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

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 and DU SOL, both are government-approved reputed distance learning universities in India. They have dedicated career placement cell that connects potential recruiters with students. In terms of regional reach, IGNOU has more centres spread across the country as compared with DU SOL. IGNOU has a larger set of courses as compared to DU SOL that has courses primarily related to Humanities and Commerce. According to unofficial sources, the starting salary of IGNOU students start from 3.5 LPA. The top recruiters of IGNOU in recent past included leading companies such as HCL, Wipro and Parle. It will depend upon students’ priority in terms of location, study centre and course-selection to choose between IGNOU and DU SOL.

Yes, you can get a job abroad. There are certain organisations that do prefer full-time graduation but getting rejected everywhere should not be the scenario. IGNOU is recognised globally as a university. There may be other reasons for the rejection like in the current scenario, hiring is very specific, so hence, maybe your qualification does not match. The post may require someone with experience. Your skillset may be lacking for the position that you have applied for. Relook at the job posts that you have applied for and then see if there are any other reasons.

Currently, in COVID 19 situation, the job market is very bleak and since you have just done your graduation and if money is not adequate necessary then try doing some additional courses like digital marketing, graphic design, website development. These would be an added advantage and would increase your job prospects too. Well, IGNOU provides distance learning degrees. If you are a graduate from IGNOU you might be able to take admission into some medium level foreign university but it will be a struggle to cope up with the regular programme that too in foreign.

If you wish you go abroad for MBA, it is advisable to take your graduation in regular mode in reputed universities like LPU and then take your chances in many credit transfer programs which can get you into reputed foreign universities and that too with much less expense.

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.

In Central University of Himachal Pradesh the Total fees for MA which has total 14 different courses is about 4000 to 5400. And eligibility criteria is graduation with minimum 50% and entrance exam CUET- PG. Different courses such as MA in Political Science, Hindi, English Language and Literature, Economics, Sociology, History, Journalism, Punjabi, New media and Communication and many more such courses. And all these courses has 33 seats. And course fees of 4k . With average package of 2.5 Lakh. 

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. 

The total tuition fees for MA is INR 14,000-INR 27,000 at IGNOU. The fees is the highest for MA in Education. For most of language programmes, the fees is at lower end. 

Yes, candidates do not require passing any entrance exam for admission in MA at IGNOU. Aspirants are selected based on their scores in the qualifying exam. Selected candidates have to pay course fees to confirm their seat. 

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 MBA (ODL/ Online) admissions are open. Candidates seeking admission must register and apply on or before the prescribed deadline. The last date to register for the Jul admission cycle is July third week. Eligible candidates can go to the official website to register and submit the application form. 

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 

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.

Candidates who are selected for admission need to confirm their seat by paying the course fee. Here are few things that students will recieve after taking admission in IGNOU:

• Once a students get admission into IGNOU, he or she will recieve the enrollment number and ID for future login to the samarth portal of the university.
• Based on the choice made by the candidate while filling the application form, he or she will then recieve the study material. Soft copy is available on the official website of the university. 
• Registered students also recieve a mail from the regional or study centre for counselling. It is an induction ceremony where the course is introduced to the students.
• A schedule of classes is also shared through mail. For any query regarding classes, students must contact their study centre.

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.