MBA from IGNOU: Fees, Admissions, Eligibility, Specializations, Career Scope

Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
4 mins readUpdated on Oct 6, 2025 17:15 IST
Are you a working professional who wishes to take his/ her career to the next level by pursuing MBA but do not have time to attend regular classes? If yes, IGNOU MBA is the right option for you. After completing a Distance MBA course from IGNOU candidates look for managerial roles sectors such as Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Accounting

IGNOU is India's top Open University for UG and PG programmes. It's academic as well as professional programmes are very popular among students and working professionals. In this article, we have shared all about MBA from IGNOU,

Indira Gandhi National Open University or IGNOU is India’s most popular open learning school for academic and professional courses. Having a Pan-India reach, IGNOU offers UG as well as PG courses in correspondence/distance learning mode. One of the top most IGNOU programme is MBA. The institute offers distance MBA programme in various specializations. IGNOU MBA is an ideal course for experienced professionals as well as students from remote areas who aspire for a career in management.

Recognised by the AICTE, IGNOU MBA programmes are designed keeping in view the latest industry requirements and practices. Whether you are a fresh graduate or a working professional, MBA from IGNOU will help you in honing your administrative and managerial skills. Read below all about MBA programmes offered by IGNOU.

Table of contents
  • MBA Courses Offered by IGNOU
  • MBA from IGNOU: Eligibility Criteria and Fees
  • MBA from IGNOU: Fees
  • Scope of MBA from IGNOU
  • Pros of pursuing MBA from IGNOU
  • Cons of pursuing MBA from IGNOU
  • Job Opportunities after IGNOU MBA
View More

MBA Courses Offered by IGNOU

IGNOU offers Distance MBA and PGD programmes in almost all the popular MBA specializations. Check below the list of MBA courses offered by IGNOU.

  • MBA General
  • MBA Banking and Finance
  • MBA Operations Management
  • MBA Marketing Management
  • MBA Human Resource Management
  • MBA Financial Management
  • PGD in International Business Operations
  • PGD in Services Management
  • PGD in Operations Management
  • PGD in Financial Management
  • PGD in Human Resources Management
Q:   What is the admission cycle of IGNOU?
A:

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.

Q:   How can I get admission for B.Ed at IGNOU?
A:

Application form for B.Ed can be obtained online from the official website of IGNOU. At least, 50% marks either in the Bachelor's degree and/or in the Master's degree in sciences/social sciences/commerce/humanity. Candidates, who are trained in-service teachers in elementary education, will be eligible to apply for the entrance exam and further for admission or who have completed a NCTE recognised teacher education programme through face-to-face mode. Candidates can apply for the exam online by visiting the official website of university i.e. www.ignou.ac.in. Thanks!

Q:   What is the IGNOU selection procedure for an MBA?
A:

Indira Gandhi National Open University offer entrance-based admission to its MBA programmes. Candidates seeking admission have to appear for the university entrance exam. Before applying, the aspirants should check out the course-specific eligibility requirements. The basic eligibility requirement is as follows:

Eligibility: A pass in any bachelor's degree of a minimum of three years duration with a minimum of 50% aggregate (45% in case of reserved category candidates)

MBA from IGNOU: Eligibility Criteria and Fees

The minimum eligibility criteria for MBA from IGNOU are mentioned below. There is no entrance exam.

  • Candidates must have passed Bachelor’s degree of minimum 3-years duration with at least 50% marks
  • Reserved category students must have a minimum of 45% in graduation.
  • There is no upper age limit to register for the IGNOU programme
Staying updated about the latest educational events is just a click away
Enter Mobile Number

MBA from IGNOU: Fees

  • Fees of MBA/PGD course is around INR 15,000 to 16,000 per semester
  • Candidates have to pay registration fee & development fee as applicable
Q:   What after IGNOU application process is over?
A:

Students who have applied for B.Ed, MBA or PB BSc Nursing must appear for the required entrance and check if they've qualified it. Followed by application, application fee payment and entrance, students who have completed their registration can check their status by entering their registration number on the IGNOU admission status page. The university also notifies students about their admission confirmation or rejection through an email and a text message in the next two months.

Q:   Are admissions open at IGNOU?
A:

Yes, IGNOU admissions 2026 are open now. Interested students can apply online at the official website of the university. The last date to apply is extended until Feb 28, 2026.

