These are the two lowest-priced options in this catalogue and the choice between them is unusually sharp: Parul awards a UGC-DEB entitled degree and carries the longest specialisation list here; SCDL costs less still, awards a diploma, and is the better received of the two.
Parul is the cheapest online MBA in this catalogue, UGC-DEB entitled and AICTE approved, holding NAAC A plus and listed by NIRF as an emerging university without a rank. Our record shows it leaving you eligible for doctoral study. Our record states that SCDL is not a university, is not UGC-DEB entitled, and awards an AICTE approved post graduate diploma rather than a degree. It also shows that it does not leave you eligible for doctoral study afterwards.
There is an inversion here worth naming immediately. Our record rates Parul's private sector recognition as poor — one of only two such entries in this catalogue — and SCDL's as average. So the entitled degree is the less well received of the two. Whatever Parul's premium buys, it is not reputation.
Every line above is computed from the fee, accreditation and placement figures in the table below — we don't rank universities on anything we can't show you.
A dash means the university has not published that detail.
| Parameter | Parul University | Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) |
|---|---|---|
| Accreditation | UGC-DEB EntitledAICTE ApprovedNAAC A+ | AICTE ApprovedNAAC A++ |
| MBA specializations in our catalog | 21 | 17 |
| Fee range (our catalog) | ₹90,000 | ₹76,000 – ₹90,000 |
| Full name | Parul University – Centre for Distance & Online Education | Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) |
| Location | Vadodara, Gujarat | Pune, Maharashtra |
| Founded (online wing) | 2015 (online wing) | 2001 |
| UGC-DEB entitled | Yes | No (AICTE diploma; not a degree) |
| AICTE approved | Yes | Yes |
| NAAC grade | A+ (NAAC) | A++ (NAAC) |
| NIRF ranking (management) | Emerging University (NIRF listed but not ranked) | Not Ranked (Not a university) |
| International recognition | UGC-DEB approved | AICTE recognized |
| Fee range | ₹56,000 – ₹1,85,000 | ₹46,000 – ₹80,000 |
| EMI / loan available | Yes (EMI via partner banks) | Yes (9–12 month EMI) |
| Scholarships | Merit-based; Early-bird discounts | None officially; Affordable pricing |
| Scholarship categories | Merit-Based, Sports Scholarship, Defence Scholarship, Cultural Scholarship, Alumni Benefits, Need-Based Financial Aid | Defence Personnel, Armed Forces, International Students, Alumni Discounts, Corporate Tie-ups |
| Average placement | ₹4–6 LPA | ₹5–7 LPA |
| Highest placement | ₹12–18 LPA | ₹15–18 LPA |
| Career services | Placement assistance; 400+ industry partners; Career workshops | Placement assistance; Corporate tie-ups; Alumni network |
| Career progression after the degree | Average | Average |
| Most-taken specialization | MBA – Marketing & Finance | PGDM – Business Administration & Marketing |
| Online specializations offered | 25+ | 10+ |
| Degrees offered | UG / PG / Diploma / Certificate | PG Diploma / Certificate |
| Learning platform | LMS; Live + Recorded sessions; Mobile app; Online proctored exams | LMS; Recorded lectures; E-library; Online exams |
| Faculty qualification | Min: PhD + UGC-NET for full-time faculty (NAAC A+ requirement). Avg: ~60–65% PhD; 8–12 yrs combined exp. Growing research faculty base; some faculty from IITs/NITs; UGC-DEB approved standards apply. | Min: AICTE norms (PG 55% + relevant exp for practitioners; PhD preferred for academic roles). Avg: ~50–55% PhD among core faculty; 10–15 yrs industry exp for practitioners. Heavy use of industry experts & visiting faculty from corporates like IBM, Wipro, TCS. |
| PhD-eligible after master's | Yes | No |
| Admission sessions | January & July | January & July |
| Entrance exam required | No (merit-based) | Yes (SCDL Entrance or CAT/MAT/state CET score) |
| Campus connect | No | No |
| Post-enrolment support | Average | Average |
| Alumni feedback on the learning experience | Average | Average |
| Key strength | Affordable fees; Wide specialisation range; Pay-after-placement option; Gujarat-based brand | Symbiosis brand; Affordable PG Diploma; Corporate-partnered (Airtel, IBM, TCS, Wipro) |
| Unique selling point | Budget-friendly programs with multiple scholarships | Industry-oriented distance learning programs |
| See all 21 specializations → | See all 17 specializations → |
Both of these are inexpensive by this catalogue's standards and the gap between them, while real, is smaller than most comparisons on this site. That makes the qualification type the dominant variable rather than the money.
Parul's entitled degree satisfies rules that specify a UGC-DEB entitled master's — government recruitment, public sector promotion ladders, doctoral admission, overseas credential evaluation. SCDL's diploma does not, and cannot be converted later.
If any of those is plausibly in your next decade, Parul is the better buy almost regardless of anything else, because the price difference is modest and the capability difference is permanent. If none is, the comparison genuinely opens up.
This is the unusual part. Our record rates Parul's private sector recognition as poor, with alumni feedback, career progression and support all average. SCDL records average across all four.
SCDL's average rests on a long history delivering to working professionals and corporate partnerships with large employers in telecom and technology services. Parul's poor rating reflects how a regional university's online wing is currently received rather than any judgement about teaching, and reception moves more slowly than accreditation.
Neither is this catalogue's strongest instrument for changing employer on the strength of the certificate alone. Both work well for satisfying a requirement or formalising experience you already hold. If a recruiter's impression is what you need, look at better-received options on this site and price the difference.
Parul carries the longest specialisation list in this catalogue, reaching widely across business functions and sectors, with several streams that exist nowhere else here. SCDL's is the next longest and shaped by its history with working professionals.
SCDL's distinctive streams are sectoral and administrative: banking and financial services, insurance business management, export and import management, energy management, educational administration, business and corporate laws, customer relationship management, and technical writing in business management, alongside project management, retail, supply chain and data science.
Between them these two cover more ground than any other pair on the site. The practical move is to check both lists for the thing you actually want before letting fee or entitlement decide, because it is quite likely that only one of them names it.
Our record describes SCDL as easy and Parul as slightly difficult. Both sit at the gentle end of this catalogue, so neither should defeat you alongside full-time work.
Admission separates them against expectation. Parul admits on merit with no entrance test. SCDL requires one — its own, or a recognised national or state management test score. The cheaper option is the harder one to enter, and that is a timeline constraint as much as an effort one.
Parul also offers a pay-after-placement option on selected programmes. Investigate it properly rather than at headline value: which programmes qualify, what counts as a placement, what salary threshold triggers repayment, and what happens if you are already employed on graduating. Get the answers in writing.
Parul lists merit and early-bird awards alongside sports, defence, cultural and alumni categories, with instalments through partner banks. SCDL records no formal scholarship scheme, relying on low pricing, with concessions for defence and armed forces candidates, international students, alumni and corporate tie-ups, and a short instalment facility.
Neither runs a campus connect component, and both examine online. So neither requires travel for assessment and neither offers in-person contact — if that element matters to you, this pair does not provide it.
SCDL's corporate tie-ups are worth checking specifically if you work for one of the large telecom or technology employers our record names. On fees this modest, a corporate arrangement can cover a substantial share.
The qualification type. Parul awards a UGC-DEB entitled master's degree; our record shows SCDL is not a university, is not UGC-DEB entitled, and awards an AICTE approved post graduate diploma. Since the price gap is modest and the capability difference is permanent, Parul is the better buy if a rule will ever check.