Top Distance Education Universities in India 2012
Updated On: 19-Oct-2013, 05:47
</body> Top Distance Education Universities in India- Distance education is one of the most popular choices for the students of India who cannot afford or manage to pursue regular classroom education due to several factors. In order to help them choose the correct institutes of distance education, Careers360 has come up with the ranking of the Best Distance Education Universities in India of 2012.
2013 Ranking Released - Find out the Top B-Schools Ranking of India 2013 Being pioneers in ranking Distance Education institutes (view 2011 rankings here) in India, Careers360 aimed to fine-tune parameters along with weightage accorded to each institute to bring you even closer to the true standing of the Top Distance Education Universities in India . Powered by its huge student-base and infrastructure, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) retains its numero uno position among the other Top Distance Education Universities in India , though a major reason for that is its unique status as the only central open university in the country. YCMOU, Nashik; IMT-CDL, Ghaziabad and SMU, Gangtok occupy the next band of the Top Distance Education Universities in India in spite of being very different in character. While YCMOU, the state open university of Maharashtra, is a giant like IGNOU specializing in delivering niche programs for several not-so-far-reached segments, IMT-CDL (a private institution) is largely focused on delivering management programs leveraging on its strong lineage in the field and innovative methods of delivery. Following close on IMT-CDL's heels is SCDL, Pune, another private player known for its MBA-equivalent program, which has diversified significantly in recent times. How Top Distance Education Universities in India fared : METHODOLOGY FOR RANKING THE TOP DISTANCE EDUCATION UNIVERSITIES IN INDIA The institutes in India offering distance education and online courses add to 198, of which we found that there are 28 institutes for which there is no clarity on the recognition status (as of 2012), as we cross-checked with the Distance Education Council (DEC) database. Thus our universe was restricted to 170 that are currently offering distance education programs. Given the nature of operations of the institutes and lack of adequate data with the DEC as also the
information available in the public domain, we shortlisted 50 institutions this year on the basis of student enrolment data (both annual and students on rolls) as well as on the basis of an online survey that got us over 1200 unique responses through Careers360 Facebook page. We then sent letters to these 50 institutions and also visited select institutes and study centres to build a robust database. Based on the institute’s responses, secondary material such as Annual Reports, official website and DEC data, 35 institutes were finally chosen for the ranking purpose. Maki ng use of our proprietary input-process-output ranking mode we arrived at the rankings in three categories (see Table). While the objective data determines ranking, the outcome of the survey-led perception of respondents elucidates the institute’s populari ty and performance as professed by students.
How institutes fared :