Madras University Halts Admissions to 8 Distance Education Courses

The University of Madras has halted admissions to eight undergraduate and postgraduate distance education courses this year as it awaits an extension of approval from the University Grants Commission's Distance Education Bureau (DEB).

The affected undergraduate courses include fine arts, sociology, French, and geography. At the postgraduate level, admissions have been paused for journalism and communication, Christian studies, and geography.

The university's Institute of Distance Education (IDE) previously offered 16 undergraduate programmes and 22 postgraduate programmes. Although admissions to distance-mode programmes commenced in June, prospective students reported being unable to enrol in several popular courses.

According to IDE Director (in charge) B Devamainthan, eight out of the 38 total programmes were due for an extension of approval for the 2026-27 academic year.

The DEB initially directed the university to rename the IDE as the Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE) to comply with UGC regulations. A subsequent query from the regulatory body sought clarification regarding the appointment of a full-time director to head the distance education institute.

Devamainthan stated that the university has prepared its response to the query and expects to receive the approval extension from the DEB within the coming days.