India’s number one open university (as per NIRF Rankings 2024) has seen an increase in overall registration from 6.73 lakh in 2018-19 to 7.53 lakh this year. In these six years, the varsity has added many programmes at all levels – certificate, diploma, Bachelor, Master and PhD. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is particularly popular for its UG programmes, however, the numbers suggest a drop in popularity. About 3.64 lakh students enrolled for admission in 2018-19, this year it saw a minor decline (3.52 lakh). *Admission in PhD is done in July cycle only. Data for July 2024 is awaited. (Graphic by Abhishek Mitra) Especially, during the pandemic (2020-2022), registration had dipped in the UG courses. “Owing to its very limited dependence on classroom teaching, IGNOU managed to sail through the pandemic with little disruption. All the academic counselling was held online, so the students were not deprived. They submitted their assignments online,” said VP Rupam, deputy director, IGNOU.Moreover, the pandemic also disrupted the board exams. Either the results were delayed or everyone was …