The Diploma in Agricultural Cost Management (DACM) is a one-year Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programme jointly developed by the School of Agriculture, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI). The programme is designed to educate and train individuals in agricultural cost management, farm budgeting, agripreneurship, and supply chain management, with a total of 40 credits spread across 6 theory courses. The total programme fee is Rs. 6,200 (plus applicable registration and development fees), with a seat intake of approximately 95 students per session, and the programme is offered exclusively through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode in English medium. DACM is popular among progressive farmers, rural and urban youth, NGO workers, cooperative society members, and small entrepreneurs seeking to enhance farm profitability and cost efficiency.
Admissions for the January 2026 session are currently open. The last date to submit the application form (for non-certificate and non-semester-based programmes) is 30 March 2026. Students admitted in the January 2026 session will be eligible to appear in the December 2026 Term-End Examination (TEE) for the first time.
Since DACM is offered exclusively in Open Distance Learning (ODL) mode, students study through self-learning print material and attend counselling sessions at designated Study Centres/Programme Study Centres (PSCs) across India. The programme is offered at study centres spread across multiple regional centres including Hyderabad, Karnal, Shimla, Jammu, Bangalore, Cochin, Bhopal, Pune, Imphal, Shillong, Port Blair, Kohima, Bhubaneswar, Khanna, Jaipur, Gangtok, Chennai, Agartala, Lucknow, Kolkata, Delhi (Naraina, Noida), Guwahati, Trivandrum, Jabalpur, Rajkot, Madurai, Koraput, Siliguri, Darbhanga, Aligarh, Varanasi, Mumbai, Patna, Chandigarh, Jorhat, Vijayawada, Raipur, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Angul, Jodhpur, Bijapur, and others. Students are allotted a study centre based on their place of residence.
Key Points
- DACM is jointly developed by IGNOU and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), making it a unique industry-academia collaboration in agricultural education.
- The programme is specifically designed for progressive farmers, rural/urban youth, NGO functionaries, cooperative society members, and small/medium entrepreneurs.
- Students can complete the programme in a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years, offering flexibility for working professionals.
- The medium of instruction is English only; no Hindi or regional language option is available.
- Evaluation is based on Term-End Examination (70%) and Assignments (30%); students must score a minimum of 40% in each component individually and in aggregate.
- The programme is recognised by all member institutions of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and is at par with degrees/diplomas of all Indian universities.
- Approximately 40 counselling sessions (2 hours each) are held at the allotted study centre, mostly on weekends.
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