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Author :
Shilpa Nigam |
Selection of an Online University is not an easy task. You need to check many consideration points before finalising any university. A university selection is based on many key questions, such as
Which university conducts your objective degree or course?
Is the university authorised to conduct that course?
Is that course or degree valid from that university as per UDC-DEB norms?
Are the university professors and educators skilled or well-versed enough?
Do the course fee, duration, and placement follow the UGC compliances?
Let's check the steps to select the right online university in detail:
An online university must be accredited by UGC - DEB to conduct a course. A UGC accreditation ensures the educational institute’s quality. A well-accredited university opens a door to quality education and better employment. For a technical university, it must be affiliated with the All India Council for Technical Education AICTE.
To check the authenticity of the course, you need to check the institute's reputation and faculty and evaluate that with students' feedback and curriculum. Also, verify that the specified course aligns with the industry standards.
At this stage, you must think thoroughly about your ultimate educational and career goals that you are about to achieve after completing the course. You must brainstorm on these specific points:
What is your current educational area, and what do you want to improve or change for the next 5 years?
Identify yourself for a long-term career, your interests and plan accordingly.
What are the SMART objectives for a specific career goal? For ex. Whether it's required Maths with a good percentage or good linguistic skills?
Assess the gap between the current skill sets and the next milestone to achieve.
Improve skills in the weak area within a timeframe.
It includes the curriculum review, the offered specialisation, and the faculty qualifications. The details are:
An elaborate review of the offered curriculum
Choose the subject specialisation wisely
Take an overview of faculty qualifications
Look carefully at the syllabus and your career objectives meet-ups.
These are the common factors that influence the cost.
Tuition Fee: A fee to enrol on the selected degree.
Cost to set up technology infrastructure: It includes a reliable computer or laptop, a reliable internet connection and other needed resources.
Specific S/W needs, such as MS Office tools, Canva or other professional software.
Cost of digital resources like a printer, webcam, etc
Administrative Fee is mostly taken as the exam enrollment fee or the study material courier fees.
Many online university provides scholarships to financially support the students. These scholarships can be granted based on merit, need, or any special categories, such as career restart-ups, experienced candidates, or students from a specified state.
Merit-Based: Awarded for a high academic score or other academic achievements.
Need-Based: Awarded to students with special needs who can not bear the tuition fees, etc.
Special Categories scholarships awarded to
Career Restarters (Women-specific)
Students from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
Individuals from minority groups
Daily wage workers
Technical and placement assistance is an integral part of an online university's support system.
Technical Support: Support in installing the LMS portal or providing guidance to open software like Google Meet, etc. A supportive team should be there for any technical issues.
Academic Guidance: Ask for a dedicated academic advisor to be appointed to support you throughout the course duration. The advisor helps you with any issues that arise during the course.
Career Services Assistance: Look for a dedicated placement cell. This placement cell provides all the support needed to grab a job. It includes resume building to a mock interview, and then provides placement.
You must look for independent reviews available on educational websites online.
You can use the social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc, to connect with the alumni of that distance university to get the feedback.
By following these steps, you can select an appropriate distance university that can compete with your educational and career goals.
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