IGNOU DECE Admission 2026-27 | Last Date, Fees & Login

IGNOU DECE Admission 2026-27: Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education application process for the January 2026-27 session has started. Candidates must have finished their 12th-grade education at a recognized 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 January 2026 session will provide students with comprehensive knowledge about early childhood care and education. 31st January 2026 is the deadline for applying to IGNOU’s DECE program.

IGNOU DECE Admission Latest Update

• Jan Update: The Admission process has commenced for IGNOU Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE) for the January 2026 session.IGNOU dece admission last date to enrol is 31st January 2026. Source
• IGNOU DECE Admission re-registration has started for January 2026 session. Enrolled candidates can register before the last date which is 31st January 2026. Source

IGNOU DECE Admission 2026-27

A Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education requires applicants to pass their 10+2 from a recognized board of education. Students who want to enroll 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. IGNOU DECE course last date 2026 is 31st January 2026 for the January 2026 session. 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 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.

IGNOU DECE Admission Highlights 2026-27

IGNOU DECE Eligibility Criteria 2026-27

Students who want to enroll in the program of Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education at IGNOU will be required to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria for this program. In this part of the article, concerned applicants can find all the information that they need to know 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 recognized 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 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 of 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. 

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 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 Application Process 2026-27

A Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education is offered by IGNOU. Students who want to enroll 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 the applying candidates. 

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 like where they completed their 12th class, the marks obtained by the applicant, and others

Step 11: Scan your original documents and upload them in 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 documents will fail to be uploaded on 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 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 the admission form. Students can contact these helpline numbers for any kind of IGNOU query – 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 is 31st January 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 apply 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 IGNOU DECE Admission form?

Ans.) The candidate can get the IGNOU DECE admission form from @ignouadmission.samarth.edu.in.