IGNOU DECE Admission 2026 Last Date | Documents, Fees & Syllabus

IGNOU DECE Admission: Applications are open for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) course at IGNOU. DECE admission 2026 eligibility is 10+2 or equivalent qualification. Those students who meet this requirement can apply online. DECE candidates have to pay an application fee of INR 300. IGNOU has started the admission process for the DECE courses previously known as NTT for the January academic session. IGNOU EECE Course admission 2026 has been extended till 15 March 2026.

Note: DECE Course was also known as Nursery Teacher Training (NTT) Course.

DECE full form is Diploma in Early Childhood Education programme. IGNOU ECCE course Admission 2026 course fees are INR 3,000. The Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education program is a 1-year distance diploma course. The DECE course prepares students for preschools or daycare centres. They study subjects like Childhood Development, Health, Nutrition and Safety, Curriculum Planning, and Early Learning in Practice.

IGNOU DECE Admission 2026 Updates

• IGNOU has now extended the closing date of admission to the DECE course till 15 March 2026 in the January academic session. Students can register online at @ignou.ac.in.
• IGNOU ECCE/DECE course admission 2026 is open for eligible students, with the last date to apply till 15 March 2026 in the January 2026 academic session. The applicants apply online at the @ignou.ac.in official website. Source
  

IGNOU DECE Admission 2026 Details

• DECE Full Name: Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE)
• Eligibility Criteria: 12th class from a recognised board.
• Program Duration: This course can be completed within 1 year.
• Average Salary: The average starting salary after completing the IGNOU DECE program ranges from INR 2.5 LPA to INR 5 LPA.
• Application Deadline: The last date to apply for the IGNOU DECE course admission has been extended to 15 March 2026 for the January 2026 session.
• Application Fee: The applicants are required to pay an INR 300 application fee to apply for the DECE course admission at IGNOU.
• Course Fees: IGNOU DECE (ECCE) course fee is INR 3,500.
• How to Apply: In online mode through the official IGNOU website @ignouadmission.samarth.edu.in. 
• Career Opportunities: Graduates of this program can pursue careers as Preschool Teachers, Child Care Coordinators, Early Childhood Educators, or work in daycare centeINR 

IGNOU DECE Course Highlights

IGNOU DECE Admission 2026

Admission process for the DECE course at IGNOU has started in the January 2026 academic year. The applicants are invited online through the official website @ignou.ac.in. IGNOU ECCE Course Admission 2026 last date is 15 March 2026. Admission eligibility requires a 12th pass or equivalent qualification. Candidates must submit an application fee of INR 300/- through the official admission portal.

Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education is a one-year IGNOU course. This is a learning programme for learners who are working with students till 6 years of age. Students learn early childhood development and health skills. Subjects like Services and Programmes for Children teach how to foster the curiosity of children and help in learning about the world in a better and more enjoyable way.

IGNOU’s DECE curriculum includes theoretical subjects and project work. For project work, students are required to conduct learning activities in a preschool for 30 days. IGNOU project for DECE submission date will be released near the term end examination (TEE). To aid the learning of DECE students IGNOU also gives periodic assignment work.

Selection Criteria for IGNOU DECE Admission

IGNOU DECE selection criteria are on a first-come, First-served basis for all eligible applicants. No merit list or cutoff marks for admission. Timely submission of a complete application and required documents

IGNOU DECE Admission 2026 Dates

IGNOU DECE Admission Eligibility Criteria

IGNOU ECCE eligibility criteria is a qualification of 12th or intermediate. An equivalent degree like BPP or a diploma of the same level is also accepted for DECE IGNOU admission 2026. Students can complete there 12th from boards like Kerala Board, Jammu Board, Delhi Board, CBSE, ICSE, etc.

IGNOU DECE Course Fees

DECE course fees at IGNOU is INR 3,000/-. IGNOU has set for INR 300/- as DECE application fee 2026. ECCE course also have some additional IGNOU fees like INR 200/- as the University Development Fee. It is paid to IGNOU during the DECE admission process to take care of the online admission systems.

Similarly an extra amount of Rs 200/- per theory subject is to be paid to IGNOU as the DECE exam form fee. This fee is necessary to fill the DECE term end examination.

IGNOU DECE Admission Process 2026

• Step 1: Go to the ODL Diploma admission portal 2026.
• Step 2: Make a new account by clicking “New Registration”.
• Step 3: Log in to the IGNOU admission portal with the new registered account.
• Step 4: Enter the details and start filling the IGNOU DECE application form.
• Step 5: Upload the documents that are required on the admission form. Pay the application fee.
  
• Step 6: Submit the IGNOU DECE admission form online. Keep the acknowledgement page saved in PDF format.

DECE Admission Documents Required

1. Coloured Photograph
2. Mark sheet of 12th class
3. Diploma Certificate (if required)
4. Scanned Signature
5. Category Certificate (if required)
6. Identification Cards like Aadhar and driving license

IGNOU DECE Offline Admission Process

• Step 1: Go to the nearest Regional Centre.
• Step 2: Contact the “Student Service Cell”.
• Step 3: Ask for the DECE IGNOU admission form.
• Step 4: Fill the form offline with all required information.
• Step 5: Attach the photocopies of the required documents.
• Step 6: Pay the application fee of INR 300/-.
• Step 7: Submit the form offline.

How to Check DECE Admission Status

To know the status of your DECE application request candidates can login to Know your Admission portal. Get to the enrollment number dialogue box. Enter the necessary fields of programme code and verification code.

