Sikkim Manipal University Distance Education usually conducts 4 examinations for odd and even semesters. These exams are held in January-February, April-May, July-August, and October-November. 

• You are allowed to take up the exams at any of the affiliated or identified test centers. 
• To be eligible for these exams, you also need to submit internal assessment (IA) on a regular basis and meet the given deadlines. 
• Your IA marks and the assignment marks are collectively calculated. This helps in brushing your knowledge every day rather than encumbering you with the same facts at the end of the semesters.
• There should be no plagiarism in any of the assignments. If any content is found to be plagiarized, your work would get rejected.
• A score of a minimum of 40% is expected in your IAs and semester examinations. 
• On successful fulfillment of these exams, you will receive the marks card as well as your degree within the period of 3 months. 

It is easier to score in their exams as 80% of the paper consists of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs). As much as minimal effort to go through the study material would help you in acing these exams.

As far as it is known, IQAS and ICES solely acknowledge degrees from Sikkim Manipal University. For ECA you should opt for Sikkim Manipal University but do not go for WES as they do not recognize degrees from SMU. 

It is suggested that you opt for IQAS as they take 5 – 6 weeks for the fulfillment of the process accurately whereas ICES generally takes around 25 weeks for the completion of the same.

You may check the site of Degree Equivalency Tool for any further queries.

Indira Gandhi National Open University is a central government-owned educational institute. The college is recognized by AIU and has been approved by UGC.

Sikkim Manipal University Distance Learning is owned by a public-private partnership. The college is also recognized by UGC.

Highlights:

IGNOU:

• It also has over 25 foreign education partner institutions.

• The institute provides open, distance, and online modes of education.

• The college provides over 200 courses across more than 20 streams.

SMU:

• The institution was set-up to provide distance education for students and working professionals.

• The college was awarded the “Best University in Distance Learning” by ASSOCHAM India and won a Silver Award in Digital Learning Transformation Category in 2018.

• The college provides 13 courses across two streams.

Admission Procedure:

The admission procedure for both colleges is similar.

• The eligibility criteria for each course at both colleges vary. The basic eligibility criteria at SMU and IGNOU is having completed 10+2 for undergraduate courses and having completed graduation for postgraduate courses.

• Some courses require appearing for the common entrance examinations conducted by the respective institutes.

Faculty:

IGNOU:

• The institute has more than 800 faculty members and over 33000 academic counselors.

• Teachers have vast experience and are well-educated. They provide constant support and guidance to the students making the institute among the top institutes.

SMU: The institute has well-qualified teachers who provide constant guidance. The curriculum taught is relevant and updated.

Facilities:

IGNOU:

• It provides 67 regional centers and over 2,667 learner support centers around the country.

• For all courses offered, IGNOU provides flexibility to its students in terms of place and time of the study.

• It has launched an e-learning mobile application to provide a digital learning environment to IGNOU affiliated students.

SMU: The institute has an online portal EduNxt that is designed for online learning.

Placements:

IGNOU: The institute has a central placement cell which organizes placement drives. Companies such as ICICI, Axis Bank, Frankfinn, and NIIT offer placements to students.

SMU: The college also provides placement opportunities.

• Internships and training are provided to students in top companies such as TCS. Companies such as Airtel, Ambuja Cement, Capgemini, and Flipkart offer placements to students.

• The highest package offered goes up to 11 LPA.

IGNOU has the advantage of being the largest open-learning institute and top-ranked in the country being run by the central government. Also, IGNOU has better foreign associations with top-institutes. However, SMU provides better internships and placements. Both provide the great features of e-learning too. Between the two IGNOU is a more recognized and larger institute.