Yes, if UGC-DEB lists the university and the programme for the year you join. UGC’s 2020 regulations treat such a degree as equal to the same degree earned on campus, and a 2015 government notification recognises UGC-approved distance degrees for Central Government posts.
This page explains when a distance or online degree counts for jobs, government posts and further study in India, and how to check a university before you pay anything.
UGC’s Distance Education Bureau (UGC-DEB) publishes lists of the universities recognised to teach by distance (ODL) or online, and the programmes each one may offer, for each academic year. The lists are on deb.ugc.ac.in. The 97 government universities on this site come from the 2026-27 lists.
Under UGC’s 2020 regulations, an undergraduate or postgraduate degree earned by distance or online from a university that UGC has recognised for that programme is treated as equivalent to the same degree earned on campus (UGC (ODL and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020, regulation 22).
IGNOU is a separate case. Its prospectus says UGC has exempted it from these regulations and that its programmes are at par with those approved by UGC-DEB (IGNOU Common Prospectus, July 2026).
A Government of India notification says that degrees awarded by distance (ODL) mode by universities set up by an Act of Parliament or a State Legislature, deemed universities and institutions of national importance are recognised for employment to posts and services under the Central Government, provided UGC has approved them (Ministry of Human Resource Development notification F. No. 6-1/2013-DL, 10 June 2015, Gazette of India, 25 July 2015). The notification covers distance degrees and does not mention online degrees.
Each recruiting body sets its own eligibility, so read the notification for the post you’re applying for.
When you apply for a master’s degree, the same rule applies: a bachelor’s degree such as a BBA, earned by distance or online from a university UGC has recognised for it, is treated as equivalent to the same degree earned on campus (UGC (ODL and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020, regulation 22).
The university you apply to next sets its own marks requirement. IGNOU’s MBA, for example, asks for a bachelor’s degree of at least three years with 50% marks, or 45% for reserved categories.
How a distance or online degree is treated abroad is up to the foreign university, employer or credential evaluation service. If you plan to go abroad, ask them before you enrol.
If this matters to you, ask the university what its degree certificate and mark sheets will say before you apply.
If the university or the programme isn’t on UGC-DEB’s list, don’t apply.
Every university on this site is on UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 lists, apart from IGNOU, which UGC has exempted from them (see above). If you want us to check a particular programme, fill in the form with the course and a counsellor will call you. It’s free.
Tell us your course and budget. A counsellor calls you with the government and private options that suit you. It’s free, and we are not a university.