Is IGNOU Degree the same as Regular Degree?

 Is IGNOU Degree the same as Regular Degree?

Is IGNOU Degree equivalent to Regular Degree? There remains a constant debate in India about whether IGNOU is the same as the regular degree or not. While there are several distant learning platforms available today, IGNOU is considered one of the pioneers. One of the basic reasons is that IGNOU is taken the same as any regular degree by all universities, institutes, and even companies.

But there are also many ways in which the university is different from a regular degree but that does not reduce its recognition that stands equal to the regular degrees.

How IGNOU and a Regular Degree is not the same?

If you are pursuing a regular degree, there are so many things that you need to take care of and one such thing is your attendance. In most cases, you will have to achieve more than 75% attendance to appear for the examinations. IGNOU does not offer such conditions for students. The University conducts classes on weekends or even during the holidays but it is not mandatory for the students to attend these classes.

Another major difference is the fee structure. Different colleges may charge different fee structures for the same course. But the ultimate fact is that, whatever college you pick, the fee structure for the course in IGNOU still remains lower.

How is IGNOU Degree the same as a Regular Degree?

While there are several ways in which IGNOU differs from a regular degree, there are even more ways that make IGNOU similar to a regular degree.

• Accreditation:

IGNOU is approved by the two important boards of India and these are AICTE and UGC. This makes the degrees under IGNOU as valid as regular degrees from any other university.

• Court Judgment:

The Allahabad Court has passed a judgment in 2014 in favor of IGNOU stating that students who acquire degrees from IGNOU will be eligible for job applications in India as well as foreign countries.

• UGC Announcement:

Recently, the University Grants Commission, UGC has also made a major announcement regarding all the distance-learning universities in India. According to a recent notification, all the online courses and distance learning degrees will be held equivalent to regular degrees now. The only condition is that the universities offering these online and distance learning degrees should be recognized by UGC. Thus, similar to many other distance learning degrees that are recognized by UGC, IGNOU is also now considered the same as a regular degree.

• Assignments and Projects:

Similar to any regular college, students in IGNOU also have to submit assignments and projects apart from appearing in exams. The students need to get passing percentages in IGNOU Assignments and projects that will be calculated along with the exam score to announce whether they have passed or failed.

• Job Placements:

It is true that earlier, IGNOU only offered education in distance learning to its students and there was no facility for job placements. But the story is different after the year 2005. IGNOU launched its Campus Placement Cell in 2005 through which the university conducts job fairs and job placements for its students. The campus interviewing happens several times a year and students can take advantage of it to secure a good job in some of the best companies across the country. Thus, job placement is not just a thing of the regular degree colleges now.

Though IGNOU offers all the facilities and features of a distance learning platform to its students, the university also has a reputation that is no lesser than the regular degree universities. Whether it is in terms of accreditation or other features such as job placements, an IGNOU degree is the same as a regular degree.