IGNOU: Cutoff 2026, Fees, Courses, Placement, Admission and Ranking

IGNOU is a trusted and accredited distance education university. This central university was established by an ACT of parliament in 1985. IGNOU degree is equivalent to a degree granted by any recognised university in India. It is acceptable and valid overseas and in foreign countries with ease. This is because, IGNOU is a recognised university under UGC and is a governmental university too. An IGNOU degree is approved by DEC and AICTE.

Indira Gandhi National Open University (popularly known as IGNOU) is one of the top names for distance/ part-time education in India. IGNOU is UGC approved & is accredited by the NAAC with Grade 'A+.'

IGNOU online courses make it easy for working professionals to upgrade their academic stature with the flexibility of learning from their preferred location, time & study mode.

As per the latest IGNOU NIRF report, the overall median package received during IGNOU placements 2025 was between INR 2.45 LPA and 2.85 LPA.

Yes, all IGNOU degrees are valid for any purpose, whether you are appearing for any entrance exams or employment exams. It has recognition at the national as well as international levels. IGNOU is a recognized university under the UGC and a government university. Adding further, an IGNOU degree is approved by the Distance Education Bureau (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as well. Additionally, IGNOU provides free UPSC CSE coaching to scheduled caste candidates at no cost. Every year, IGNOU invites applications from scheduled caste students for free coaching of UPSC IAS (prelims and mains).

IGNOU BA application window is open. Students apply through the official website. The BA course at IGNOU application mentioned below:

• Visit the website. Click on 'Apply Online'.
• Select the 'Click here for New Registration' option.
• Register online with required details.
• Log in, fill out the form, pay the application fee, and submit the form.

According to unofficial sources, Business Development sector has placed the most no. of IGNOU students. The sector-wise IGNOU alumni placement statistics are presented below:

Note: The above-mentioned alumni placement data is gathered from unofficial sources and hence may vary.

The total tuition fee for MBA at IGNOU is INR 66,000. This fee is sourced from the sanctioning body/official website. It is however, still subject to changes and hence, is indicative. For more details, students can confirm the fee from the admission office. Apart from this, a non-refundable registration fee of INR 300 (unless specified otherwise) shall be charged along with the programme fee of first semester/year at the time of admission. 

The total tuition fee for B.Ed at IGNOU is INR 55,000. This information is sourced from official website/ sanctioning body and is subject to change. For more details, students are advised to contact the admission office. Although, in the fee, a non-refundable registration fee of INR 200 (unless specified otherwise) shall be charged along with the programme fee for the first semester/ year at the time of admission.

The eligibility criteria for all MSc courses are as follows:

MSc specialisations	Eligibility
Food Nutrition	BSc (Home Science) specialisation in Food and Nutrition, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition or PG Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition or Graduate (BSc Hons) or equivalent (MBBS, BHHS, etc.) from the following background – Home Science/ Food Science and Technology, Life Science, Microbiology, Pharmaceutical, Catering along with the DNHE or CNCC or CFN offered by IGNOU (simultaneous admission for CFN/ CNCC is also permitted)
Counselling and Family Therapy	Bachelor’s degree in any subject from a recognised university
Environmental Science	Bachelor’s degree in any discipline Science/ Engineering/ Agricultural Science/ Forestry/ Veterinary Science from a recognised university
Mathematics with Application in Computer Science	- Graduate with a major or Hons in Mathematics with at least 50% aggregate - If the seats at a centre remain vacant then: Graduate with a BA/ BSc degree with Mathematics as one of the three main subjects with equal weightage, with at least 50% aggregate and 55% aggregate in the Mathematics

For more details on MSc fee, eligibility & selection,  click here. 

IGNOU BA (Hons) English course fee is INR 15,900. It is the total fees for three-year UG course. The given fee is as per the official website or sanctioning body. It is still subject to revision and hence, is indicative.

IGNOU offers fee waiver for SC and ST students applying for UG courses. Candidates wanting to avail this benefit need to meet the prescribed eligibility criteria. The requirements to get a fee waiver are mentioned below:

• Applicant should be from SC or ST category.
• The family annual income should be below INR 2.5 lakh as per GOI norms.
• Candidate should have applied for a UG course of IGNOU.
• No similar fee waiver or scholarship should have been taken from other sources.

IGNOU admission cycle opens twice in a year i.e. January and July. The registrations for January session usually begins in December and close by March. The July session for ODL/ Online programmes begin in May and continue till July. The mode of application is online for all the courses.

In case a candidate misses the deadline for IGNOU registration, he or she can write mail or contact the admission office for assistance. In case nothing can be done, he or she then needs to register in the next cycle. IGNOU conducts admission in two cycles-January and June. Admission to most of the courses is based on merit of the aspirants in the last qualifying exam. In case of courses such as B.Ed, PhD and PB BSc Nursing, admissions are offered based on entrance exam scores.

The Open University provides PhD programmes in different areas of specialisation. IGNOU PhD course admission is done based on accepted exam scores, followed by an interview round. Interested candidates should go through the eligibility and selection requirements before proceeding with the application formalities.

MBA course offered by IGNOU is among many popular courses offered by IGNOU that has good career scope. The MBA course at IGNOU comes with robust curriculum that equip students with all nuances of the Management sector. In order to get a job after pursing MBA from IGNOU, students need to stay updated with market trends and start applying for jobs two months before the completion of the course. Further, it will be good for students to enroll in short-term add-on courses in the niche domain be it Marketing, Finance, HR or Operations. These skills coupled with MS Office expertise can possibly help students find jobs after doing an MBA from IGNOU. Importantly, the Campus Placement Cell also help students get jobs through Job Fairs.

No, for admission to PB BSc nursing at IGNOU, students are required to apply and appear for a written test conducted by the university followed by a counselling session. Aspirants who meet the eligibility requirements need to appear for IGNOU OPENNET exam. Candidates get a seat in the course based on the exam score. The entrance test is conducted in offline mode via OMR sheets. Duration of the exam is 2 hours 30 minutes.

IGNOU results for PhD admission are out on the official website of the institute. Candidates who have at least 50% aggregate in the entrance test (45% aggregate in case of SC/ ST/ OBC (Non Creamy layers)/ Differently abled persons) are shortlisted for the interview subject to the maximum limit of five times of the available seats. The entrance test carries a weightage of 70% and 30% weightage is allocated to the interview/ viva.

All the admission forms submitted via the Online Admission System are scrutinised and confirmed for admission subject to the fulfilment of eligibility criteria. These forms are processed region-wise on a first-come-first-serve basis.

IGNOU offers only very selective programmes to international students through its overseas partner institutes. These partner institutes render student support services to such students. Such students aspiring to pursue IGNOU programmes must contact the concerned partner institute in their vicinity and fill out the admission form along with the requisite fees within the stipulated time. Click here to view the list of partner institutes along with their contact details.

Candidates must meet eligibility to apply for a course at IGNOU. The minimum eligibility for UG courses is Class 12, whereas graduation is required for PG programmes. Check below IGNOU eligibility criteria for popular courses:

Popular Courses	Eligibility Criteria
MBA	Any UG degree with 50% aggregate
B.Ed	Any UG/PG degree with 50% OR BE/BTech with 55%
BSc	Class 12 with Science subjects
MSc	UG degree in Science stream
MA	Any UG degree
BA	Class 12
PG Diploma	Any UG degree
MCA	Any UG degree with 50% + Maths in Class 12
BCA	Class 12
BCom	Class 12
B.L.I.Sc	Any UG degree with 50% aggregate