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BAOU: fees, courses and admission
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open UniversityAhmedabad, Gujarat
Fees and rules checked on 21 October 2026
Admission: BAOU’s July 2026 admissions closed on 13 October 2026. The January 2027 session hasn’t been announced yet (checked 21 October 2026).
Overview
BAOU is Gujarat’s state open university, set up by a state Act in 1994, with its headquarters at Chharodi, Ahmedabad. It teaches by distance (ODL) through study centres across Gujarat and also runs ten degree courses online.
- Type
- State open university, Gujarat
- Modes
- Distance (ODL) and online
- Sessions
- January and July
- Study centres
- 300+ across Gujarat, under 8 regional centres
- Entrance test
- None listed for the MBA or other degrees; B.Ed. has one
Courses and fees
MBA
2 years
₹7,500a semester
₹30,000 for four semesters (our sum); Finance, HRM or Marketing
Get fee detailsMCA
2 years
₹12,500a semester
₹50,000 for four semesters (our sum); same fee online
Get fee detailsM.Com
2 years
₹5,000a semester
₹20,000 in total (our sum); online M.Com is ₹5,500 a semester
Get fee detailsMA (English, Hindi, Gujarati, Sociology)
2 years
₹5,000a year
₹10,000 for two years (our sum)
Get fee detailsBBA
3 years
₹4,000a semester
₹24,000 for six semesters (our sum); taught in English
Get fee detailsBCA
3 years
₹7,500a semester
₹45,000 for six semesters (our sum), plus ₹1,000 registration
Get fee detailsB.Com (Hons)
4 years, exit after 3
₹2,500a semester
₹15,000 for three years (our sum); taught in Gujarati
Get fee detailsDistance fees are from BAOU’s Provisional Prospectus 2026 and are the same for men and women. Online fees are from the fee page on the university’s website, which adds ₹1,000 one-time registration and ₹100 exam fee a course. Extra for distance learners: a ₹300 student development fee, a ₹200 degree certificate fee with the final-year fee, ₹250 postage if you want printed books sent home (Gujarat only) and ₹300 GCAS registration (₹150 for reserved categories). Totals are our sums.
Admission
- July 2026 session
Closed to new students on 13 October 2026; re-registration for continuing students closed on 20 October.
- January 2027 session
Not announced yet (checked 21 October 2026). BAOU’s sessions run January to June and July to December.
How to apply
GCAS: the university’s website · BAOU portal: the university’s website · Online courses use a separate form on the same portal · No hard copy of the form is needed.
Eligibility
-
MBA
A three-year bachelor’s degree with 50% marks (45% for SC, ST and OBC), or CA, ICWA or CS, or a master’s degree in any subject.
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MCA
BCA, B.Sc. (CS or IT) or B.E./B.Tech. in CSE or IT, or any degree with 50% marks (45% reserved), preferably with maths. Without maths you take a bridge course.
-
BA, B.Com, BBA
A Class 12 pass. The BA also accepts a three-year diploma after Class 10, PTC, or an ITI course of two years or more after Class 10.
-
MA, M.Com
A bachelor’s degree or a professional degree for the MA. The M.Com needs a B.Com, BBA, CA, ICWA or CS.
Exams and study
Term-end exams are held twice a year, starting in January and July, normally at your study centre or the nearest exam centre. BAOU’s list has 63 exam centres across Gujarat.
E-material for every course is free on the university’s website. Printed books can be posted to you for ₹250 for a UG or PG course. Assignments count for 30% and the exam for 70%.
More than 300 study centres in colleges across Gujarat, under regional centres at Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhuj, Patan, Palanpur, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Godhra. Counselling sessions are held at the centres.
UGC recognition. UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 lists recognise BAOU for 41 distance (ODL) programmes, 31 of them under its Category-I entitlement, and entitle it to run 10 programmes online. The BA, B.Com, MBA, MCA and four MA subjects on the recognised list are valid up to January 2028.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an entrance test for the BAOU MBA?
None is listed. You need a three-year degree with 50% marks (45% for SC, ST and OBC), or CA, ICWA or CS, or a master’s degree. B.Ed. is the course with an entrance test.
How much is the BAOU MBA?
₹7,500 a semester, so ₹30,000 for the two-year course (our sum). GCAS registration (₹300) and a ₹200 degree certificate fee are extra. The MBA is taught in English, by distance only.
Can I study at BAOU online?
Yes, for ten courses: BA English, B.Com, BCA, MA English, Gujarati and Sociology, MA Journalism, M.Com, MLIS and MCA. UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 list entitles BAOU to run these online.
When is the next BAOU admission?
July 2026 admissions closed on 13 October 2026. BAOU also admits in January, but the January 2027 session hasn’t been announced (checked 21 October 2026).
Is BAOU accredited?
Yes. NAAC gave BAOU an A++ grade (CGPA 3.55) in July 2022, valid up to 25 July 2027. It is recognised by UGC-DEB and has 12(B) status from UGC.
If BAOU isn’t the right fit
BAOU’s BA and B.Com are taught in Gujarati. IGNOU offers distance and online courses with admission twice a year, and UGC-entitled private online MBAs start at ₹67,000 in total (Mangalayatan University, fee checked 17 October 2026).
Sources
- BAOU Provisional Prospectus 2026 (the university’s website), pp. 6–7, 9–12, 19, 31, 41, 45, 52–54, 61, 63, 70, 89, read 21 Oct 2026.
- BAOU Admission Advt. July 2026; Apply Online page (last date 13/10/2026); admission portal ‘Admission Closed’ page, read 21 Oct 2026.
- BAOU online fee structure (the university’s website) and BCA page, read 21 Oct 2026.
- BAOU About, Regional Centers, Exam Centres and announcements pages (the university’s website), read 21 Oct 2026.
- UGC-DEB 2026-27 lists: ODL recognised S.No. 20, p. 21; Category-I ODL S.No. 4, pp. 4–6; online entitled S.No. 18, p. 7.
- NAAC certificate (26 July 2022) and grade sheet (the university’s website), read 21 Oct 2026.