Kannur University established the School of Distance Education (SDE) as per an order of 2002. The intention of the university is to make available opportunities of higher education to those who were deprived of it in the Kannur district, Kasaragod district and Mananthavady Thaluk of Wayanad district. In continuance with its aim, the SDE is offering education at the doorstep of those who had to forgo formal education.
In 2002, SDE began operations with only the B. Comm. degree. Currently, it has 17 varied programs. Out of these, under-graduate courses are 10, post-graduate courses are 5 and certificate courses are 2. For the 2002-03 academic year, Kannur University School of Distance Education had 32 students. This number amplified to 38,400 in 2016-17.
The SDE offers students printed study material in the self-learning mode, projects and dissertations, orientation programs and personal contact programs. Experienced and qualified faculty members of the university offer guidance to students. The university is also active in student support services such as student counselling.
The SDE has the following highlights:
- The Arts Festival
- Personal Contact Programs
- Orientation Programs for the first year registrants
- Pre-scheduled online admission
- Publication of examination results on time
Kannur University is a multi-campus university with premises at Kanhangad, Thalassery, Payyannur, Mananthavady, Kasargod and Kannur.
