IGNOU aspirants can apply online for 2018 admissions

New Delhi: IGNOU aspirants without access to the Internet can now apply online through the Common Service Centres spread across the country for the varsity's January 2018 admissions open now.

"The IGNOU has commenced its admission process for the January 2018 session. And for the first time the university has initiated its admission procedure through CSCs spread across the country," Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) said in a statement.

In August, the university had signed an MoU with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) to use its two lakh Common Service Centres (CSC) for facilitating online admissions, examinations and other online services for students who do not have access to the Internet.

"This initiative will help the IGNOU reach its potential students in far-flung and disadvantaged regions besides providing alternative digital support help desk to urban and semi-urban students," it said.

For the January admission, aspirants can apply for 136 programmes through online mode and 11 programmes through offline mode, the statement said, adding that students can also apply for the Bachelor Preparatory Programme through the CSCs. MEITY's CSCs are access points for delivery of social welfare schemes, healthcare, education services to citizens in rural and remote areas of the country to ensure there is social, financial and digital inclusion.