Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) was established in 2002.

The Tamil Nadu Open University was established by an Act (No.27 of 2002) of the Legislative Assembly of the Government of Tamil Nadu to benefit those who have been deprived of and/or denied the access to higher education especially destitute, physically challenged, working men and women, economically weaker sections of the society, and those who discontinued education for various reasons, etc. With a view to increasing the access to higher education and improving the quality of education offered through the open and distance learning modes by coordinating such provisions in the state, the Government of Tamil Nadu established.

The Tamil Nadu Open University is the first University in the state to have introduced the credit – based self – learning materials in print as early as 2003.

While the round – the admission policy with examination schedules conveniently arranged on week – ends and the effective continuous assessment provision have sufficiently addressed the issue of quantity in the form of increasing higher education access, the University has been harnessing the advancement in ICT to continuously improve quality.

The growth of the University during the past 16 years has been phenomenal. With a cumulative student strength of 10,82,656 in 218 Programmes of study across various disciplines and skills at different levels from Certificate to Post- Graduate that are imparted through 13 Academic Schools, 5 Support Divisions, 1 Media Centre and a robust network of 515 Learner Support and Service Centres across the State.

The University has digitalized its learner support systems including admission, examination, material distribution, academic counselling, etc. So far, 1,86, 774 students have passed out of the University and the current enrolment (2017 – 2018) stands at 38,004.

With the sanctioned teaching staff strength of 65 and non – teaching staff strength of 77, the Universities in out of the 5, among the 15 Open Universities in the country, to have been accorded the 12B of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

VISION

Tamil Nadu Open University shall make available innovative, socially relevant educational provisions that are learner centred, seamless and are of high quality by employing appropriate technologies to achieve i education, sustainable social transformation and composite national development.

MISSION

Towards becoming a Centre of Excellence in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) by offering quality programs to meet the current and emerging needs of the adult population, by widening the access to higher education and by functioning as a catalyst to bridge social, including digital divides and to build a developed India, Tamil Nadu Open University shall: