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Annamalai DDE: fees, courses and admission
Annamalai University, Centre for Distance and Online EducationAnnamalainagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
Fees and rules checked on 21 October 2026
January 2027 admission: Annamalai’s distance centre hasn’t announced a January 2027 intake yet (checked 21 October 2026). UGC-DEB’s last date for the 2026-27 (August 2026) session was 13 October 2026, and the online application page is now offline.
Overview
Annamalai University is a Tamil Nadu state university at Annamalainagar, near Chidambaram, set up in 1929. Its Centre for Distance and Online Education, started in 1979 as a correspondence centre, teaches by distance with printed study material, PDF lessons and contact classes at Annamalainagar.
- Type
- State university, Tamil Nadu
- Modes
- Distance (ODL) only
- Sessions
- July and January
- Study centres
- 8 learner support centres in Cuddalore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi and Mayiladuthurai districts
- Entrance test
- None named for the MBA, MA or M.Sc
Courses and fees
MA Tamil, English, History, Economics, Political Science, Sociology
2 years
₹4,500first year
₹4,000 in year 2
Get fee detailsM.Sc Computer Science
2 years
₹14,000a year
Compulsory contact classes at Annamalainagar
Get fee detailsBFA Music or Dance
4 years
₹7,000a year
Vocal, Veena, Violin, Mridangam or Bharathanatyam
Get fee detailsYearly fees from the CDOE’s 2026-27 prospectus, paid in two instalments. Each includes tuition, admission, registration, eligibility, postage, special and alumni fees, plus lab fees where charged. The application form costs ₹295 for the MBA and M.Sc Computer Science and ₹118 for other courses. Exam fees are extra and are not printed in the prospectus.
Admission
- 2026-27 admission (July 2026 session)
Ended: UGC-DEB’s last date for the August 2026 session was 13 October 2026. The online application page was offline on 21 October 2026.
- January 2027 session
Not announced yet (checked 21 October 2026). The CDOE runs a January session, and its planner puts those admissions in January and February.
How to apply
Postal address: The Director, Centre for Distance and Online Education, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar 608 002. Original certificates are checked and returned. Cash and demand drafts are not accepted, and fees are not refunded.
Eligibility
-
MBA
A bachelor’s degree of at least three years, as per AICTE norms.
-
MA (most subjects)
Any degree under the 10+2+3, 11+1+3 or 11+2+2 pattern. MA English excludes B.Lit. Tamil; MA Tamil needs Tamil in Part I or Part III.
-
M.Sc Computer Science
A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, or one the university accepts as equivalent.
-
BFA
A pass in Higher Secondary (Class 12) or an equivalent exam.
Exams and study
Semester exams are set for 26 December and 19 May, at centres the university allots. Practicals for some courses are held at Annamalainagar only.
Printed lessons are handed over at admission and posted for later years once that year’s fee is paid. PDF copies can be downloaded from the university’s website.
Held at Annamalainagar and optional for most courses. M.Sc Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Computer Science and Yoga need full attendance; for Physics that is 22 days a semester.
UGC recognition. UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 list recognises Annamalai University for 25 distance (ODL) programmes, including the MBA, six MAs, M.Com Co-operative Management and seven M.Sc programmes, valid up to January 2028. It is not on the 2026-27 list for online programmes.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an entrance test for the Annamalai distance MBA?
The prospectus names none. You need a bachelor’s degree of at least three years, and admission is decided by the CDOE.
How much does the Annamalai distance MBA cost?
₹17,000 in the first year and ₹14,500 in the second, or ₹15,000 if you take the project. That is ₹31,500 or ₹32,000 over two years (our sum), plus exam fees.
Does Annamalai offer a BA or B.Com by distance?
Not in 2026-27. The only bachelor’s degrees on its list are BFA Music and Dance; the rest are master’s degrees, diplomas and certificates.
Do I have to travel to Annamalainagar?
For most MA, M.Com and MBA students, contact classes there are optional. M.Sc Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Computer Science and Yoga students must attend, and some practical exams are held only there.
When is the next admission?
The 2026-27 round has ended (UGC-DEB’s last date for the August 2026 session was 13 October 2026). No January 2027 dates had been announced on 21 October 2026.
If Annamalai DDE isn’t the right fit
Annamalai offers no BA, B.Com or online degree this year; IGNOU has both distance and online options. UGC-entitled private online MBAs start at ₹67,000 in total (Mangalayatan University, fee checked 17 October 2026).
Sources
- Annamalai CDOE Prospectus 2026-27, Degree Programmes, PDF pp. 2, 7-13, 18, 36-43, 62, 67-68, 75 (the university’s website), read 21 Oct 2026.
- CDOE fee structure extract (Fees2627.pdf), printed pp. 15, 18-19, 66-68, read 21 Oct 2026.
- the university’s website pages: Programmes Offered 2026-27, Admissions, About CDOE, Learner Support Centres, home page; admission instructions (Poster.pdf) and academic planner, read 21 Oct 2026.
- Annamalai University, About the University (the university’s website), read 21 Oct 2026.
- UGC-DEB list of HEIs recognised for ODL programmes, 2026-27, S.No 69; UGC-DEB list of HEIs entitled for online programmes, 2026-27; UGC-DEB public notice of 5 Aug 2026 extending the August 2026 last date to 13 Oct 2026.