IGNOU DECE Admission 2026-27: Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education application process for the July 2026-27 session will commence soon. Candidates must have finished their 12th-grade education at a recognised board with at least a 50% grade in order to be eligible. Aspiring individuals and working professionals are the target audience for this 1-year course. Building knowledge, skills, and attitudes for young children’s overall development is the program’s primary goal. Since the university only accepts applicants based on merit, their 12th-grade grades are taken into account when applying to the DECE program. Those who wish to apply for this one-year diploma program should keep an eye on IGNOU’s admissions news.
Enrolling in the IGNOU DECE course admission for the July 2026 session will provide students with comprehensive knowledge about early childhood care and education. 31 May 2026* will be the deadline for applying to IGNOU’s DECE program.
IGNOU DECE Admission Latest Update
- The Admission process will open soon for IGNOU Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE)/ECCE for the July 2026 session. IGNOU Distance Education and online admission last date to enrol will be 31 May 2026*.
IGNOU DECE Admission 2026-27
A Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education requires applicants to pass their 10+2 from a recognised board of education. Students who want to enrol in this ODL program can complete their registration on the official website of IGNOU – ignou.ac.in. Indira Gandhi National Open University offers the DECE program on the basis of the candidate’s merit. Students should also know that the total IGNOU DECE Course Fees is INR 2,000. The eligibility criteria for the DECE admission in IGNOU are that candidates have a passing certificate of Class 12th from a recognised board or any certificate or diploma equivalent to it. The IGNOU ECCE Course Admission 2026 window will open from 04 May 2026*. Interested students can apply online through the IGNOU Samarth portal. The final date of application submission is 31 May 2026*.
The Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education is a program in which learners will get to know how to handle and cooperate with children (up to 6 years old). In this program, learners will learn and acquire the knowledge, attitude, and skills to handle young children. Check the IGNOU DECE Admission Status. Visit the IGNOU Admission Portal, then enter the 10-digit Enrollment Number, select the Course code and click on the submit button. View your admission status on the screen.
IGNOU DECE/ECCE Admission Highlights 2026-27
| Course Name | DECE |
| Course Full Form |
Diploma In Early Childhood Care And Education
|
| Course Level | Diploma |
| Learning Mode | Open Distance Learning |
| School |
School of Continuing Education
|
| Course Duration | 1 Year |
| Learning Medium | Hindi, English, and Tamil |
| Course Specialization |
Early Childhood Care And Education
|
| Course Eligibility | 10+2 or its equivalent |
| Fee Structure |
Rs. 3,000/- for the whole course with Registration fees Rs. 300/-
|
| Programme Coordinator | Prof. Rekha Sharma Sen |
| Programme Coordinator Email | rekhasharmasen@ignou.ac.in |
| Programme Coordinator Phone No. | 011-29572958 |
IGNOU DECE Eligibility Criteria 2026-27
Students who apply for admission to the IGNOU ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education) program in 2026 must meet the eligibility criteria for this Course. In this part of the article, concerned applicants can find all the information they need about the minimum education requirement for the DECE program.
Eligibility Criteria for IGNOU DECE Admission are as follows:
- Candidates must have completed 12th class in any discipline from a recognised board with a minimum of 50% marks for the general category and 45% for reserved categories for IGNOU DECE admission.
- IGNOU does not conduct any entrance examination for granting admission to the DECE program, nor does it have any age bar for the candidates.
IGNOU DECE Assignment 2026-27
Students’ 30% of the total grades is dedicated to the IGNOU ECCE/DECE Assignment submitted by all the enrolled candidates. The question papers for these assignments are released on the official web portal of IGNOU, where students can easily access them. The questions included in the assignment for a Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education include all the questions related to the subjects taught in the curriculum of the program. Enrolled students have two options for submitting their IGNOU DECE Assignment 2026-27: online (IGNOU’s Google form) or offline at IGNOU Regional Centers. Students must submit their assignment for the IGNOU DECE Course before the end date, which is 30 April 2026. Students can submit their assignments as soon as possible
How to check the IGNOU DECE Assignment Submission Status
Usually, Students can check their assignment status after 30-45 days of submission. It takes time to update the Assignments on the website.
- Visit the IGNOU Assignment Status on the website.
- Enter the 10-digit enrollment Number and Course Code.
- Then, students check the IGNOU DECE Assignments status on the screen.
IGNOU DECE Study Material 2026-27
Enrolled students will get the study materials, class PDF, and lecture video for the IGNOU DECE program, which are very helpful for the students to prepare for the IGNOU Term End Examination. Students who plan on pursuing this course via IGNOU DECE Admission 2026 should know that the university releases the study materials for all the courses offered by the university on its official web portal. Students can easily access these study materials online and be informed about all the subjects and concepts that the curriculum of their program requires them to study.
IGNOU DECE Project
Students pursuing the IGNOU DECE program must submit their course projects. IGNOU DECE program has 4 projects, each worth 4 credits. According to the IGNOU guidelines, students are coordinating workshops in the pre-school for 30 days. Students interact with 3-6-year-old pre-school children. The IGNOU DECE project carries 200 marks for final exams.
