B.Com (A&F) from IGNOU for students of the ICAI
Summary of the course and FAQ are available on the ICAI’s site (www.icai.org). This write up focuses on applying for the certificate and other course completion related procedures. Assignments and exams are covered in brief.
Eligibility for B.Com (A&F) Degree
You will have to complete the following in entirety for becoming eligible for your B.Com certificate under this course.
1. Part A Subjects : C.P.T. of the ICAI
2. Part B Subjects : 6 courses of the IGNOU
(i) Assignments
Assignments @ one per subject will have to be submitted at the Study Centre chosen by you. They are available for download at the IGNOU website.
The following are to be submitted:
1) Facing Sheet (if required by the Study centre – format will be available with them)
2) Assignment – copy of the question paper
3) Assignment – answer sheet – handwritten by you
Make sure that you take a copy of the above before submitting to the centre. Also get the acknowledgment (format available in prospectus) signed by them.
The assignments would be evaluated at the centre and marks will be forwarded to the Regional Centre and from there to the University.
Your assignment marks should get updated in the “Grade Card Status” section in the INGOU website (https://stuinfonew.ignou.ac.in/result.asp) in about 3-4 months. If the marks are not updated even after such time, you should contact the Regional Centre’s Computer section and make sure that your marks were received from the study centre and that it was forwarded to the University. If this is not the case, you may have to follow-up on the assignment status with the study centre. This is where the assignment copy and acknowledgment play a role.
(ii) Exam
You will have to appear and pass all the 6 IGNOU subjects in either the June/Dec session. Marks will be updated on a progressive basis in the site within a few months time. Your grade card would also get updated with the exam marks in a phased manner.
3. Part C Subjects : 6 Subjects of PCE & 100 Hours IT Training of ICAI
4. Part D : Completion of Articleship
Applying for the B.Com (A&F) Certificate
The course is based on a credit transfer system and hence you would have to provide adequate documents to IGNOU for facilitation of such a transfer. The documents to be sent are:
(i) CPT Mark Sheet
(ii) IGNOU Grade Card
(Ensure that both Assignment and Exam marks in respect of all 6 subjects are available)
(iii) PCE Mark Sheet
(iv) PCE Certificate
(v) 100 Hours IT Training Mark Sheet – You will have to request the branch where you took the training to issue you the mark sheet.
(vi) 100 Hours IT Training Certificate
I recommend that the documents be attested. If you can-not get it attested from a gazette officer, make a self attestation. Attach a covering letter providing details of your registration with IGNOU and ICAI (Mention registration numbers), relevant dates, contact address etc., fact of completion of articles, and requesting issue of completed Grade Card and Certificate.
The above documents have to be sent to the office of:
The Director
School of Management Studies
Room – 30, Block - C
IGNOU, Maidan Garhi
New Delhi – 110 068
I feel that it should be preferably be send by Speed Post as you can track the status online (at the website of India Post) and thus ensure delivery.
Issuing of the Certificate
You will be issued a provisional certificate and grade card in a few months time. Certificates are issued at the Convocations held annually at Delhi and RCs. Letters will be issued to you informing the same. You can also request for the original certificate (in case you are not attending the convocation) to be sent by post. Either case, you will have to make payment of prescribed fees (presently Rs. 350) towards certificate issue charges. The request is to be made to the office of the Registrar.
Delay – Part and parcel of this course!
IGNOU is the largest University in the World with students numbering in lakhs. This is one of the main reasons in long delays in updation of marks, issue of certificate etc. The only option available to the student is to bear with it and at the same time make adequate follow-up. The Student Support Centre of IGNOU (ssc @ ignou.ac.in) may be contacted with any queries and they will take the action required. Delay is not avoidable in any case – but we have to accept the fact that volume always plays a role.
Recognition of IGNOU
I have heard several persons remark that IGNOU’s degrees are not recognized at par with those of other Universities in India. This is not true at all. The degrees awarded by IGNOU are at par with any other degree issued by any University in India. Copy of the UGC’s letter awarding this status to IGNOU degrees is available for download at https://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/division/srd/new
What next?
Apply for M.Com (F&T) from IGNOU.
Disclaimer
The above information is purely based on my experience and is not extracted from any official release. So, errors and difference in procedures / requirements should please be anticipated. In case you find any offical release prescribing any other procedure / requirement to be followed, please act accordingly.
Best of Luck!
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