IGNOU Admission 2024 January Session: Know the Tentative Dates

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is one of the most prestigious universities in India. With approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC), this university is recognized as a central university in the country. The university is known for providing a diversified range of programs in the distance and online mode which fulfills the needs of a significant amount of candidates. 

IGNOU takes admissions in two sessions, i.e., January and July of every year. Since the admission for the July session has been closed in October, many of you must be waiting for the next cycle to start. As observed from the previous trends of admission start dates, the Jan 2024 admission session of IGNOU is expected to start by the end of December. This article will discuss the tentative start and last dates of IGNOU’s January 2024 Admission Session, courses that you can opt for, their eligibility criteria, fee range, and admission process. 

IGNOU January 2024 Admission Session Tentative Dates

IGNOU has not yet officially announced any dates for its January 2024 session but the expected registration date for the upcoming session will be around 28 December. Some of the important events related to your admission in the Jan Session and their tentative dates are as follows: 

Event	Tentative Dates
IGNOU January 2024 Admission Start Date	December 2023
IGNOU Admission January 2024 Session Last Date	January 31, 2024
IGNOU Re-Registrations January 2024 Session Last Date	January 31, 2024 (only for programs other than certificate & semester-based courses)
IGNOU Entrance Exam 2024	08 January 2024

IGNOU’s Entrance-Free Courses, Eligibility, and Fee Structure

IGNOU is a renowned government-approved university that offers a wide range of courses. It offers numerous UG, PG, Certificate, Diploma, and Professional courses in the distance and online format. The best part about choosing IGNOU is that all of these programs are available at affordable fee packages. Moreover, most programs are offered without any entrance exam. 

The table below covers a few of the most sought-after programs available at IGNOU along with their fee packages, eligibility criteria, and course fees. 

Courses	Eligibility Criteria	Course Fee (Might Vary)
BA (Bachelor of Arts)	10+2 or equivalent	12,000-15,000 INR
BCom (Bachelor of Commerce)	10+2 or equivalent	12,000-13,000 INR
BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)	12th pass or equivalent	30,000 INR
BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications)	10+2 or equivalent	46,000-47,000 INR
BSW (Bachelor of Social Work)	12th pass or equivalent	18,000-19,000 INR
BSc (Bachelor of Science)	10+2 or equivalent	16,000-18,000 INR
BLIS (Bachelor of Library & Information Science)	Bachelor’s degree or equivalent	7,000-10,000 INR
MLIS (Master of Library & Information Science)	BLIS	10,000-12,000 INR
MA (Master of Arts)	Bachelor’s degree or equivalent	13,000-18,000 INR
MSc (Master of Science)	BSc or equivalent	30,000-32,000 INR
MAJMC (Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication)	BAJMC or equivalent	37,000-40,000 INR
MSW (Master of Social Work)	BSW or similar level degree	36,000-38,000 INR

In addition to the above-mentioned UG and PG courses, a variety of certificate and diploma courses are also offered at the university. Moreover, apart from the course fee mentioned above in the table, you need to pay the application for your course to register with the university. This non-refundable one-time application fee ranges between 300-800 INR. 

IGNOU’s Entrance-Based Courses, Eligibility, and Fee Structure

Some courses offered by IGNOU are entrance exam-based, and aspirants willing to enroll in them need to appear and clear the respective exam for their course. A brief of such courses and their respective exams are illustrated in the table below: 

Courses	Eligibility Criteria	Entrance Exam
MBA (6 Specializations)	Graduation with 45-50% marks in any discipline	IGNOU OPEN MAT
Post-Basic B.Sc Nursing	In-service Nurses having 10+2 with 3 years of Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) with a minimum of 2 years of experience	IGNOU OPEN NET
M.Ed	B.Ed.(55% marks) with 2 years teaching experience	IGNOU MEd Entrance Test
M.Phil	Master's in the relevant discipline with at least 55% marks from a recognized university	IGNOU MPhil Entrance Test
Ph.D.	Master's Degree or M.Phil. Degree in the related field	IGNOU Ph.D. Entrance Test
B.Ed	Minimum 50% marks either in the Bachelor’s Degree and/or in the Master’s	IGNOU BEd Entrance Test

How to Apply at IGNOU?

Despite being one of the most popular and respected universities in the country, IGNOU aspirants still struggle to enroll in their choice of course. Moreover, the random updates released by the university are really difficult to track which makes the entire learning process a bit complicated. 

In this article, we will try to provide you with a simple and step-wise procedure to apply for any course at the IGNOU website in the Jan 2024 Session.