IGNOU DECE Application Process 2026-27
A Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education is offered by IGNOU. Students who want to enrol in the academic session of January 2026-27 will need to fill out the application forms accurately. Indira Gandhi National Open University releases the application forms on its official website, which can be easily accessed by applicants. The June TEEs Exam form end date has been changed to 26 April 2026 for all IGNOU courses. If any students miss the deadline, they can still fill out the IGNOU Exam form from 27 April to 31 May 2026, with a late fee of Rs 1100.
Steps involved in the Application Process of IGNOU DECE Admission are as follows:
Step 1: Go to the IGNOU’s official admission portal – ignou.ac.in.
Step 2: First, read all the instructions of the DECE program, like the eligibility criteria, fees, and all the other rules regarding the admission process.
Step 3: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the notification released by the university regarding the January 2026-27 academic cycle.
Step 4: Now, applicants will have to click on the option of “Admission Link for ODL Programs”.
Step 5: A new portal will open on the screen where the applicants will have to register themselves.
Step 6: Click on “New Registration” and enter all the required details, and create 8 to 16 characters of username and password.
Step 7: Log in to the portal with the credentials created by you created earlier.
Step 8: Start providing all the information about yourself in all the sections of the IGNOU DECE Admission Form.
Step 9: Enter the details about yourself, like your mother’s and father’s names, their occupation, residential address, etc.
Step 10: In this step, applicants will have to enter their educational information, such as where they completed their 12th class, the marks obtained by the applicant, and others
Step 11: Scan your original documents and upload them to the application form of the university. Those documents are scanned photographs, signatures, category certificates, and more.
Step 12: Pay the IGNOU DECE Application Fee of INR 300 and complete the application process at the university.
Step 13: Review the information entered in all the sections of the application form and click on “Submit.” After doing so, the first process of IGNOU DECE Admission will be complete.
IGNOU DECE Required Documents 2026-27
There are some essential documents that applicants applying to the DECE program should keep in handy while filling out their application forms. These documents need to be in a specific size and format, or else they will fail to be uploaded to the portal. Hence, applying candidates should be extra careful while applying.
“List of every IGNOU DECE Admission required documents are as follows:”
- Applicant’s recent passport-size photograph – 100 KB
- Signature of the student – 100 KB
- Applicant’s age proof – 200 KB
- 10+2 certificate and other educational documents – 200 KB
- Student’s category certificate (if belonging to SC/ST/OBC category) – 200 KB
- Experience certificate (if applicable) – 200 KB
IGNOU DECE Result
IGNOU results consist of overall assignments, projects, and term-end examinations to evaluate the students’ growth. IGNOU has released its December Term-end Examination results for the 2025 session. Students can visit the official website to view their scorecard.
IGNOU DECE Career Opportunities 2026-27
After pursuing the Diploma in Early Childhood and Education (DECE) course from IGNOU, students will open up for various career opportunities in the discipline of Child Development and Early Learning.
Roles the graduates can pursue after the IGNOU DECE admission program are as follows:
- Child Care Worker
- Preschool Teacher
- Child Development Specialist
- Early Learning Coordinator
- Social Worker
- Entrepreneur
IGNOU DECE Admission 2026 Important Points
| IGNOU DECE Admission | https://ignouadmission.samarth.edu.in/index.php/site/index |
| IGNOU DECE Admission Status | https://www.ignou.ac.in/ |
| IGNOU DECE Study Material | https://egyankosh.ac.in/ |
| IGNOU Student Support | https://igram.ignou.ac.in/ |
| IGNOU Official Website | https://www.ignou.ac.in/ |
IGNOU Helpline Number
Students can directly contact the management team if they have any queries regarding IGNOU, or the course they want to enrol in, or any difficulty in filling out the admission form. Students can contact these helpline numbers for any IGNOU queries: 29572209, 29572202, or 29532088.
FAQ’s:
Que.) What is the IGNOU DECE admission last date for the January 2026 session?
Ans.) Last date for DECE admission at IGNOU will be 31 May 2026
Que.) What jobs are available after the IGNOU DECE program?
Ans.) After completing the IGNOU DECE program, there are various job opportunities available, like preschool teacher, child development specialist, social worker, child care person, etc.
Que.) What are the IGNOU DECE course fees?
Ans.) Fees for IGNOU DECE are Rs 3,000/- for the whole course with some Registration and University development fees of Rs 300/- and Rs 200/-.
Que.) How to apply for IGNOU DECE online?
Ans.) To apply for the IGNOU DECE program online, students need to visit the Samrath portal.
Que.) What is the eligibility for IGNOU DECE Admission?
Ans.) For the IGNOU DECE Admission, students need to pass the 10+2 from a recognized board.
Que.) Where to get the IGNOU DECE Admission form?
Ans.) The candidate can get the IGNOU DECE admission form from @ignouadmission.samarth.edu.in.