Top 15 Distance Learning Universities in India for Arts and Humanities

Distance learning is a mode of education in which you study remotely from the location of your choice. It is fast becoming the preferred mode of higher education in India, especially for working professionals, and has already caught the attention of many higher education aspirants in India. 

The students are enrolling in huge number for distance course every year. The demad for distance course is increasing day by day. Over 4 million students are enrolled indistance learning colleges in India. During the the pandemic situation, more and more colleges, both in India and abroad were looking at offering courses through the distance learning mode or the online distance learning mode.

While distance education may seem an invention of the post-internet 21st-century era, many educational institutions have been offering distance learning courses since as far back as the 19th century. However, the viability of distance education increased exponentially in a world focused on connectivity and staying online. It can be argued that only after the advent of the internet were the advantages of distance learning in India, a country with an education sector that is still miles away from achieving its full potential, truly realised.

Distance Education Advantages and Disadvantages

There are two sides to every coin and distance learning is no exception. While it does have its advantages, several downsides have also been noticed in this mode of education. While these may not directly apply to everyone, it is important to keep them in the back of your head when you are debating whether distance learning courses are the best choice for you.

Advantages of Distance Education 

• Convenient: Since there is no set time or place for the classes, the course can be completed at a time that is convenient for you.

• Cost-Effective: Distance learning course fees are generally much lower as compared to their regular counterparts. Plus, most of the study material during these programmes is electronic, which cuts short the price. And there is no transportation cost either.

• Diverse: With location not being a limiting factor as there is no need to physically visit the campus, during enrolment and even examinations in many cases, students have a much wider range of distance learning colleges and course that they can take admission into.

  Plus, the online discussion forums offer scope for healthy discussions with your teachers as well as colleagues.

Disadvantages of Distance Education

• No Classroom Environment: The flip side of not having to visit a class is that you may feel a lack of companionship and healthy competition that can only be felt by being in a room with your friends and colleagues. Some students may also find that they learn and perform better in a face-to-face environment.

• Lack of Companionship: Even though this may not be applicable to everyone, visiting the college and spending time and bonding with your friends is relaxing and can help students cope with the pressures that student life puts them through.

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Once you have decided to take admission into a distance learning course, it's time to talk colleges.

Best Distance Learning Universities in India

As mentioned in the AISHE report, there are 110 Dual-Mode Universities (offering both regular as well as distance learning courses) operational in India. Tamil Nadu, with a total of 16 universities, is the state with the maximum number of distance education universities in India. With such a large number of options on the table, it is easy to get confused.

So, to make things easy for you, these are the best distance learning colleges/universities in India.

Also Read: How to take admission in IITs after 12th in Commerce and Arts

Arts/Humanities Courses Offered by Distance Learning Universities in India

Arts and humanities courses are some of the most popular in India. Bachelor of Arts (BA) courses alone make up for over 25% of the total enrolments in India. The second most popular course, Bachelor of Science (BSc), is not even close and has just over half the enrolment as compared to the admissions into BA colleges in India. And while the total number of enrolments falls sharply in Master of Arts (MA) courses as compared to BA enrolments, it still leads the number of enrolments into postgraduate programmes in India.

To cater to this demand, universities offer a wide range of arts and humanities distance learning courses. Here are some offered at the top colleges for distance education in India.

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

Established in 1985, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) had humble beginnings. It offered two Diploma programmes, one of which was a Diploma in Distance Learning. Now, it is one of the biggest universities around the world with over 3 million Indian and foreign students enrolled in the 200+ programmes offered in its 21 School of Studies. IGNOU also has the largest share in enrolment to distance learning programmes in India.

The Arts and Humanities distance learning courses offered by IGNOU are listed below.

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Sikkim Manipal University Distance Education (SMU-DE)

Sikkim Manipal University Directorate of Distance Education was established in 2001 with the main motive of providing an opportunity for career growth to working professionals. SMU-DE is counted among the top distance learning universities in India and offers UGC-accredited distance learning programmes at the bachelor's as well as the master's level.

