Anna University CDE: fees, courses and admission

Overview

Anna University is a state university set up in Chennai on 4 September 1978, and has offered MBA, MCA and M.Sc (Computer Science) courses by distance since 2007. Its Centre for Distance and Online Education teaches the distance courses through printed material and contact classes at five study centres in Chennai and Coimbatore, and runs two online MBAs on its own learning platform.

Type

State university, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Modes

Distance (ODL) and online

Sessions

Academic Year (July-August) and Calendar Year (January-March) batches

Study centres

Five: four in Chennai and one in Coimbatore

Entrance test

DEET or TANCET for the MBA and MCA; OEET for the online MBA; none for the M.Sc (CS)

Courses and fees

Distance fees are from the CDOE’s 2026 instructions to candidates and its semester-fee circular of 8 June 2026. The ₹18,650 first-semester fee (₹19,050 with a degree from outside Tamil Nadu) includes a caution deposit that is refunded later; the amount isn’t stated. Each later semester is ₹12,500, or ₹12,700 with a late fine. Exam fees go to the Controller of Examinations: ₹450 a paper, ₹600 for the project and ₹1,000 in the final semester for certificates. The application fee is ₹767. Differently abled students don’t pay tuition; there are no other concessions. Online MBA fees come from the online centre’s fee page, last updated in October 2021.

Admission

1. Academic Year 2026 batch (distance and online)

   Closed. Registration ran from 17 July to 17 August 2026, the entrance test was on 23 August and counselling call letters went out on 18 September 2026.

2. Calendar Year 2027 batch

   Not announced yet (checked 23 October 2026). The Calendar Year 2026 notice came out on 24 January 2026, with registration until 6 March and the entrance test on 15 March.

How to apply

Online MBA applications go through the university’s website, with the OEET online entrance test. Distance enquiries: 044-2235 7216 / 7221, the university’s email. Online MBA: 044-2235 7210, the university’s email.

Eligibility

• MBA (distance)

  A recognised bachelor’s degree of at least three years after Class 12, and a pass in DEET or TANCET 2026 (MBA). B.E. or B.Tech degrees earned by distance or weekend study aren’t accepted.

• MCA

  BCA or a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering or equivalent, with at least 50% (45% for reserved categories), and a pass in DEET or TANCET 2026 (MCA).

• M.Sc (CS)

  A three-year bachelor’s degree with mathematics or statistics at Class 12 or degree level. No entrance test.

• MBA (online)

  Any three- or four-year bachelor’s degree after Class 12, and a pass in the Online Education Entrance Test (OEET).

Exams and study

Frequently asked questions