The idea to establish an Internal Quality Assurance Cell at the University was mooted in the 42nd meeting of the Planning Board (42.4.2), held on 15th April 2014(Planning Board IGNOU, 2014). Thereafter, the matter was discussed in the 122nd meeting of the Board of Management (Preamble. 3) held on 25th April 2015 (Board of Management IGNOU, 2015). The Board decided that a Committee may be constituted to examine the issue of the establishment of an Internal Quality Assurance System to strive for quality and excellence in the University and the Committee would also examine the use of expertise of erstwhile Distance Education Council (DEC) staff in the best interest of IGNOU in this endeavour (Board of Management IGNOU, 2015). The Board of Management in its 124th meeting (124.1.2) held on 23rd January 2016 suggested that a dedicated Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA) at IGNOU as a Centre having primary focus to shoulder the responsibilities of generating and promoting awareness for quality assurance and to work out the procedural details should be established at the University. The recommendations of the Committee for establishment of IQAC were approved by the Vice Chancellor and noted by the BOM in its 125th meeting4 held on 23rd January 2016, while noting the Action Taken Report on decision of BOM at its previous meeting (125.1.2) (Board of Management IGNOU, 2016).

On the recommendations of the Committee and the resolution of the Board of Management, the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) was established vide notification F. IG/TA/2/981/2015/2064 dated 17th October, 2016 and became operational as an independent Cell on 3rd April 2017 with the appointment of two former officials of the erstwhile DEC (Academic Coordination Division IGNOU, 2016; 2017).

In 2018, the IQAC of IGNOU was renamed as the Centre for Internal Quality Assurance (CIQA) in compliance with the then UGC (ODL) Regulations 2017 (Government of India, 2017). The decision was taken in the Board of Management in its 130th meeting (BM 130.3.1) held on 8th September, 2018, Thereafter IQAC was renamed as CIQA vide a notification dated 7th December, 2018 (Academic Coordination Division IGNOU, 2018).