The distance learning courses at SMU-DE that are eligible for Arts and Humanities students are as follows.

SMU-DE offers scholarships for distance learning programmes to the candidates who fall under the following categories:

• Physically disabled

• Belonging to Sikkim and North-East Region

• In-service or retired personnel of the Indian Armed Forces

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Yashwantrao C. Maharashtra Open University

Named after the state's first Chief Minister, Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University was established in 1989. It offers degrees, diplomas and certificates via is distance education programmes and is known for keeping a strong focus on maintaining high standards of education in all its courses.

It is also one of the few distance learning universities in India offering Marathi medium courses.

The distance education programmes open to Arts and Humanities students include the following.

Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL)

Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) has been offering a wide range of Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate programmes via the Distance Learning mode since 2001.

Here are the courses available at SCDL for students with an Arts and Humanities background.

Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU)

Set up in 1982, BRAOU was a one-of-its-kind university set up by the Andhra Pradesh government to make higher education accessible to all sections of the society. Here are some of the courses at BRAOU for arts and humanities students.

School of Open Learning, Delhi University (SOL DU)

Established as The School of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education in 1962, SOL DU is one of the oldest establishments offering distance learning courses in India. It offers a number of courses for arts and humanities students, which are given in the table below.

*Refer to the official website for detailed School of Open Learning eligibility criteria.

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Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU)

Its foundation laid on the birth centenary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1997, NSOU started functioning in 1998 with more courses being added over the subsequent years. Some of the distance learning courses eligible for arts and humanities students are:

Karnataka State Open University (KSOU)

KSOU is a reputed open university offering degree, diploma and certificate courses via the distance education mode at affordable prices. It aims to make higher education accessible to all and contribute towards building a strong educational sector in India.

Here are some of the arts and humanities courses offered at KSOU.

*Refer to the prospectus available on the official website for detailed eligibility criteria and additional details.

Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU)

With roots going as far back as 1988, MDU is an establishment that offers the opportunity of higher education to a population that cannot enrol in regular courses due to financial or any other restrictions. The affordable cost of education has made its courses quite popular esp. among the rural and economically weak population of Haryana.

MDU offers the following bachelor's and master's programmes in arts and humanities streams.

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Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU)

Established in 2003, TNOU is a Government Open University offering a large catalogue of bachelor's and master's programmes in various disciplines. Working with the motive of providing education to anyone, anytime and anywhere, TNOU has so far helped over a million students attain higher education.

Listed below are the courses available for arts and humanities students at TNOU.

Annamalai University

Established in 1979, the Directorate of Distance Education at Annamalai University offers over 200 Degree, Diploma and Certificate programmes. It has one of the most comprehensive ranges of distance learning courses in India, including programmes from Engineering, Law, Journalism etc.

Here are some of the popular arts and humanities distance learning courses at the university.

Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU)

MANUU is NAAC A-grade Central University set up with the motive to develop the Urdu language as a medium of vocational teaching and technical education. It is a dual-mode university and offers many regular mode courses as well.

The distance learning courses at MANUU for arts and humanities students are listed in the table below.

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Osmania University

Established in 1977 as the Institute of Correspondence Course, Prof. G. Ram Reddy Centre for Distance Learning at Osmania University aims to democratize education. It offers several bachelor's and master's arts and humanities programmes, which can be found in the table below.

*Additional conditions may apply based upon the electives you choose. Please contact the university for more details.

Madhya Pradesh Bhoj (Open) University

This state open university named after King Bhoj was established in 1991. It aims to make higher education available to as large a section of the society as possible to promote growth and well-being of the community.

The following arts and humanities courses can be taken up at MPBOU.

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That education is an important factor on which the prosperity and growth of a society depend was first recognised in the National Policy of Education 1986. Under this policy, a huge boost was given to distance learning programmes and due to the efforts of state and central governments and due to the unavailability of good higher educational institutions in many parts of India, these programmes have gained significant popularity, especially among the rural and economically-weaker sections of society.

However, as the trend changes and more working professionals start opting for distance learning courses to boost their career, more colleges and courses will be opened for online education in India.

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