhile, refer to the NOU Patna highest package from the table below:

For all the undergraduate programmes offered by Nalanda Open University, the admissions are merit-based. For some of the postgraduate programmes the NOU admissions are entrance-based. Moreover, the mode of application is online. Candidates need to visit the official website for applying online. Also, candidates can visit the campus and apply offline.

Nalanda Open University offers BA (Hons) in Bhojpuri, Economics, Education, Environmental Studies, Geography, Hindi History, Magahi, Maithili, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Public Administration, Rural Development, Sanskrit, Urdu, and English. The duration of the course is for two years.