The University of Mumbai is one of the most recognized and the oldest educational institutions in the country. The Mumbai University which was amongst the first 3 universities in our country was established in the year 1987. The other 2 universities are the Calcutta and the Madras University.

The University of Mumbai consists of two campuses out of which one is situated at Kalina, Santacruz and the second one is situated at Fort. The University of Mumbai has around 500 colleges affiliated to it and about 55 departments which impart education to more than 6 lakh students not only across the country but also across the world.

The University of Mumbai is considered to be the 7^th university in the country to have started the distance education courses in the year 1971. The Institute of Distance education started by the University of Mumbai has introduced various technical as well as professional courses though the distance mode. The university provides distance education to more than 70,000 students currently.

The various courses which are offered by the institute are

• B.A.
• B.Com.
• M.A.
• M.Com.
• M.Sc., Maths
• Two years Post-graduate Diploma in Financial Management (PGDFM)
• Post-graduate Diploma in Operations Research for Management (PGDORM)
• B.Sc.(I.T.)
• M.Sc.(I.T)
• B.Sc. (Comp. Sc.)
• M.Sc. (Comp.Sc.)
• M.C.A.
• B.Sc. (Nautical Technology) and many more.

The study material is usually provided to the students in the printed form in English or Marathi (in case of few subjects). The university also provides its students with various other facilities such as an Audio-Visual Centre, Library, Reading Room facility in Mumbai, Home-lending of books against deposit etc.

Even since the concept of distance education evolved it has been known to offer several benefits to students who take up such courses. Especially in a country like India Distance education has several benefits to offer. Some of the advantages of students taking up distance education programs or courses are offered below.

In a country which is geographically as huge as India, it might not be possible to construct schools and colleges all over the country in all areas. This is where distance education can be utilized. For students who might not have quality schools or colleges offering the course that the student wants to take up, then the student can take up a correspondence distance education course with another university or college which may be located else where. Hence inspite of being at home, the student will be able to take up a course and also study for it through the distance education program.

There are several students in India who have financial constraints and hence due to these reasons can not take up the full time courses which they might other wise have wished to. For such students the benefits of distance education are immense, for they can take up a distance education course with out having to pay too high a fees and while also having the option of being able to work and earn money thereby helping them make a living. Hence the distance education courses have several benefits to offer to students.

Distance education offers several benefits. The primary benefit of it being, that students who might not be able to take up full time courses due to time or financial constraints can easily take up distance . For students who due to financial constraints are unable to take up full time courses, distance education courses may be a great option. Since the arrival of the internet, it has become extremely easy to take up a distance education course through the internet. Now geographical boundaries have no meaning for where ever you may be sitting in the world, you can remain connected through the internet. If you have access to the internet then you can take up one of several distance education courses on the internet across various disciplines.

There are several web sites on the internet that offer courses as well as tutorials which students can take up with out having to pay a large salary. There also a large number of web sites that offer you free distance education courses to students. If you are looking for free distance education courses on the internet then you can log on to the following web sites in order to find a distance education course that suits your profile or educational aspirations.

http://www.distance-education.org/Articles/135-Completely-Free-Distance-Education-Courses-26.html: This web site offers distance education courses across several streams like Art, History, Medical, Science, Biology, Business and other streams. Hence you can choose from among several courses and take up a free distance education course of your choice.

Correspondence distance education has emerged as one of the most popular forms of education all over the world. Now, geographical boundaries do not act as a barrier to education. In a country like India which is very huge geographically and yet has very low literacy and educational levels, distance educations has brought a huge boom in the number of people getting educated. India has the largest number of students in the world and studying and taking up such distance education courses helps them immensely.

Students can opt for correspondence courses through several universities in the country. The indira Gandhi national open university or the IGNOU is one of the premier universities in the country and allows students to take up courses which are a part of their education or career. Similarly there are several other universities and colleges as well that allow you to take up courses of your choice. You can take up engineering, commerce, accounts, arts, management courses through correspondence distance education courses for you to take up.

The concept of correspondence education has been prevalent in the Indian education system for a long time. Since students can possibly not make it up for their courses in person they can always opt for correspondence distance education courses in order to take up the course. The tests as well as the examinations are also conducted on regular intervals hence a student can be assured of learning the concepts required for the course and also getting evaluated at the same time through frequent tests and exams.