## Indira Gandhi National Open University Indira Gandhi National Open University, known as **IGNOU**, is a public open & distance learning university located in Delhi, India. Named after the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of ₹20 million, after the Parliament of India passed the _Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985_ (IGNOU Act 1985). IGNOU, operated by the central government of India, is the world's largest university, boasting an active enrollment of 3,093,583 students. It provides 333 academic programs through its 21 Schools of Studies, supported by a network of 67 Regional Centres and 2,257 Learner Support Centres (LSCs). <br> <br> <div style="background-image: url('https://cdn.eduverticals.com/upload_1620895233776_372bc297e4.webp'); background-size: cover; display: flex; justify-content: end; align-items: end; height: auto; margin: 0; backdrop-filter: blur(10px); color: white; border-radius: 20px; user-select: none;"> <div style="background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border-radius: 20px; padding: 20px; width: 300px; box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); backdrop-filter: blur(10px); color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <h2 style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 10px;">Indira Gandhi National Open University</h2> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"> <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c1/IGNOU_logo.svg/220px-IGNOU_logo.svg.png" alt="IGNOU Logo" style="border-radius: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; width: 100%;"> </div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other Name:</span> IGNOU</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Motto:</span> The People's University</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Type:</span> National Open University</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Established:</span> 1985</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Founder:</span> Government of India</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Accreditation:</span> NAAC</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Academic Affiliations:</span> UGC, AIU, AICTE, COL, DEC</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Endowment:</span> ₹886,599,162</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Budget:</span> ₹9,558,801,906</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vice-Chancellor:</span> Prof. Uma Kanjilal (acting)</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Registrar:</span> Dr. Alok Chaube</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Students:</span> 3,093,583</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Address:</span> Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, India</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Campus:</span> Urban, 151.32 acres</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Language:</span> English & Hindi</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Regional Centres:</span> 67</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Programs Offered:</span> 333</div> <div style="margin: 10px 0;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colours:</span> Deep Sky Blue</div> </div> </div> <br> IGNOU has achieved an all-time high in total registrations, reaching 753,286 for the 2023–24 period (covering the admission cycle of July 2023 and January 2024). Of these, 352,354 students enrolled in bachelor's degree programs, with the Bachelor of Arts (BAG) being the most popular, garnering 109,840 registrations. IGNOU is actively engaged in various initiatives through the SANKALP project in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The university has signed a MoU with the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to provide training for civil service aspirants from SC/ST backgrounds. Additionally, IGNOU has established a knowledge partnership with the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) of the Government of India and has set up a Centre for Modern Indian Languages to promote Indian languages. The university's refresher courses have received recognition from the UGC. IGNOU was founded to serve the Indian population by means of distance and open education, providing quality higher education opportunities to all segments of society. It also aims to encourage, coordinate and set standards for distance and open education in India, and to strengthen the human resources of India through education. Apart from teaching and research, extension and training form the mainstay of its academic activities. It also acts as a national resource center, and serves to promote and maintain standards of distance education in India. IGNOU hosts the Secretariats of the SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL) and the Global Mega Universities Network (GMUNET), initially supported by UNESCO. ### Languages The IGNOU offers education in undergraduate degree in different "Modern Indian Languages" (MILs): Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Meitei (Manipuri), and Nepali. ### International Presence Established in 1996, the International Division of IGNOU, originally the International Cell, focuses on promoting collaborations