What is Sikkim Manipal University - DDE of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences?
The Sikkim Manipal University - DDE of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences (SMU), Gangtok has been set up under Section 2(f) of UGC Act 1956 vide Sikkim State Legislative Act (Act 1X of 1995). The University is a member of the Association of Indian Universities. The statute of SMU-DE permits the University to offer programs under distance learning mode across the country and abroad.

Sikkim Manipal University - DDE is located in its picturesque campuses in the foothills of the Himalayas. Its state-of-the-art infrastructure worth approximately Rs.150 crores provides excellent facilities to students from not only Eastern India but also from other parts of the country. The constituent institutions of the university are:

• Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Science (SMIMS).
• Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology (SMIT).
• Directorate of Distance Education (DDE).

What do you mean by Distance Education?

• Distance Education simply means imparting education from a distance. The teacher and the student are physically separated in this system of education
• SMU-DE offers many Distance Education programs as part of its effort to provide education to the students who for various reasons cannot join the formal education stream
• Various courses offered include postgraduate, graduate level degree courses and postgraduate level diploma level courses in different disciplines such as IT, management studies, vocational sciences, life sciences and allied health sciences.
• All the students who have enrolled in the program are provided with program guides and Self Instruction Material (SIM) for respective courses.
• The student is qtn-title to undertake self-study using the programme guide and SIM provided. This is further supplemented by learning through lectures by faculty, who are also called academic counselors at the Learning Centre and lectures delivered through VSAT.
• The University is using a nationwide network of learning centers for various programs. This enables the students to choose a learning center that is easily accessible to them.
• The concept of ‘Virtual Classroom’ is used by the Sikkim Manipal University - DDE wherein lectures are broadcast from studios at Manipal, Bangalore and Mumbai and received by the students at various learning centers all over the country. This broadcast is interactive and is received through VSAT.
• The program guide supplied to the student contains the assignments to be submitted by the student.
• Depending upon the subject, qtn-title amount of practical training is imparted to students in the Learning center

What is the difference between Correspondence Course and Distance Education?
When a student takes up a correspondence course he/she is expected to study on his own from Self Instructional Material provided by the University. There may be some contact classes. A student does not have the benefit of a teacher for most part of the learning process who can provide him/her with academic counseling.

When a student takes up a correspondence course he/she is expected to study on his own from Self Instructional Material provided by the University. There may be some contact classes. A student does not have the benefit of a teacher for most part of the learning process who can provide him/her with academic counseling.

Is Sikkim Manipal University - DDE approved by UGC?
The Sikkim Manipal University - DDE of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences, Sikkim was set up based on State Legislative Act (Act IX of 1995) of Govt. of Sikkim and is recognized by Union Ministry of HRD and the University Grants Commission. Sikkim Manipal University - DDE’s Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates are recognized by all members of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and are at par with Degrees/ Diplomas/Certificates of all Indian Universities/ Deemed Universities/ Institutions vide UGC Circular No.FI-B/92(CPP) dated February 1992 & AIU Circular No. EV/B(449)/94/176915-177115 dated January, 1994.

Whether attending Classes is compulsory under Distance Education Mode?
Please go through Support Services under Education Methodology in the prospectus to know more about it. Each course provides counseling and hands-on training at Learning Centers. Students, in their own interest, are advised to attend these classes. However, attendance is not mandatory.

In case I join the Distance Learning Course of the University is there any other payment other than course and examination fees that I need to pay?
Course fee and examination fees are detailed in the University Prospectus. No other payment is qtn-title to be paid to the University

To get an Admission under Distance Education of your university courses do I need to go through an Entrance Examination?
There is no entrance examination for admission to any of the courses of the university at present. The admission to the courses is purely based on eligibility conditions related to academic qualifications of a student.

Is there Convocation at the end of the Course?
SMU-DE holds its convocation once in a year. The dates for the convocation are decided by Sikkim Manipal University - DDE, Gangtok. Normally, the convocation is held during September to December every year. However, please note that due to space constraints only selected distance education students, based on their merit position in the examinations are invited for the convocation.