List of Distance Learning Courses Banned in India

Open and Distance Learning Mode (ODL), more commonly known as simply Distance Learning or Correspondence, is a popular mode of education in India. You must know that there are many distance learning courses in India offered by popular universities such as Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi University (DU), Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) etc.

However, did you know that there are many distance learning courses that are banned in India?

Yes, there are many courses in India that cannot be offered in the ODL mode. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has stopped distance education universities in India from offering these courses, which means they can only be offered as regular full-time courses.

We have already told you about the banned streams for distance learning courses in India. In this article, we go deeper into the topic and take a look at the list of courses that are banned from distance learning mode in India.

Why are some Distance Learning Courses Banned in India?

Before we take you through the list of distance learning courses in India, let’s first understand why was there a need to ban these courses from the distance learning mode?

The courses that UGC has banned from distance learning come under the tag of ‘professional’ courses in India. These include courses in the streams such as engineering, medicine, pharmacy, architecture etc.

As per the regulations issued by the UGC, the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) of India cannot offer any of the ‘professional’ courses in the ODL or distance learning mode. The reason behind this is that the statutory body wants to ensure that students get only the best quality of education in these courses.

Also, these are courses in which practical education and hands-on exposure are necessary. Since ensuring proper quality and practical exposure for every student is nearly impossible in distance learning mode, UGC decided to prohibit HEIs from offering these courses.

Universities Affected by the UGC Ban on Distance Learning Courses

Many prominent distance education universities in India were affected by this ban. Universities such as IGNOU, Annamalai University, Nalanda Open University, Kuvempu University etc.

While asking HEIs to stop offering ‘professional’ courses in the distance education mode, UGC also asked institutions to ensure that there is no loss to the students already enrolled in any such courses.

List of Distance Learning Courses Banned in India

Now, let’s move on to the list of distance learning courses prohibited in India. We have included the complete list in the table below. Students can check out the stream-wise list of courses banned by UGC in India in the table given below.

These are some professional programmes other than these, which can be offered in the distance learning mode by HEIs. However, institutions have to take special approval from the UGC to do so.

These were the distance learning courses banned by UGC in India. If you find any university offering any of these courses, you can be sure that it is not approved by the UGC. In any such case, you can be a responsible citizen and write to UGC about the course.

You can also contact us on the CollegeDekho QnA Zone for any help related to distance learning courses in India. If you need any help related to admissions, be sure to call our toll-free helpline number 18005729877. Here are some other related articles about distance education in India.