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HPU ICDEOL: fees, courses and admission
Himachal Pradesh University, Centre for Distance and Online EducationShimla, Himachal Pradesh
Fees and rules checked on 23 October 2026
Admission: The August 2026 session closed; its last date was 20 August 2026. No January 2027 admission has been announced (checked 23 October 2026).
Overview
Himachal Pradesh University, set up in 1970 by an Act of the state legislature, is a state university at Summer Hill, Shimla. Its Centre for Distance and Online Education, long known as ICDEOL, grew out of a Directorate of Correspondence Courses started soon after 1970 and teaches through self-learning material, personal contact programmes and assignments.
- Type
- State university, Himachal Pradesh
- Modes
- Distance (ODL) only
- Sessions
- August session (2026-27 forms from 27 July to 20 August 2026); the CDOE also ran a January 2026 batch
- Study centres
- Five learning support centres: Rampur Bushahr, Hamirpur, Nahan, Dharamshala and Mandi. PCPs and exams are held only in Himachal Pradesh
- Entrance test
- None; MBA seats (300) are filled on merit in the qualifying degree, with counselling
Courses and fees
MBA
2 years
₹18,800semester I
₹18,800 for semesters I and III, ₹18,300 for II and IV; ₹74,200 in all by our sum
Get fee detailsM.Com
2 years
₹5,180semester I
Same for semester III; the even-semester fee is not clearly printed in the fee table
Get fee detailsMA (English, Hindi, Sanskrit, History, Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology)
2 years
₹4,790semester I
₹4,790 for semesters I and III, ₹4,290 for II and IV; ₹18,160 in all by our sum
Get fee detailsMA Journalism and Mass Communication
2 years
₹7,900semester I
₹7,400 for semesters II and IV; ₹30,600 in all by our sum
Get fee detailsMA Music
2 years
₹15,800semester I
₹15,300 for semesters II and IV; ten-day contact programmes are compulsory
Get fee detailsBA
3 years
₹6,740first year
₹5,340 for the second and third years; ₹17,420 in all by our sum
Get fee detailsB.Com
3 years
₹7,520first year
₹6,120 for the second and third years; ₹19,760 in all by our sum
Get fee detailsDiploma in Computer Applications
1 year
₹10,600semester I
₹10,100 for semester II; ₹20,700 in all by our sum
Get fee detailsFees are the ‘other students’ amounts in the CDOE’s fee table for 2026-27 (beginning August 2026); IRDP-BPL students pay ₹250 less. They cover admission, tuition and PCP fees; the exam and HPU registration fees are charged separately by the Controller of Examinations. The online form costs ₹500 (₹700 for MBA). Himachali SC/ST and women students pay only ₹800 PCP and ₹800 study material fees a semester for the BA.
Admission
- August 2026 session
Closed. Registration ran from 27 July to 20 August 2026, with MBA counselling on 24 August and 9 September.
- January 2027 session
Not announced yet (checked 23 October 2026). The CDOE ran a January 2026 batch with its own prospectus.
How to apply
Portal: the university’s website, linked from the CDOE page on the university’s website. Graduates of distance courses from outside Himachal Pradesh need a territorial jurisdiction certificate. CDOE helpline: 0177-2833419, 0177-2833444, 0177-2832239; the university’s email.
Eligibility
-
MBA
Any bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST). No entrance test: the 300 seats are filled on merit, and candidates with a compartment or reappear are not eligible.
-
M.Com
B.Com, BBA or BA with Commerce, or a BA, B.Sc, MA or M.Sc with Economics, Statistics or Mathematics as an elective.
-
MA
A bachelor’s degree such as a BA, B.Sc, B.Com, BBA, BCA or B.Tech; for distance admission you need not have studied the MA subject at degree level.
-
BA, B.Com
BA: 12th pass in any stream. B.Com: 10+2 with Maths or Economics as a compulsory subject.
Exams and study
The university holds end-semester exams in November/December and May/June for PG courses, and October/November and April/May for BA and B.Com, at colleges across the state. You fill the exam form on the university’s website and download your admit card.
Teaching is mainly through self-learning material, in English for PG courses except Hindi and Sanskrit, and in English or Hindi for UG. Contact programmes last seven days a semester for most courses.
Assignments are compulsory and due within 10 days after the contact programme. Admit cards are issued only after assignments are in and internal assessment is uploaded.
UGC recognition. UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 ODL list recognises 16 HPU programmes: the BA, B.Com, M.Com and 11 MA programmes up to January-February 2030, the MBA only up to January 2027, and the B.Ed for the session beginning August 2026. HPU has no programmes on the online list.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the HPU ICDEOL MBA?
₹18,800 for semesters I and III and ₹18,300 for semesters II and IV in 2026-27, or ₹74,200 in all by our sum. The exam fee is charged separately.
Is there an entrance test for the MBA?
No. The 300 seats are filled on merit in your bachelor’s degree, which needs at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST), followed by counselling.
Can I study from outside Himachal Pradesh?
Admission is open to anyone in India, but contact programmes and exams are held only within Himachal Pradesh, so you would travel there for them.
Can I join in January 2027?
No January 2027 admission has been announced (checked 23 October 2026), though the CDOE ran a January 2026 batch. UGC-DEB recognises the MBA only up to January 2027.
What is HPU’s NAAC grade?
Grade A in the fourth cycle (assessed November 2022), according to the university’s IQAC page, which gives no validity date.
If HPU ICDEOL isn’t the right fit
The Central University of Himachal Pradesh in Dharamshala offers online programmes, including an MBA, and IGNOU admits in January and July. UGC-entitled private online MBAs start at ₹67,000 in total (Mangalayatan University, fee checked 17 October 2026).
Other universities in Himachal PradeshPrivate online universities
Sources
- CDOE pages on the university’s website: home page and news, prospectus, fee structure and admission notice pages, read 23 Oct 2026.
- CDOE Handbook of Information 2026-27 (session beginning August 2026): programmes, fee table, eligibility, admission steps, PCPs, learning support centres and exams.
- HPU admission portal the university’s website: list of courses open for admission, read 23 Oct 2026.
- HPU IQAC accreditation page: NAAC cycle 4, assessed 2 November 2022, grade A.
- UGC-DEB list for 2026-27, session August 2026: HEIs recognised for ODL (S.No 26).