Best 17 MBA Distance Education Colleges in India 2023 {Updated Ranking}

Almost all the universities that offer a distance MBA in India claim that their MBA degree program is the best and this creates further confusion among the students that which university to choose.

If you’re one of the students who is looking for the best university in India for distance education MBA in 2023, then this article is for you.

In this article, we will mention the top 20 universities in India that you can consider for pursuing your MBA degree program in distance education or online education mode. These universities do offer an MBA or PGDM course to students.

We also time to time publish ranking reports of top MBA universities in India. Even we cover awards & recognition news published across the internet such as DNA Indus-Learning Survey to help you find the Best MBA distance learning course.

An MBA degree is boon for working professionals if it is done from the right institution.

The increasing demand for skilled employees has increased the demand of these courses in India. All popular university in India nowadays offering various distance learning programs & those who are not providing are joining this bandwagon.

MBA distance learning India

When someone thought of doing an Online MBA or Correspondence MBA degree program in India, the first few names that come to our mind are IGNOU, ICFAI, Symbiosis, Annamalai University, and Sikkim Manipal University.

No doubt all of those universities are renowned & best in providing management degree programs but there are many other universities & institutions that also offer world-class management programs through online & study center mode.

Top 17 Universities in India For MBA Distance Education

Indira Gandhi National University (IGNOU)

As we all know, Indira Gandhi National University is world’s largest Open University in terms of the number of students enrolled.

IGNOU was founded in the year 1985 & currently serving more than 35 lakhs students worldwide.

It’s PAN India reach & study centers in abroad makes it the perfect choice for doing a correspondence MBA program.

IGNOU offers 175 academic programs comprising 1100 courses at certificate, diploma and degree levels including diploma, degree & Ph.D. programmes in management.

IGNOU MBA is one of the most popular management degree programmes in India.

There is no age bar to join the distance MBA course offered by IGNOU.

The minimum duration to complete the course is 2.5 years.

You must be a graduate with at least 50% marks (general category) and 45% (reserved category) and 3 years managerial/supervisory/professional experience to be eligible for the course.

Students are also required to clear OPENMAT exam before they can join MBA programme from IGNOU.

ICFAI

ICFAI is a UGC-DEB recognized university offers 2 years distance education Master of Business Administration (MBA) course.

The MBA Program offered by ICFAI University is essentially based on self-study and examinations. Students may also participate in workshops & contact classes which are optional.

The university offers total 16 specializations to choose from. The specializations are: Marketing, HR, Strategic Finance, Finance, Hospital Administration, Risk Management, Operations, International Business, Retail Management, Global Markets, Pharma Management, IT & Systems, Healthcare Management, Innovation Management, Investment Management, and Telecom Management.

The university offers convenient examination schedule to students and takes new admissions 4 times in a year.

You must be a graduate before you can apply for ICFAI Distance MBA programme.

Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL)

Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning is one of the popular institutions in India that offer distance learning courses.

SCDL offers postgraduate diploma, diploma & certificate courses in management under the distance learning mode.

SCDL has won many awards and it is continuously ranking among the top 5 institutions in India for distance learning management courses.

The 2 year PGDBA course offered by SCDL is the most popular course offered by the institution.

There are total six specializations available i.e Marketing, HR, Operations, Finance, Customer Relationship Management and Management Accounting. You can choose any one of them as per your interest. Dual specialization is also available for students at an additional fee.

You should be a graduate from a recognized university to be eligible for this course.

Students also get the placement assistance after completing their course.

Since SCDL is not a university, it doesn’t offer a degree course.

Institute of Management & Technology Centre for Distance Learning (IMT-CDL)

Institute of Management & Technology (IMT) is among the top business schools in India.

The institute is located in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. IMT offers its distance education programmes in the field of management and information technology under IMT-CDL.

The institute has been ranked No.1 by various magazines & news channels including DNA, Outlook, Competition Success Review, Zee News, Hindustan Times and others.

The distance learning courses offered by IMT-CDL are recognised by UGB-DEB.

IMT-CDL offers 2-year PGDM (MBA) in the field of management with specializations that are Finance, Operations, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and Information Systems.

Sikkim Manipal University (SMU-DE)

SMU-DE is ISO 9001: 2000 certified university that offers distance education programmes in many disciplines including management.

All programmes offered by Sikkim Manipal University Distance Education are recognized UGC-DEB .

SMU-DE offers education through EduNxt, which is an award-winning learning delivery system. It also offers a scholarship to 1500 meritorious students every year.

The distance education MBA programme offered by SMU-DE is a 2 year degree course which is further divided into 4 semesters.

The MBA course comes with 4 specializations to choose from i.e Marketing Management, Human Resource Management, Information Systems Management, and Finance Management.

You must be a graduate from a recognized university to be eligible for this course. Students are also required to clear an entrance test before they can join the distance MBA course offered by Sikkim Manipal University.

Annamalai University

Annamalai University is more than 80 years old university based in Tamil Nadu, India.

It is known for its diversified portfolio of programs under distance learning mode. There are total 500 courses that Annamalai University offers under the distance education mode.

Annamalai University offers 2 years MBA Degree programme, which is a popular distance education MBA course in India.

Annamalai University offers total 6 MBA courses that include 1 general MBA and 5 specialized MBA courses.

The name of Annamalai University distance MBA courses are : General MBA, MBA E-Business, MBA Financial Management, MBA Human Resource Management, MBA Marketing Management, and MBA International Business,

All the courses are approved by UGC-DEB.

Any graduate can apply for these courses. There is no admission test required for getting admission into these courses.

Welingkar Institute of Management (WESchool)

Prin. L.N .Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research (WeSchool) one of the leading Business schools in Asia, with impeccable accreditation and recognition from various national and international organizations.