with international educational institutions and inter-governmental agencies to enhance global access to higher education. It operates on a four-fold approach of collaboration, cooperation, coordination, and competition, providing comprehensive support services to overseas and foreign students in India, including admission, examination, and degree awarding. The division also serves as the nodal center for online programs for international students and coordinates international delegations and visits to the University. On an international scale, IGNOU has formed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) and MoU with Open University of Kenya and maintains a strong presence in 88 countries, including 19 African nations connected through e-Vidyabharti and e-Arogya Bharti (e-VBAB) project of Ministry of External Affairs, offering 51 programmes. Afghanistan was also included later. Additionally, the University has signed Memoranda of Collaboration (MoC) with Baikal State University of Russia, the Financial University of Moscow, and the Hellenic Open University (HOU) of Greece. Further, to promote its online programs internationally, It has introduced the Overseas Facilitator scheme and signed Memoranda of Agreement with 14 existing Overseas Study Centres in the first phase. Recently, MoAs were also signed with ICA Education Pvt. Ltd. in Nepal and the Centre for Open and Distance Education in Kenya. The university is also offering a Hindi awareness program in collaboration with the Central Hindi Directorate (CHD) and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), with registration from 42 countries in its latest third batch. Furthermore, IGNOU operates 14 online facilitation centres and offers 168 programs (including 44 online programmes) through 25 Overseas Study Centres across 15 foreign countries, with a cumulative international student enrollment of approximately 92,000. ### Schools IGNOU has 21 schools of studies as listed below: 1. School of Humanities (SOH) 2. School of Social Sciences (SOSS) 3. School of Sciences (SOS) 4. School of Education (SOE) 5. School of Continuing Education (SOCE) 6. School of Engineering and Technology (SOET) 7. School of Management Studies (SOMS) 8. School of Health Sciences (SOHS) 9. School of Computer and Information Sciences (SOCIS) 10. School of Agriculture (SOA) 11. School of Law (SOL) 12. School of Journalism and New Media Studies (SOJNMS) 13. School of Gender and Development Studies (SOGDS) 14. School of Tourism and Hospitality Service Management (SOTHSM) 15. School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies (SOITS) 16. School of Social Work (SOSW) 17. School of Vocational Education and Training (SOVET) 18. School of Extension and Development Studies (SOEDS) 19. School of Foreign Languages (SOFL) 20. School of Translation Studies and Training (SOTST) 21. School of Performing and Visual Arts (SOPVA) ### Accreditation and recognition IGNOU has been granted the authority to confer degrees by Clause 5(1)(iii) of the IGNOU Act 1985. IGNOU is also recognised as a Central University by the University Grants Commission of India (UGC). The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) recognises IGNOU conferred degrees as on par with the degrees conferred by its members and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recognises the Master of Computer Applications and Master of Business Administration program of IGNOU. In 1993, IGNOU was designated by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) as its first Centre of Excellence for Distance Education empowered "to actively participate in Commonwealth co-operative endeavors to identify, nurture, and strengthen open learning institutions throughout the Commonwealth, particularly in the Third World ..". IGNOU also operates as an accreditor for open university and distance education systems in India through the Distance Education Council (DEC). Authority to do so is granted under Clause 16 and Statute 28 of the IGNOU Act 1985. IGNOU is accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with the highest grade of A++. ### Notable alumni * Osthatheos Issac – Syriac Orthodox bishop * Celina Jaitly – Indian actress * Vaani Kapoor – Indian actress * Deepika Padukone – Indian actress * Chethana Ketagoda – Sri Lankan actress * Barun Mazumder – Indian journalist * Ashok Khemka – Indian bureaucrat * K. Vijay Kumar – IPS officer * K. H. Hussain – Indian designer * Abhay Sopori – Indian musician * Gyaneswar Patil – Indian politician * Karthika Naïr – Indian poet * B. Devendhira Poopathy – Indian poet and writer * V. S. R. Murthy – Indian military officer * Biswatosh Sengupta – Indian academic * Ashraful Hussain – Indian social activist and politician * Arjun Munda – former Chief Minister of Jharkhand * Aman Raj – Indian golfer * Kulwant Singh – former Indian army general * Vineet Verma – Indian film director * Deepak Kapoor – 22nd chief of Indian army * Manoj Pande – Indian railway officer * A. G. Perarivalan – Indian assassin * Yakub Memon – chartered accountant and convicted criminal * Pushpa Preeya – Indian social activist * Sudipta Chakraborty – Indian actress * Aditya Bandopadhyay – LGBT rights activist * Swapna Patker – Indian film producer * Shiv Kumar Rai – Indian journalist