Tamil Nadu Open University - TNOU was established by an act of the legislative assembly of Tamilnadu to benefit those who have been deprived of and/or denied the access to higher education especially destitute, physically challenged, working men and women, economically weaker sections of the society, and those who discontinued education for various reasons, etc. It aims to reach the hitherto unreached.

TNOU shall make available innovative, socially-relevant educational provisions that are learner-centred, seamless and are of high-quality by employing appropriate technologies to achieve equity in education, sustainable social transformation and composite national development.

The university has also established 334 information centres at taluka levels, to enable those who are longing for but are forced to remain away from the folds of higher education. In all the study and information centres week-end counseling sessions will be organized regularly through experienced faculties to ensure student-faculty interaction and for processing of the assignments submitted by the students for internal assessment.

The university has also been recognised internationally when it became a member of South Asian foundation and Asian association of open universities. The memberships will help the university to share the resources on distance education scheme throughout Asia. Besides, the university has been recognised by Govaty foundation of France and has been awarded “ France India heritage” status recently.

The distance education council of Indira Gandhi National Open University, the apex body for all the open and distance education institutions in the country is mandated to promote ODL system in the country inter alia by liberally sanctioning development grants to open and distance learning institutions in the country. The proposal of Tamil nadu open university for development grant received top priority of distance education council.

All the programmes will have a built-in flexibility to facilitate "mobility" of students by means of credit-based structures. Due recognition and exemption in terms of credits would be given for the courses completed elsewhere.