From last few years, the institute is promoting its distance education to reach people who cannot take up the regular courses e.g working professionals, house wives, students living in remote areas of the country.

Welingkar offers a two year PG diploma program in distance learning mode.

Any graduate can apply for the course and there is no entrance test required to join the course.

You can choose from the 18 specializations that Welingkar offer, the specializations are : Marketing, Operations, Finance, HR, Retail, Business Administration, Healthcare Management, E-Business, Banking, Investment & Insurance, International Business, Supply Chain Management, Hospitality Management, Media and Advertising Services Excellence, Rural and Agribusiness, Travel and Tourism, IT, Projects Management, and E-Commerce.

Amity University

Amity University is one of the largest universities in the north India located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

The university offers an array of online courses under the distance education mode.

Currently, Amity University is offering postgraduate, bachelor & diploma courses in management including the distance education MBA.

The 2-year MBA course offered by Amity University is one of the popular distance learning courses in India.

If you have completed your graduation with minimum 40% marks, you can join this course.

Amity offers 11 specializations with their distance MBA.

The specializations are: Marketing & Sales, Operations Management, Finance & Accounting, Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship & Leadership, International Business, Hospitality Management, Information Technology, Petroleum & Natural Gas Management, Insurance Management, and Retail Management.

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies

NMIMS, a premier institute in India located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. NMIMS offers a distance PGDM course.

The distance education courses offered by NMIMS are approved by UGC-DEB.

At the time of writing this article, NMIMS is offering total seven 2-year post graduate diploma courses, which are almost similar to a 2-year MBA course.

The names of the courses are:
  • Post graduate diploma in business management
  • Post graduate diploma in human resource management
  • Post graduate diploma in marketing management
  • Post graduate diploma in financial management
  • Post graduate diploma in international trade management
  • Post graduate diploma in supply chain management
  • Post graduate diploma in banking and finance management

Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from any recognized University with minimum 50% marks at Graduation Level is required to be eligible for this course.

The total fee for the course is INR 41,500/- per year.

Lovely Professional University

LPU is a leading private university located in Punjab. The LPU distance learning MBA course is a popular course offered by the university

It is a 2-year degree programme that can be completed in maximum 5 years of duration.

Graduation in any discipline or equivalent is required to be eligible for admission in LPU’s distance MBA course.

The total fee of the course is INR 24800 per year.

University of Madras

The University of Madras is another top university in India offers various under graduate & post graduate programs in various disciplines including MBA under the distance education system.

It offers Executive MBA, General MBA & integrated MBA under its correspondence learning medium.


There are total 14 specializations are available to choose from.
  • Financial Management
  • Marketing Management
  • Operations Management
  • Educational Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • International Business Management
  • Systems Management
  • Information Security Management
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • Shipping and Port Management
  • Apparel Management
  • Export-Import Management
  • Travel and Tourism Management
  • Hospital Management

Suresh Gyan Vihar University

Suresh Gyan Vihar University is a private university located in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

In the year 2012, Suresh Gyan Vihar University started offering the distance education courses. Currently, SGVU-DE is offering MBA, MCA, BBA, BCA, and PGDCA courses under the distance education mode.

The distance education courses offered by SGVU-DE are approved from UGC-DEB.

The distance education MBA course offered by SGVU-DE offers more than 20 specializations.
  • Finance Management
  • Banking Management
  • Investment Banking & wealth Management
  • Marketing Management
  • Branding & Advertising
  • Digital Marketing
  • International Marketing
  • Operation & Production Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Financial Planning & Analysis
  • Foreign Trade & Global Business Management
  • Risk Management
  • Information Technology Management
  • Hospital Management
  • Media & Entertainment Management
  • Business Analytics & Intelligence
  • Strategic Management
  • Project Leadership Management
  • E-commerce Marketing & Management
  • Mass Communication
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Business Leadership
The total fee of the MBA programme is INR 62400.

You must be a graduate with minimum 50% marks to be eligible for the MBA programme.

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University is another university in India that offers various diploma, bachelor & postgraduate programme in management.

You can collect Information Brochure (including Admission Form) from academic annexes located in our Institutions in Pune, New Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Kolhapur, Karad, Sangli and Solapur.

Indian Institute of Finance

IIF-DLP's are primarily designed for senior executives and executives with no formal background in Finance. The sessions for the DLP's begin twice in a year (on 1st May and 1st November). The programmes follow a Bi-Semester system to meet the needs and requirements of senior executives. 

Currently, the institute offering a One Year Post Graduate Distance Learning Program called Basic Business Finance (BBF) & a Two Year Post Graduate Distance Learning Program called 
Management of Business Finance (MBF).

Osmania University

Osmania University is A ***** accredited university by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council based at Hyderabad. Osmania University offers a MBA course with 3 years duration. A candidate should qualify Integrated Common Entrance Test to take admission into this programme. The fee for MBA programme offered by the university is Rs.12000/Year.

XLRI

XLRI Jamshedpur also offers 12 months MBA course with a partnership of Hughes NET Global & Reliance World. The program is specially designed for working professionals with minimum 2 years of working experience after graduation. Currently, XLRI offering 5 different program through satellite learning.

Indian institute of Management (IIM)

The most prestigious management institution of India IIM e.g IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Indore also offers a MBA programs in collaboration with NIIT Imperia & Hughes Global Education. Read our post to know more about how to take admission into IIM.

Apart from the universities & institutions mentioned above many other top universities like Jamia Hamdard, Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Dr. B R Ambedkar Open University (DBROU) & Teerthanker Mahaveer University also offer a MBA Distance Learning courses in India.

You can also check the rankings of Top 10 Distance MBA in India on distanceeducation360.com.