IGNOU Distance MBA Admission Procedure 2024
About IGNOU
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a reputed institute for distance learning based in New Delhi, India. The programs offered by IGNOU cover a vast majority of domains in the fields of management, medical sciences, engineering, computer technology, agriculture, humanities, social sciences, tourism studies, and much more.
It consists of 21 schools in total and enrolled students can undergo their coursework at any study centre of their choice from anywhere across India. Each program has both a minimum as well as maximum duration for completion, offering considerable flexibility in terms of the time spent in obtaining a degree.
IGNOU Regional Centers are bodies that look after and control the various activities of each study centre (a place of learning where students can attend the course lectures) that belongs to the corresponding region. Almost 70 regional centers supervise more than 2600 study centers spread across India.
In this article, we discuss the essential guidelines for MBA admissions. The MBA program at IGNOU is a correspondence course. In the earlier days, a correspondence course would imply that the student and lecturer communicate via post. Today, this is largely done by email and several other resources (like video lectures, live doubt sessions, PCP programs) that are becoming quite popular.
IGNOU Admission Procedure
A brief summary of the process described above is as follows:
| Steps | Process |
| Step 1 | Fill up Form-1. Send the form to the appropriate address along with the application fee. |
| Step 2 | Attempt OPENMAT. Obtain Form-2 after paying the admission fee (only for qualifiers). |
| Step 3 | Fill up Form-2. Send the form to the appropriate address along with the course fee. |
The admission process into IGNOU MBA program is a 2 step process as mentioned below-
STEP-1:
- In order to enroll into an MBA program by IGNOU, candidates are first requested to download the application form for the OPENMAT entrance test (applications for various management programs at IGNOU are accepted only after attempting this examination).
- This form needs to be printed, filled up offline using a black ball-point pen, and couriered to the address mentioned below:
Registrar
Student Evaluation Division
IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi – 110068
Alternately, the application form can be procured offline after a payment of Rs. 1000 at IGNOU Headquarters or any of its regional or study centers, or by placing a request for delivery via post (after paying Rs. 1050). In this case, no amount is required to be attached when delivering the form via post.
STEP-2:
- The students have to attend the OPENMAT examination and must obtain the minimum score required in order to finally apply for MBA admissions into IGNOU.
- Successful qualifiers must then fill up Form-2, which is obtained after securing the “STUDENT HANDBOOK & PROSPECTUS OF MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME” either through an offline purchase or by downloading it from the official website.
- Post completion of the form, a demand draft of Rs. 1500 in favor of IGNOU needs to be packaged with the form and sent to the corresponding regional centre within the given deadline.
Documents required for IGNOU application process
Other documents that also need to be attached with Form-2 are:
- Attested photocopies of educational certificates
- OPENMAT Hall Ticket (Original)
- OPENMAT Score Card (Original)
- Category Certificate (For SC/ST/OBC Candidates)
- Experience Certificate (if applicable)
- Filled up Identity Card
The fee for the IGNOU MBA program being applied for must also be paid either through Demand Draft or Challan. After successful verification of all the details in each document, a seat shall be awarded in the applied program.
What is IGNOU OPENMAT?
OPENMAT is a necessary evaluation test that every management aspirant must undertake in order to enroll into various post-graduate-level degrees in IGNOU’s School of Management Studies. It is conducted twice a year as OPENMATXLII and OPENMATXLIII.
The IGNOU MBA syllabus covers four topics: general awareness, English language skills, quantitative aptitude, and reasoning ability. This year’s OPENMAT XLII was held on 20th August, 2017 and OPENMAT XLIII was conducted on 4th February, 2018. After filling the application form for the test (see the previous section), the OPENMAT hall ticket will be available for download from the website and must be carried to the selected test centre (selected while filling Form-1).
OPENMAT is an objective-type test that contains 200 MCQs that need to be answered in a time span of 3 hours. Each correct answer is rewarded with 1 mark. Negative marking is not applicable for the examination.
