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NOU: fees, courses and admission
Nalanda Open UniversityNalanda, Bihar
Fees and rules checked on 21 October 2026
Admission: NOU’s 2026 admissions opened on 10 July and closed on 8 October 2026 after extensions. The next round has not been announced (checked 21 October 2026).
Overview
NOU is Bihar’s state open university, set up in 1987 and run under the Nalanda Open University Act, 1995, with its headquarters at Bargaon, Nalanda. It teaches only by distance (ODL), with printed study material, assignments and counselling at study centres in Bihar.
- Type
- State open university, Bihar
- Modes
- Distance (ODL) only
- Sessions
- 2026 admissions ran 10 July to 8 October
- Study centres
- 270, all in Bihar
- Entrance test
- MCA only (written test and interview)
Courses and fees
MCA
2 years
₹20,000a year
₹15,000 for women; 140 seats, entrance test and interview
Get fee detailsMA (Hindi, History, Economics, Political Science and 9 others)
2 years
₹7,200a year
₹5,400 for women; 13 subjects in 2026
Get fee detailsM.Sc. (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and 6 others)
2 years
₹7,200a year
₹5,400 for women; needs a degree in the subject
Get fee detailsBA (Hons)
4 years
₹2,250a semester
₹1,690 for women; Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Sociology, Hindi, Home Science
Get fee detailsB.Sc. (Hons)
4 years
₹2,250a semester
₹1,690 for women; Botany, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Zoology, Home Science
Get fee detailsFees from NOU’s 2026 fee table and admission notice. PG, BCA and BLIS fees are per year. The fee table gives the four-year BA and B.Sc. fee as ₹2,250 a semester, while the admission notice prints the same ₹2,250 under a per-year heading. Women pay 25% less on every course. Exam fees are extra (₹200 a paper for the UG Semester-II exam), and registration and admission fees are not refunded.
Admission
- 2026 admissions
Opened on 10 July 2026 and closed on 8 October 2026, after extensions from 10 August and 21 September.
- Next session
Not announced yet (checked 21 October 2026). On 15 September 2026 NOU applied to UGC-DEB to start new programmes, including a B.Com (Hons), in the January-February 2027 session.
How to apply
Portal: the university’s website · Bank drafts and SBI Collect are not accepted · Admission is confirmed by email after the documents are checked, with no visit to Nalanda needed · Help desk: the university’s email
Eligibility
-
MCA
BCA, a computer science degree or B.Tech, or a BA, B.Sc. or B.Com with Mathematics in Class 12 or the degree. Admission by entrance test and interview.
-
MA, M.Com
MA: a degree in any subject. M.Com: a commerce degree. M.Sc. needs a degree in the related science.
-
BA, B.Sc.
Class 12 (Intermediate) pass; the B.Sc. needs Intermediate in Science.
-
BCA
Class 12 with Mathematics, or an Intermediate in Arts with a certificate in computing (CIC or CIT).
Exams and study
Your admit card names the centre. In 2026 exams were held at NOU’s own building in Nalanda, Mahabodhi College in Nalanda and B. N. College in Patna.
Printed self-learning material is collected from NOU’s distribution centre or sent by post, as you choose on the form. Assignments count 20 marks and the written exam 80.
NOU’s 2025-26 quality report counts 270 study centres in Bihar. Some counselling classes run online on Microsoft Teams.
UGC recognition. UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 list recognises NOU for 42 distance (ODL) programmes, including the MCA, BCA, M.Com, most MA and M.Sc. subjects and the four-year BA and B.Sc. (Hons), in blocks valid up to January-February 2029, July-August 2029, January-February 2030, July-August 2030 and January-February 2031. NOU is not on UGC-DEB’s online lists.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an entrance test for NOU?
Only for the MCA, which has 140 seats and admits by a written test and an interview. The 2026 test was held on 25 and 26 September in Patna. NOU lists no entrance test for its other courses.
How much does an NOU MA or M.Com cost?
₹7,200 a year, or ₹5,400 for women. That is ₹14,400 for two years if the fee stays the same (our sum). Exam fees are extra.
Does NOU offer an MBA?
No. Neither NOU’s 2026 fee table nor UGC-DEB’s 2026-27 list has an MBA. NOU offers one-year PG diplomas in Marketing and Financial Management (₹6,800) and Human Resource Management (₹9,200).
Can I still join NOU for 2026?
No. Admissions closed on 8 October 2026. The next round has not been announced (checked 21 October 2026).
Where are NOU exams held?
At centres the university picks, named on your admit card. In 2026 these included NOU’s own building and Mahabodhi College in Nalanda and B. N. College in Patna.
If NOU isn’t the right fit
NOU has no MBA and teaches by distance only, within Bihar. IGNOU teaches by distance and online across India, and UGC-entitled private online MBAs start at ₹67,000 in total (Mangalayatan University, fee checked 17 October 2026).
Sources
- NOU Eligibility Criteria and Fee Structure for Admission 2026, Samarth admission portal (the university’s website), read 21 Oct 2026.
- NOU admission notice 2026 and admission advertisement (last date 21.09.2026), read 21 Oct 2026.
- the university’s website home page admission box (last date extended to 08.10.2026) and Samarth portal registration status, read 21 Oct 2026.
- NOU General Instructions for Admission 2026 and MCA entrance test regulations and test notice 2026, read 21 Oct 2026.
- NOU About, Examination and Students Corner pages; 2026 exam programmes and exam form notice (24.09.2026), read 21 Oct 2026.
- NOU CIQA Annual Report 2025-26 and UGC-DEB application for the January-February 2027 session (NAAC grade C, 1.86), read 21 Oct 2026.
- UGC-DEB list of HEIs recognised for ODL programmes, 2026-27, August 2026 session (S.No 12).