DECE IGNOU Course Details

After IGNOU DECE admission 2026 students can access the DECE syllabus. Primary objective of this course is to provide a better understanding of children’s development from birth to six years of age. It deals with the common health problems that infant and young children face. Students learn how to treat and prevent such problems and cases.

IGNOU teaches how to organize children learning environment and services. Planning of Children nutrition is an important part of IGNOU DECE syllabus. Additionally, students apply all these learning through a project work. DECE project submission is mandatory to pass this IGNOU Diploma course.

To help learn the course correctly, students can opt for IGNOU printed study materials. During the filling of the DECE application form students must select the format in which they want to get the study material. They can choose either the printed or online study materials.

IGNOU DECE 2026 Syllabus

IGNOU DECE E-Gyankosh Learning Materials

Multiple resources like recorded classes and study notes for subjects like Child Health and Nutrition are uploaded on IGNOU E-gyankosh. In house IGNOU teachers take the help of subject matter experts to produce DECE recorded classes for enrolled students. Similarly, Radio Shows of IGNOU Gyanvani can also be found on the E Gyankosh website. These study materials help students complete assignments and prepare for DECE term end examinations. 

Download DECE Study Material PDF

• Step 1: Visit E-gyankosh @egyankosh.ac.in
• Step 2: Use the search bar and enter the subject code of DECE.
• Step 3: List of all subjects will be listed.
• Step 4: Click on the subject code to go the topics.
• Step 5: Select the particular topic needed.
• Step 6: Click and download DECE study material PDF and learning material for offline viewing.

IGNOU DECE Project

Each student of the DECE program at IGNOU must submit the course project. This project belongs to the fourth phase of the DECE course (DECE-4). IGNOU DECE project guidelines state that students must organize learning activities in a pre-school for 30 days. They must work with students up to 6+ years of age. This project comprises face-to-face interaction with preschool children. 

IGNOU DECE Course Assignment 2026

IGNOU gives assignments for DECE diploma courses. These assignments have questions that are selected by IGNOU in-house teacheINR They select the question to keep the assignment engaging and enjoyable. It contains practical based questions that compels students to think out of the box and apply theoretical learning in practical problems.Students can download after IGNOU DECE admission 2026 on the official IGNOU website @ignou.ac.in.

IGNOU opens the DECE assignment submission portal before the term-end examinations. Students who wish to appear in the IGNOU term-end exam (TEE) are required to submit their DECE assignments before the last day by visiting the university’s portal or nearby Regional and Study Center.

Weightage of the IGNOU DECE assignment is 30% in the final report card. DECE exam forms for the term end examinations are also released after the final submission of these assignments.

Download IGNOU DECE Assignment PDF

• Step 1: Visit the IGNOU website @ignou.ac.in.
• Step 2: Visit the “Student Services” menu on the IGNOU homepage taskbar.
• Step 3: Click on the “Download” button given on the web page.
• Step 4: On the listed links, find the link for “Current Assignment Portal“.
• Step 5: Search for DECE subject code on the opened webpage. The search box is present on the upper right corner of the screen.
• Step 6: Download the PDF file for DECE assignments in PDF form.

Submit DECE Assignment Offline

• Step 1: Visit allotted IGNOU Regional Centre (RC) for DECE course.
• Step 2: Visit service cell at the RC and ask for IGNOU representative.
• Step 3: Go to the office of Student Service cell to submit DECE assignment offline. 
• Step 4: Submit to get the acknowledgement receipt.

IGNOU DECE Term End Exam

Indira Gandhi National Open University releases the exam form in the final month of the DECE semester. Students can fill out the IGNOU exam form online on the official website @ignou.ac.in. Only students who have submitted IGNOU assignments before the deadline are eligible to fill the IGNOU exam forms. IGNOU DECE exam date will be released on the official website in the last month of the January 2026 semester.

DECE IGNOU Course: Examination Pattern 

The IGNOU Term-end examinations are conducted twice in a year in June and December. For the examination pattern, students can download previous years’ question papers from the Student Services present on the IGNOU official website. th The questions for the DECE program generally come subjectively. The marks weightage generally stays around 100 marks, and the duration is 3 houINR  Students get a variety of questions that test their subject knowledge and thinking approach. 

DECE Grade Card

After the end of term end examination IGNOU results is released for DECE as grade cards. This way IGNOU keeps the official record of DECE marks obtained by students in the semester end examinations. IGNOU has an online portal for IGNOU DECE grade card. Students can access the grade card using their enrolment number and subject code. PDF download option is also available.

IGNOU Fee Refund Policy

Students can cancel their DECE admission. If the cancellation is made before a student is selected before the final selection is made, students will get 100% fee back. This can be done before 60 days have passed after the DECE last date of admission. While students can get back their fee after 15% of DECE course fee fine. Maximum fine is up to INR 2000/-.

When the 60 days from the last day of DECE admission have passed, those students who have applied for DECE fee refund will get no fee back.

How to get DECE Fee Refund

• Step 1: Open the candidate’s email account. Use the same registered account from which IGNOU DECE application process is completed.
• Step 2: Type the fee refund request in a mail.
• Step 3: Mention the enrollment number, name and course name (DECE).
• Step 4: Send the completed email to canceladms@ignou.ac.in.
  
• Step 5: IGNOU will process the email and start the refund process.

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IGNOU DECE Course FAQs

Q. What is the last date of IGNOU DECE course admission 2026?

Ans. The IGNOU DECE Admission last date is 15 March 2026 (extended) for the January 2026 session.

Q. How to apply for the IGNOU EECE Course admission 2026?

Ans. The applicants can apply online for the EECE course admissions at @ignou.ac.in before the deadline.