Step 1: Visit the official IGNOU website and click on the “Register Online” tab then go to “Fresh Admission” for the admission registration form.

Step 2: After clicking on “Fresh Admission,” you will see two options: “login” (if already registered) or “Click Here for New Registration” if you are a fresh applicant. After clicking on New Registration, you will need to fill out the “Student Registration Form” as shown below.

Crosscheck your filled details in the registration form and remember the password for future reference.

Step 3: After registering with the university, you will receive your username on the registered mail and contact number. Keep your Username and Password safe with you for future logins.

Step 4: On successful registration, you can proceed with the Login button to fill out the application form with personal and academic details and the course you want to take admission to. 

Step 5: After filling in the correct details, you need to upload the scanned copies of a few documents in specific sizes. 

• Photograph (less than 100 KB in size)
• Age Proof
• Signature (less than 100 KB in size)
• Experience Certificate (if any) (less than 400 KB in size)
• Educational Qualification (less than 400 KB in size)
• BPL Certificate, if Below the Poverty Line (less than 400 KB in size)
• Category Certificate, if SC/ST/OBC (less than 400 KB in size)

Step 6: Complete your admission process with the fee payment using any of the following options: 

• Credit Card (Master/Visa)
• Net Banking
• Debit Card (Master/Visa/Rupay)
• Challan
• Demand Draft

Note: Take a printout/save the pdf form of the payment confirmation slip for future reference. In the case of the re-registration process, the process of application filling remains the same. 

IGNOU January 2024 Session Admission For International Applicants

Being one of the world’s largest open universities, IGNOU offers admission to international applicants including SAARC, NRI, Non-SAARC, and FSRI candidates. For such candidates, the university has even designed a separate portal in the name of ignouforeigniop.samarth.edu.in. 

Points to Remember by International Applicants Before Applying to IGNOU: 

• You must have a valid VISA at least for the duration of your course.
• You must match the eligibility criteria of the university and possess all the necessary documents for enrollment.
• Follow the fee structure designed for international applicants.
• You must have scored the minimum required marks in the last qualified exam.

How To Check Admission Status at IGNOU?

To check your admission status at IGNOU, you must follow the steps provided below: 

• Visit the IGNOU’s official admission portal at admission.ignou.ac.in.
• Fill in your enrolment number and program code to get the exact details.
• Click on the “Submit” button after entering the given captcha.
• Check the program details you provided at the time of registration on the redirected new page.
• Click on “Know your status” to get your admission status on the screen.
• If your admission status is confirmed, you can contact your regional center for the assignments and counseling sessions.
• In case the status is not confirmed, please reach out to the university’s helpdesk to check for errors in your application form.

What is Re-registration and How is it Done at IGNOU?

Re-registration is the process of registering for the next semester or year of your course at IGNOU. This process applies only to candidates who have already enrolled with the university. In case you have not appeared for the Term-End Exams (TEE) and have not submitted the assignments of last semester/year, you can re-register with the university to successfully pass your year/semester.

The steps provided below will help you complete your re-registration at IGNOU: 

• Visit the official IGNOU website.
• Go to the “Register Online” button and click on the “Re-Registration” tab. 
• Go through all the terms and conditions and click on “Proceed for Re-Registration.”
• Enter the username and password in the login window, fill in the captcha, and click on the “login” tab.
• Click on “Continue” and choose your course (elective/optional) from the mentioned list of programs.
• Save your selections and click on “Next.”
• Tick the “self-declaration” box and move further by clicking on the “Next” button.
• Pay the IGNOU re-registration fees via the digital payment mode.
• On successful submission, you will get a confirmation message from IGNOU on your registered email ID and contact number.’

IGNOU’s Fee Refund Policy

Just like the simple enrollment procedure, the fee refund policy of IGNOU is also quite sorted. After completing the registration process, if under any circumstances, you fail to continue your studies at IGNOU, you can cancel your course enrollment and get your fee refunded. Except for the one-time registration, you can get a 100% fee refund on cancellation of admission within a specified time limit.

The exact amount refunded to you within the specific time frame is briefed here to help you understand the refund policy.

Time of Admission Cancellation	IGNOU’s Refund Policy
Cancellation of admission before the last date of admission	100% Fee Refund (except for Registration fee)
Cancellation of admission within 15 days after the closing of the admission session	The amount will be refunded after deducting 500 INR from the admission fee
Cancellation of admission within 30 days after the closing of the admission session	The amount will be refunded after deducting 1000 INR from the admission fee
Cancellation of admission after 30 days from the last date of admission	No Refund