IGNOU MBA Eligibility Criteria
The IGNOU MBA eligibility criteria that need to be met in order to appear for MBA admissions are as follows:
| Academic Qualification | A Bachelor’s degree (of at least a 3-year period) with no less than 50% marks (for general category). This threshold is brought down to 45% for reserved categories.
Alternately, the candidate may possess a professional degree with at least 50% marks in Engineering/Medicine/Chartered Accountancy (ICAI)/Cost Accountancy (Cost and Works Accountancy) (ICAI/ICWAI)/Company Secretaryship (ICSI)/Law. |
| Entrance Test | Qualified the OPENMAT examination with the required minimum score. |
| Age Bar | There is no age barrier that has to be complied with in order to enroll in an MBA at IGNOU. |
| Foreign Students | Foreign students in India with a valid student visa for the entire duration of the program are also eligible for admissions. |
IGNOU Prospectus
The “STUDENT HANDBOOK & PROSPECTUS OF MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME” is an important document that needs to be purchased (or downloaded) by the applicant prior to the start of admissions. It holds all the relevant information pertaining to each program along with the necessary rules that guide students throughout the application procedure.
Aspirants can buy the prospectus from any convenient regional centre after paying Rs. 1000, or by placing a request for the same from IGNOU Headquarters at a cost of Rs. 1050 (inclusive of postal charges). The document will be sent to the candidate’s address and will come attached with various application forms (including Form-1 and Form-2).
Alternately, it can also be downloaded from the official website of IGNOU. Those seeking admissions into various post-graduate management courses must glance through the entire prospectus, which contains an in-depth breakdown of each program’s fee structure, eligibility criteria, duration, etc.
IGNOU Application Form
Applications for MBA admissions are divided amongst two separate forms: Form-1 (for the OPENMAT examination) and Form-2 (that OPENMAT qualifiers must fill in order to proceed further). As mentioned previously, the forms are already attached with the management prospectus. The completed Form-1 has to be couriered to IGNOU either through Speed Post or Registered Post. If the form was downloaded from the website, a demand draft of Rs. 1050 must also accompany the form.
Form-2 is found only within the prospectus and relevant only to those who have cleared OPENMAT and can further pursue their admissions into IGNOU.
In both forms, the candidate needs to select a convenient regional center as well as study center. The regional center chosen in Form-2 is where this form, course fee, and all important documents will have to be submitted.
Documents needed for IGNOU Admission
No external documents need to be sent along with Form-1. OPENMAT qualifiers, however, need to attach the following documents together with Form-2:
- 10th Marks Card (photocopies)
- 12th Marks Card (photocopies)
- Degree certificate (photocopies)
- OPENMAT scorecard (original)
- OPENMAT Hall ticket (original)
- Category Certificate (for SC/ST/OBC)
- Experience Certificate (if applicable)
- Identity Card (provided near the end of the prospectus and needs to be filled)
The fee for the course that the candidate has applied to also needs to be deposited either by Demand Draft or Challan. The cost for both MBA and MBA (Banking & Finance) is Rs. 31,500, with a minimum and maximum duration of 2.5 years and 8 years, respectively.
After a careful verification of all the necessary details, the student will be admitted into the respective program, soon after which he/she can move on to attend the counseling sessions conducted at the study centre of choice.
Last date for applying
The deadlines for Form-1 submission for the respective OPENMAT 2018 examinations are as mentioned below:
- OPENMAT XLII: 15th July, 2017
- OPENMAT XLIII: 15th December, 2017
The last dates for submitting Form-2 for OPENMAT qualifiers are summarized in the following table:
| Last date of submission of Form-2 for the respective OPENMAT examination | ||
| OPENMAT XLII | January 2018 (First Session of 2018) | 30th November, 2017 |
| OPENMAT XLII | July 2018 (Second Session of 2018) | 31st March, 2018 |
| OPENMAT XLIII | July 2018 (Second Session of 2018) | 31st March, 2018 |
| OPENMAT XLIII | January 2019 (First Session of 2019) | 30th November, 2018 |
