VMOU Kota Review & Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus at a Glimpse

Established in 1987, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University (VMOU) is a public university located in Kota, Rajasthan. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Distance Education Bureau (DEB). VMOU has seven regional centres and 108 study centres across the state. The current student intake of more than 1.5 Lakh shows the popularity of VMOU. However, the percentage of students outside the state is limited to only 1.9%. Coming to the VMOU campus, the headquarters are located in a lush green surrounding spread across 75 acres of land. The university has an Administration block, Academics, Examination Hall, Hostel, Guest House, and Science Building, Library building, EMPC Department with its studio. As a part of employee welfare, the University has staff quarters for different levels of employees.

VMOU offers short-term and long-term certificate, diploma, and degree programmes. These programmes cover both conventional and innovative areas. VMOU follows a credit-based system in which each credit amounts to 30 hours of study containing all learning activities. VMOU claims to provide well-printed study materials and conduct online and offline classes as per the annual schedule. According to students’ feedback, the fee structure of VMOU courses is affordable. The fee structure for a UG Diploma starts from Rs 2,000. One can pursue an MBA at INR 29,200 and a B.Ed under INR 30,000. 

VMOU claims to provide scholarships, fellowships, and prizes to deserving students and help disadvantaged groups by establishing study centres in remote areas. However, it lacks in providing education using modern teaching-learning tools and vocational courses, Additionally, there is room for improvement in terms of better placement opportunities.

Let’s review VMOU in detail! 

VMOU Ranking: No Participation! No Ranking! 

VMOU does not have an available ranking for reference. The university has no data to show its participation in the NIRF rankings. 

Our Take

The NIRF guidelines state that Open Universities and Affiliating Universities (whether State or Centre approved/funded) can register for ranking only if they have a teaching or research campus of their own; data pertaining to their function as Open or Affiliating Universities cannot be included in the submitted data. However, despite having a campus, VMOU did not participate in the NIRF registration, making it ineligible to secure a position in the NIRF rank list.

VMOU Academia & Batch Size

VMOU offers a wide range of courses including undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, and certificate courses in diverse disciplines. The university also offers research courses (PhD) in 12 different streams. As per the Self Study Report (SSR) 2023, the curriculum of VMOU follows a credit-based system including the following assessment criteria:

• Theory

• Practical 

• Assignment 

• Project

The medium of education transfer for most of the programmes is Hindi. A few courses are offered in English medium. Students can visit the campus or the nearest regional or city centres to attend theory and practical classes. The curriculum includes electives in every programme to let students pursue their interests. 

As per the SSR 2023, the batch size of the current academic year is 1,52,360. Apart from this, students have confirmed that the curriculum is relevant but the faculty are few due to the open educational system. Examinations are held timely (semester-wise) and the difficulty level is moderate as per the students.

Our Take

The credit-based system is a more student-centric approach which gives students the freedom to choose different courses and plan their learning journey. However, there are also a few limitations of CBCS that must be highlighted. The students might get confused with too many choices of subjects available to them. They may not know which subjects to select. Providing distance learning and managing more than 1.5 Lakh students in an academic year is appreciable. While students appear satisfied with the curriculum and examinations, the number of faculty should be increased for those who wish to visit the main campus or study centres.

VMOU Infrastructure 

VMOU offers adequate modern facilities to students for a better learning experience. The key components of the university infrastructure are as follows:

Classroom: The main campus of VMOU has classrooms with basic facilities. 

Auditorium/ Seminar Halls/ Labs:As per SSR 2023, VMOU claims to have an auditorium, seminar rooms, computer laboratories, and Vigyan Bhavan. Students have confirmed that the laboratories are in good condition. As per SSR 2023, the seating capacity of the auditorium is 500. 

Library: VMOU has a central library at the main campus. Based on student reviews, the library at the university is well-equipped with books and journals. 

Internet: The students have mixed reviews about the Internet facility on the campus.  A few accept the presence of Wi-Fi facilities at VMOU, while some dismiss it. 

Online Facilities: VMOU has a collection of books and self-learning materials (SLM) on the website. Additionally, it runs a YouTube channel for subject-related videos which is helpful as per students’ comments.  

Activities: VMOU conducts annual orientation for freshers and convocation for pass-outs. As per official data, counselling sessions, contact camps, and practical camps are also conducted by the university. Apart from this, no major events are organised throughout the year as per the student reviews. 

Our Take

Physical infrastructure plays a minimal role in the setup of open education than online facilities. VMOU has a basic infrastructure for students which appears to be sufficient. Moreover, providing online SLM and online classes is beneficial to students and VMOU provides these facilities. However, the management should ensure that all students can access free internet facilities on the campus to share information and study materials. The university should actively participate in extra-curricular activities and cultural events throughout the year. Such activities can help students build their social and leadership skills, improve their overall performance in academics, and provide learning experiences and opportunities for the future.

