I joined ICFAI University Distance Learning course last year to pursue M.B.A. The program is for a duration of 2 years. It consists of 20 subjects and 1 integrated case study. The program is divided into 3 stages and 11 groups. In stage 1 you have 3 groups to clear in 9 months. In stage 2 you have 4 groups to clear in 6 months. Finally in stage 3 you have 4 groups to clear in 9 months. The examinations are held every 3 months. All the exams are held on Saturdays or Sundays which is very convenient for working people. You don’t need to take any leaves for answering the exams. The Exams are also conducted very well without much issues. You can register for the exams online and obtain the admit card almost instantly. You don’t need to fill any forms to register for exams. The other real advantage is the web access. You can contact the university in case of problems and also obtain your results online. Also once your answer your exams you can have a look at the suggested answers within 24 hours of the exam. This is really good. The other advantages is the number of test and study centers. You have around 100+ centres available to answer exams or resolve issues. Very rarely does a university have so many centres.
Now let us come to some of the pitfalls. The First issue is that the program is very expensive. I mean it will cost around 50 - 60 K to complete the program in case you don’t fail. I think it’s very difficult to complete the program in 2 years. If anyone can do it he’s a star. Why? The Courseware is really huge and time is less. You need to study really well if you want to clear all your papers. If you take it lightly the chances of clearing are very dull. I have so far cleared 10 subjects in a row in 1 year. But I can tell you it was a real tough task. I was studying almost all the time when I was free. Secondly, clearing 4 papers in a quarter was the most difficult part. I have been able to do that with a good percentage. I anyone wants to join you have to make sure you really work hard. The major problem of the University is the Student Services and the Admin. That’s the major problem. They take a lot of time to resolve issues. Problems happen when either the pages are missing in courseware or the courseware does not arrive. You have to constantly push the university to get the work done. They will tell that they are sending the material but it never arrives. After 3-4 attempts it comes. This is really bad. I had 3 bad instances so far. Overall I think it’s a good program but only for real hard working people. Whoever joins should also remember to tackle the Students Services Department.