Q:   Do I need to appear for an entrance exam for IGNOU admission?
A:

IGNOU offers admission based on merit of the aspirants in the last qualifying exam to most of the programmes. However, candidates need to appear for entrance exam for a few courses. Below are the courses accepting IGNOU entrance exam scores for admission:

  • B.Ed
  • Post Basic BSc Nursing
  • PhD 

Scope of MBA from IGNOU

A distance MBA degree from an Open University like IGNOU may not give a quick push to your career but it is definitely helpful in gaining advantage in terms of job prospects. Distance MBA is best suited for working professionals who are looking for career advancement. Pursuing MBA from IGNOU will help an individual in exploring job opportunities of managerial level.

The value of an IGNOU MBA degree majorly depends on students. While some are able to make the best use of their degree through their hard work, others don’t. One should remember that a degree is only a stepping stone, but what takes them forward is their skill and hard work.

Pros of pursuing MBA from IGNOU

Given below are the pros and cons of pursuing an IGNOU MBA programme:

  • Flexibility: Flexibility is one of the key highlights of pursuing IGNOU MBA, especially for working professionals. By pursuing MBA from IGNOU candidates can study at their own pace and can earn as well as learn at the same time.
  • Cost-Effective: The course fee of a distance MBA course from IGNOU is quite low and affordable for most candidates.
  • Comprehensive Study Material: IGNOU MBA offers one of the best study material to candidates prepared by professors from top institutions such as IIMs and IITs. Therefore, with IGNOU MBA, candidates get to learn a lot within a limited period of time.   

Cons of pursuing MBA from IGNOU

Less Exposure: One of the major drawbacks of pursuing a distance MBA from IGNOU is that the course does not provide much exposure to candidates. Unlike full-time MBA students, a distance programme does not offer class room interaction, summer internships, industry visits or other such opportunities of building network. 

Less Recognition from Recruiters: Recruiters prefer a regular MBA candidate over a Distance MBA one. Also, the salary is not quite encouraging for distance MBA students as compared to regular MBA candidates, if they are fresh graduates.

Limited Interaction with Faculty: There is no personal interaction with teachers which affects the learning of IGNOU MBA candidates. It is very difficult to study comprehensive books without any mentors. Therefore, it is very important for candidates pursuing MBA from IGNOU to follow a disciplined routine along with sincerity towards studies.  

Job Opportunities after IGNOU MBA

In a nutshell, Ddistance MBA programme from IGNOU is most suitable for working professionals who wish to sharpen business and managerial skills without taking a career break. Flexibility in studies, assignments submission and exams help them sail through work smoothly while learning the latest skills to move ahead in the rapidly changing job market. After completing a Distance MBA course from IGNOU candidates look for managerial roles sectors such as Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Accounting, Risk Management, and so on. Jobs for distance MBA pass-outs range from the typical finance and marketing executive roles to corporate managers, finance analysts, HR managers, sales managers, etc.

Read More:

Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8

Read Full Bio
Get Admission and Placement Updates about IGNOU

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 5 days ago

Overall difficulty level of IGNOU TEE is generally moderate. If you study the official materials, complete assignments, and revise regularly, you'll find the questions very easy.

P

Porishmita Paul

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

Some most important topics for IGNOU TEE are summaries, unit-end questions, and high-weightage blocks in official study materials.

P

Porishmita Paul

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

Yes, you can crack IGNOU TEE through self-study. University provides detailed study materials that cover entire syllabus. Read them carefully, make notes, and revise regularly to score well.

P

Porishmita Paul

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

You should start preparing for IGNOU TEE at least six months before exam. This gives enough time to read all study materials, complete assignments, and revise properly.

P

Porishmita Paul

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

To prepare IGNOU TEE in 6 months, you should read the official books first and not skip them. Do your assignments early cause they help you learn better. Make some plan that you can follow easy. First two months just try to understand topics good. Then next months write small notes and revise again.

...Read more

P

Porishmita Paul

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

Difficulty of IGNOU TEE depends on your preparation. For students who study provided materials, complete assignments, and revise regularly, exam is generally easy to moderate. 

P

Porishmita Paul

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

Yes, IGNOU TEE applications can be filled offline in special cases, such as missing the online deadline or with regional centre approval. Though the online method via the IGNOU Samarth portal is standard, offline forms may be submitted directly to the concerned regional centre.

P

Porishmita Paul

Contributor-Level 10