VMOU Internships and Placements 

VMOU Internship:

VMOU conducts practical camps and internships for various courses as per official notices. However, as per student reviews, about 60-70% of the students at VMOU Kota were offered internship opportunities in the recent past. 

VMOU Placements:

VMOU has a training and placement cell to organise placement drives. As per the SSR 2023, VMOU organised 24 placement drives in 2021-22. Even though the latest VMOU placement records for the year 2023 have not been published yet, the previous year's VMOU placement statistics state that the highest package offered during VMOU Kota placements stood at INR 7.2 LPA while the average placement package stood at INR 6 LPA. 

Our Take

After scrutinising student reviews, it is evident that students enrol at VMOU to get a degree while continuing their work or preparations. They don’t expect much from an open university in terms of internship and placement opportunities. However, providing these facilities comes under the responsibility of any open university, VMOU should train students and offer better opportunities. Campus placement support should go beyond just offering job opportunities. One of the best ways to expose your college to recruiters is by organizing career fairs and sponsored events. The management should also consider reaching out to alumni can also be an effective way to attract employees through networking. 

VMOU Diversity & Representation

According to the 2023 self-study report, VMOU enrolled more than 1.5 Lakh students last year. Among them, merely 1.9 % are from other states and no international student enrolled in this academic term. Additionally, 38% of the students are females which is considerable. 

Students from Home State vs. Other State

Male vs. Female Students

Our Take

VMOU struggles to draw in international students. The ratio between students within and outside the state is limited (23388:1000). It shows the popularity of VMOU is confined to Rajasthan only. The male-to-female ratio of 799:500 is not very promising, it is still slightly above average. Deep-rooted gender inequalities and cultural norms prioritizing boys' education over girls' could be a major factor contributing to the gap in the ratio. Furthermore, Rajasthan has a large rural population, and travelling to the VMOU regional centres can be particularly challenging for girls, leading to lower enrollment rates. However, notably, benefitting more than 58,000 female students shows substantial progress towards greater female inclusivity. 

VMOU Faculty/College Administration & Management

In general, faculty-student interaction is very less in an open university. However, many students visit the main campus or study centres for learning. As per the SSR 2023, VMOU has more faculty on a contract basis than on a permanent basis. A few students stated that the number of faculty is less and the student-faculty ratio is as low as 100:1. Let’s look at the demographics. 

As per student reviews, the available faculty at the campus are experienced and supportive. However, students stated that the staff at regional centres are not very helpful. A few reported issues related to study material that wasn’t delivered on time and the management of VMOU was unsupportive towards the student. 

Our Take

Considering the students’ footfall at the VMOU main campus or regional centres is more than the faculty appointed, the university must recruit more teachers to fulfil the demands of the students. The study centres in different districts and cities are the primary contact points for students in an open educational system. VMOU must train its management, teachers, and staff at study centres/campuses to be more cooperative and supportive towards the students. 

VMOU Location

The main campus of VMOU is located on Rawatbhata Road, Kota, Rajasthan, India. The university has 7 regional centres located in Ajmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, and Bharatpur. VMOU has 50+ study centres in different colleges in Rajasthan. Students can visit the nearest study centre for practicals, examinations, and learning. 

Our Take 

The university regional centres are located in convenient areas with easy access to transport facilities. We suggest commuting via local autorickshaws and buses rather than taxis since these are the most economical options for exploring the surrounding areas. 

VMOU: Expectation vs Reality CLD Verdict!

Numerous doubts can arise while choosing an open university in India. A few of them can be - which is better: VMOU or IGNOU? Is VMOU good for distance education? etc. To clear this fog, students must analyse and compare certain factors: 

• Recognition

• Availability of physical and online SLM

• Curriculum

• Fees 

• Examination and evaluation

• Management 

• Study centres 

• Placement opportunities 

VMOU is a popular open university in Rajasthan and this is evident through its high student intake within the state. On the contrary, its popularity outside the state is limited. Talking about facilities, students appear satisfied with the facilities offered online and offline but a few students have criticised the management for being uncooperative towards them. Moreover, the fee structure is affordable but the placement opportunities are negligible. One can easily get a degree as the examination level is easy to moderate. Location-wise, study centres are located in major cities and a few remote places just to help students who can’t travel much. 

Overall, VMOU is a convenient option for students within the state who can’t attend regular classes and wish to pursue higher studies while continuing their jobs, preparing for examinations, or any other reason. 

Our Final Checklist!