NIRF Open Universities Ranking

Open universities in India are perfect for getting flexible and affordable education. These universities make education accessible for students from various socio-economic backgrounds. However, you must find the university that meets all the right parameters. NIRF helps you navigate the universities.

The National Institutional Ranking Framework releases university rankings each year. According to the NIRF 2024 rankings, three open universities showed remarkable progress and career growth possibilities. In this blog, we comprehensively look at the top 3 open universities as per NIRF ranking. Besides that, the blog also covers the meaning of open universities, NIRF ranking, parameters, and other insights.

What is NIRF?

The full form of NIRF is the National Institutional Ranking Framework. This framework evaluates and ranks the higher educational institutions in India. These rankings are developed in different categories, such as management, engineering, university, open university, pharmacy, and more. Every year, NIRF releases these rankings. NIRF ranking is a valuable tool for making an informed college decision.

Parameters Affecting NIRF Ranking

NIRF open university rankings also help online & distance learners to find the best opportunities. NIRF considers five parameters to rank open universities. Each parameter includes 100 marks, making it a total of 500 marks. Here are the five NIRF parameters with their sub-parameters:

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  Teaching, Learning & Resources: Student strength, faculty strength, financial resources, online education, multiple entry/exit, and units/modules.
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  Research & Professional Practice: Publications, quality of publications, footprints of projects and professional practice.
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  Graduation Outcomes: Students graduated from UG, PG, and PhD programmes.
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  Outreach and Inclusivity: Total number of students from rural and urban areas. Percentage of women/SC/ST/OBC/PCS.
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  Perception: Perception among academic peers and employers.

List of Top 3 Open Universities as per the NIRF 2024

Open universities have been providing education for ages. It is beneficial for those living in faraway places or who cannot pursue traditional education due to certain limitations. Here is the list of the best open universities in India as per the NIRF 2024 open university ranking:

Let’s check out the details of each open university one by one:

1. Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi

Established in 1985, IGNOU is UGC-recognised and AICTE-approved. It is India’s most reputed and highly ranked distance education university of India. The university is also ranked 1 by NIRF 2024. Until now, IGNOU has successfully fulfilled the dreams of over 3 million students in India. There are 57 regional centres and 2000 learner support centres that make learning accessible.

This university offers an extensive list of distance/online UG and PG programmes. Despite being an open university, it is known for its academic excellence and industry-relevant courses. The university offers 330+ degree, diploma, certificate, and doctoral programmes. They follow a learner-centric approach, ensuring quality education, skill upgrade, and training. Keeping up with the technological advancements, today IGNOU offers a combination of distance and online programmes.

📝 Highlights of IGNOU:

• Recognised by UGC-DEB
• Approved by AICTE
• Graded A++ by NAAC
• NIRF Ranking 1 (under the open university ranking)

2. Netaji Subhas Open University, West Bengal

NSOU or Netaji Subhas Open University was established in 1997 to impart distance education. This university is dedicated to providing quality distance education. The university focuses on keeping its educational programmes at par with the global industry standards. They aim to make quality education flexible by providing access to different skill-enhancing programmes.

NSOU has enrolled 4.85 lakh learners across various programmes and disciplines. They have a wide range of regional centres, strategically located to benefit the learners. To make learning higher education accessible and affordable, NSOU offers self-learning material in print, online learning material at par with current industry trends, and a wide network of learner support centres.

📝 Highlights of NSOU:

• Recognised by UGC
• Graded A by NAAC
• Approved by AICTE
• NIRF Ranking 2 (under the open university ranking)

3. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Gujarat

BAOU, or the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, was established in 1994 by the Gujarat State Legislature. This is the seventh open university in the country. The university offers 80+ programmes and has hosted over 8,00,000+ learners. To make learning accessible and effective, BAOU has developed more than 300+ study centres.

This university offers a variety of doctoral, PG, UG, diploma, and certificate programmes in an open and distance learning format. Whereas, in the online learning category, they offer UG and PG programmes only. BAOU provides state-of-the-art infrastructure, highly qualified teaching faculty at an affordable cost. Moreover, the university has collaborated with various institutes and organisations for the advancement of knowledge and skills.

📝 Highlights of BAOU:

• Recognised by UGC
• Approved by AICTE
• Graded A++ by NAAC
• NIRF Ranking 3 (under the open university ranking) 

How to Find the Best Open University?

NIRF open university rankings are one of the parameters for making the right decision. While it helps you look out and shortlist the top-quality colleges, it cannot help you make the definitive choice. For this, you must also assess your goals, future interests, budget, and work responsibilities.

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  Understand Your Goals: To find the right university, you must first assess your goals. You must understand the field you are interested in and the kind of career you want to pursue.
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  Do Your Research: Do a deep research into the career and find out the average salary, job growth, required prerequisites (if any), and more.
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  Budget: You must analyse your budget for education. However, open universities offer affordable education with scholarships and financial aid.
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  Evaluate College Options: To critically analyse the university options, you can look at the latest NIRF rankings.
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  Assess their Faculty and Student Support: Analyse the quality of teaching and student support services throughout the programme.
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  Do a Reality Check: Finally, make a choice that helps you build a successful career in the field of your choice.

Conclusion

The NIRF ranking of open universities plays a crucial role in the modern educational world. As more and more people are shifting towards flexible education modes such as online and distance education, the NIRF ranking helps find the top opportunities. This is why we have created a list of NIRF open universities ranking. The list includes three colleges: IGNOU, Netaji Subhas Open University, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University. Furthermore, the blog covers NIRF ranking parameters, college fee range, top distance programmes, and more. While this year there were only three universities in the list, many other open universities have taken inspiration for the coming NIRF rankings.