Is the IGNOU Degree Valid? Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a central distance university. It was established in 1985 to provide education to every interested student. IGNOU provides degrees at UG and PG level at an affordable rate. Its degree programs cover subjects of arts, languages, commerce, science, business, social sciences, and vocational education. Question often arises in the minds of students about IGNOU degree validity 2025 academic year.
IGNOU degrees are recognized by every regulatory educational body in India. IGNOU was also the first open university to get A++ grade NAAC. Education authorities like UGC and AICET recognized IGNOU degrees like BA, B.Com, BSc, MA, MBA, etc. These degrees are also valid and accepted by employers around the country. Government exams like UPSC also accepts IGNOU degrees.
UGC’s Statement on IGNOU Degree Validity 2025
University Grant Commission (UGC) is the university regulatory body of India. It decides the validity and jurisdiction of higher education institutions of the country. UGC recognized IGNOU degrees like BEd, BLIS, BSW, MCom, MSW etc. IGNOU is allowed to impart courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
IGNOU degree validity 2025 academic year is further established by the fact that UGC has exempted IGNOU from applications of 2018 UGC regulations. This gives certain autonomy to IGNOU to start and govern its distance education courses. IGNOU admission process 2025 is open till 31st January 2025.
AICTE Remarks on IGNOU Degree Validity
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is the statutory body for technical degrees in India. It assesses if an Indian institution can award a technical degree. It recognizes the technical diploma and certificate awarded by IGNOU through distance education. IGNOU admission for BCA and MCA in distance learning mode are open.
Courses like Certificate in Information Technology (CITOL) are offered at IGNOU. These technical courses are valid and accepted by AICTE. Students who have passed in these courses can apply to higher education in various universities in the 2025 academic year.
Various job opportunities requiring these technical skills in diploma courses like Post Graduate Diploma in Information Security accept IGNOU degrees validity for 2025 academic session. Students with computer based courses like BCA and MCA can be assured that their IGNOU degree will be valid for the academic year 2025.
IGNOU Degree Validity in PhD
All higher education institutions recognized by UGC accept IGNOU degree validity 2025. Major central universities like JNU, DU, Jamia Millia accept UG and PG degrees from IGNOU for their PhD courses. In 2025, graduates will find their IGNOU degree valid for PhD courses. There are many reasons that universities accept IGNOU degree’s validity –
- IGNOU degrees are recognized by UGC.
- IGNOU is accredited by NAAC with “A++” grade.
- Technical diplomas and certificates by IGNOU are allowed by AICTE.
- IGNOU tests students on the same standard as regular universities.
There are no universities that explicitly state that they do not accept IGNOU degrees. Major Universities where IGNOU degree valid for PhD in 2025 are –
- JNU
- Aligarh Muslim University
- DU
- NIRMA University
- Amity University
- Subharti University
Is IGNOU Degree Valid for Private Jobs?
Private companies accept IGNOU graduates in many job profiles. IGNOU degrees validity in sectors like digital marketing, IT help, teaching, consultancy, media journalism, etc is well established. Most of the students pursuing an IGNOU degree are either working or self employed. In this way IGNOU supports job and self employment. This gives extra credibility to IGNOU graduates to handle multiple tasks and pressure. Top IT companies accepting IGNOU MCA degree are –
- INFOSYS
- TCS
- Accenture
- Wipro
Similarly, IGNOU degrees like BA, BSc, MA, MCom , etc are also accepted by companies in different domains. IGNOU degrees are a way for students to work while continuing their studies. This established IGNOU degree holders apart during job interviews.
Today’s job market is skill driven. Every job is adapting to the changing world of AI technology. In this highly competitive and challenging environment employers do not discriminate between regular and distance education graduates. Rather the quality that IGNOU graduates show by handling both studies and job make them highly qualified and favourite during job interviews.
Major Valid IGNOU Degrees 2025
As the admission process has started for IGNOU in 2025, there are many degree that students can apply for. All these degrees are valid and accepted by employers. While students get many options at both postgraduate and graduate level, these are the most famous IGNOU degree in 2025 –
Major IGNOU Degrees 2025 |
|
Undergraduate Courses | |
S.No | Subjects |
1 | BA (General) |
2 | B.Com |
3 | BA Hons. (History) |
4 | BSc (General) |
Postgraduate Courses | |
S.No | Subjects |
1 | MA Pscyhology |
2 | MA English |
3 | MA History |
4 | MCom |
What Govt Exam accept IGNOU Degree Validity?
IGNOU degree is valid for government jobs and government exams in 2025 year and ahead. These degrees are recognized by regulatory bodies like UGC and AICTE. IGNOU has a syllabus which tests students on the same level as other UGC recognized universities. These quality makes IGNOU degree valid for bank exams like IBPS PO, SBI PO, IBPS RRB, RBI Assistant etc.
IGNOU degree is valid for UPSC exam. Most of the IGNOU graduates already carry working experience. Such students show great strength and character by handling pressure of both their higher studies and a job. Such qualities makes IGNOU graduates capable of cracking even the toughest of exams like UPSC. One such example is Srishti Dabas, who secured all India 6th rank in UPSC 2024. She has done her postgraduate in Political Science from IGNOU. She is among many such students who have successfully secured ranks in the UPSC exam. Focusing on their studies and graduating from IGNOU definitely sets students to a bright future.
Is IGNOU Degree Valid Outside India
IGNOU degrees are valid outside of India with many foreign universities accepting it during admissions. This question often arises as the UG degrees in USA and many countries is of 4 year. Thus they have more number of credits than Indian degrees. However, Universities in USA and Europe accepts Indian 3 year degrees as long the number of credits that students have passed are same as degrees from USA and Europe. Many degrees at IGNOU have well over 100 credits which makes them qualified for admission in USA.
Recently the example of the Bengaluru based student Amudhasurabhi Aravindan establishes this fact. She got admission at University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA. Currently she is pursuing Master’s in Human Centered Computing (HCC). Before this she has done her undergraduate in IGNOU BA Psychology. Such IGNOU degrees which have enough credits as required are valid in countries like USA.
Aditionally IGNOU also have international centers for distance education students from outside India. IGNOU degrees are valid in these countries without. Major international IGNOU centres are:
- Gulf Centre of University Education, Kuwait
- Educational Consulting & Guidance Services, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
- Open University of Mauritius, Mauritius
- International Centre for Academics P. Ltd., Nepal
FAQs
Q. Is an IGNOU degree valid for a government job?
A. Positions for government jobs are open to students with distance education degrees from IGNOU.
Q. Is IGNOU degree valid outside India?
A. IGNOU distance and online degree are accepted by universities and employers outside India.
Q. Is IGNOU degree valid for Bank exams?
A. Yes, IGNOU degrees are accepted for bank exams at various PO and Clerk level exams.
Q. Can I apply to foreign universities with an IGNOU degree?
A. Yes, students can apply to foreign universities with an IGNOU degree if their degree has the required credits.