Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU), established in 2002, is the tenth state open University to be established in the whole of India. Established by an Act (No.27 of 2002) of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu, the University aims to provide access to higher education through distance mode to a large segment of people. Persons deprived of access to higher education for various reasons have been benefited by the University.
Educational Streams
Tamil Nadu Open University offers more than 60 programmes in various disciplines that include professional, postgraduate, undergraduate, diploma, certificate and vocational. Being an open university, the system of instruction at TNOU comprises of printed materials in self-learning format and face-to-face contact classes in the form of counseling / tutoring sessions. The evaluation process is based on continuous assessment of learner progress through assignments and term-end examinations. TNOU has the credit of being the only educational organization in Tamil Nadu that is eligible for accessing the scholarships available through the South Asian Foundation (SAF).
Facilities
TNOU provides all the requisite facilities for the purpose of imparting distance education. Students can avail facilities like computer-media materials including interactive CDs, teleconferencing sessions, radio interactive, phone-in sessions, etc. Besides this, it has a Student Support Services Division that takes care of the educational needs of the students of TNOU. It has also established a Material Production and Distribution Division that takes care of the delivery of study material to all registered students and sale of prospectus/application forms and other miscellaneous items.
History
Tamil Nadu Open University was established in October 2002, by an Act of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. However, it started functioning in the year 2003. The main campus of the University is located at the Directorate of Technical Education Campus, Guindy.
Faculties/Departments:
- School of Continuing Education
- School of Education
- School of Humanities
- School of Management Studies
- School of Social Sciences
- School of Sciences
- School of Health Sciences
- School of Computer Sciences
- School of Tamil and Cultural Studies
- School of Politics and Public Administration
- School of Journalism and New Media Studies
Tamil Nadu Open University, also known as TNOU, Chennai, on April 5, 2012, has declared the result of Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP). 
