How Much Does A Liberal Arts Course At A Private University Cost?

A liberal arts programme combines instruction in a large variety of disciplines in the arts, humanities and sciences. A standard undergraduate programme in India – a BA, BSc or BCom – will focus on a single discipline, say, English, History, Economics.

A liberal arts programme, on the other hand, is fundamentally interdisciplinary. It will offer different combinations of subjects, often with a high degree of flexibility built into the course structure. Institutions that offer undergraduate programmes in liberal arts aim to instill a spirit of inquiry in students, inculcate creativity and develop their capacity for critical thinking and problem solving.

Also Read | What Is Liberal Arts Education?

Based on official information and conversations with students and families, Careers360 has estimated how much families can expect to pay for a Liberal Arts programme at a top private university.

Where can you study it?

Practically all universities in the country will teach some disciplines that would be at home in a liberal arts programme plus, some even offer various combinations of subjects as a “BA Pass” or Delhi University’s “BA Programme”. However there the institutions best known for liberal arts programmes as they were originally framed in American academia and with flexibility and interdisciplinary teaching are practically all private. Given below is a list of private universities with liberal arts programmes:

• Ashoka University, Sonipat, Haryana
• Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Flame University, Pune, Maharashtra
• Christ University, Pune, Maharashtra
• O.P Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana
• Bennett University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
• Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Pune, Maharashtra
• KREA University, Sricity, Andhra Pradesh

How much does it cost?

The tuition fee alone can be as high as Rs 8.6 lakh. Several of these institutions are residential and so, families must shell out for hostels as well. The cost of transport, entertainment and other expenses depends on the city and the students’ own interests and lifestyle. In consequence, the figures below are not exact and based on what students could and were willing to share or confirm. Given below is the rough cost per university, estimated with inputs from current students.

Ashoka University | Sonipat | Haryana

Ashoka University is located in Education City, Sonipat. It offers 21 liberal arts “majors” leading to BA Honours degrees in them. These include BA (Hons) Philosophy; History, Physics; Psychology; English; Economics; Mathematics; Sociology and Anthropology; Political science; Economics and Finance; Economics and History; English and Creative Writing; Politics, Philosophy, and Economics; History and International Relations; Politics and Society; and English and Journalism. They are studied with a variety of “minor” courses.

According to the university website, and confirmed by students currently enrolled in the university, the total cost in a year is around Rs 10.37 lakh. This would include the Rs 8.6 lakh for tuition alone for both science and humanities streams and Rs. 1.7 lakh for hostel fee. “Travel and other expenses total to around Rs. 30,000,” said a student.

However, university life is about more than just classes, tutorials and hostel activities. The university is located in Education City which is under development. There is little to do in the immediate vicinity of campus. Students often spend weekends and other free time in Delhi. Transportation from the campus to the metro — Jahangirpuri Metro Station — and back is free but students can spend between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 per outing.

Buying items from the campus cafeteria costs around Rs.150 per day.

For field trips and projects, students arrange the budget and the university reimburses the amount after completion of the field trip or project.

The university also provides scholarships to students selected on merit whose annual family income is under Rs. 8 lakhs.

Azim Premji University, Bengaluru (Image: Official website)Azim Premji University | Bengaluru | Karnataka

The liberal arts undergraduate courses available at Azim Premji University are BA in Biology, Economics, Humanities, BSc-BEd - dual degree in Science and Education. Except for the last, all other courses last three years.

The cost of a liberal arts course is approximately Rs 2.9 lakh for a year or Rs 8.91 lakh for the full period, without scholarship. Students pay another Rs 6,000 per month as mess charges.

Many students live in paying-guest accommodations and rent flats near the campus. The cost of the PG including meals per month is around Rs. 5,000. The cost of living in rented flats is Rs 12,000 per month, excluding the cost of utilities like water and electricity. Students can also share the flat. If students use public transportation, the cost of it for a day will be about Rs 50 -100.

The cost of projects and field trips is borne by the university depending upon the percentage of the scholarship the students are getting. The cost of entertainment is roughly Rs.700 for a day and the other expenses depend on the lifestyle of the students.

APU also offers scholarships: students with family income below Rs 4 lakh are given 100% fee waiver and those with family income between Rs 4 and 8 lakh get 75% waiver which translates into Rs 74,250 for the entire programme.

Flame University | Pune | Maharashtra

Flame University offers undergraduate liberal arts (BA) courses in Economics; Psychology; International Studies; Environmental Studies; Journalism; Public Policy; Sociology; Economics and more.

For some courses, the duration could stretch to four years. The cost of an undergraduate liberal arts course is around Rs 8.75 lakh per year, including tuition and hostel fees. There are two types of hostel rooms – air-conditioned which costs Rs 85,000 per year and non-AC which costs Rs 75,000. The mess and laundry costs are included in the hostel fee.

The university provides free bus facility to the students from university to some spots, following a fixed schedule. There are several pay-and-eat cafes on campus; items from them cost an average of Rs. 150 per for a normal meal. The local transportation will cost Rs 100- 150 per day. Frequent outings for entertainment including eating out costs around Rs 5000 per month.

The cost of projects and field work will have to be borne by the students in the beginning and the university will reimburse the amount after completion of the project.

The university offers merit-based scholarships at admission to a few students who will receive between 50% and full fee waiver.

Christ (Deemed-to-be) University | Lavasa, Pune | Maharashtra

Christ (Deemed to be) University’s Lavasa campus offers a three-year liberal arts programme such as BBA, BCom, BSc Economics and Analytics among others. Candidates can choose their “major” — the main discipline in an interdisciplinary programme — according to their interest. The tuition fee is Rs 1.85 per year. The cost of staying in the hostel varies according to the number of students sharing a room — a student sharing a room with three others is charged Rs 50,000 per year and one sharing it with just one other (twin-sharing basis) is charged Rs 75,000 per year, excluding food.

At present, students have to arrange for food on their own and the cost comes to around Rs 15,000 per month per person.

Students also live in paying-guest accommodations and flat-shares — the cost of a PG or a flat near the campus would be between Rs 50,000 and Rs 80,000 per year.

The price of items at the two cafes on campus starts at Rs 50 for a normal breakfast and rises depending on the items and quantities purchased.

The university provides a shuttle facility which costs Rs 13,000 per month. Students often go to Pune to spend their leisure time with friends for meals. Cost for a day is Rs 2,000.

The university provides half the funding for projects and fieldwork, the rest is managed by students, said a student.

Ahmedabad University, Gujarat (Image: Official website)Ahmedabad University | Ahmedabad | Gujarat

The major liberal arts courses offered by Ahmedabad University at the undergraduate level are BA Arts, BA Science, Economics, History, Psychology among others. The duration of each of these is a minimum of three years.

According to a student currently enrolled in Ahmedabad University, the tuition fees is Rs 2.5 lakh per year and study materials cost around Rs 5,000 per year. The university provides hostel accommodation at Rs 15,000 per month and food, at Rs 5,000 per month.

Students choosing to stay as paying guests or in rent flats near the campus will have to pay Rs 8,000 to 10,000 per month. There are several cafes on campus and the cost of a full meal is Rs 100. The cost of a one-day outing is around Rs 3,000 including food, travel and other expenses.

The university offers merit scholarships and need-based aid to the students.

The cost of projects and field trips will be offered by the university to students on scholarships and according to the type of scholarships they are on.

KREA University | Sricity | Andhra Pradesh

KREA University offers programmes in Arts, Science and Humanities leading to BA Arts, BA Hons, BSc , BSc Hons with a duration of three years each.

Students currently enrolled in KREA University said that the tuition fee per year is Rs 2.5 lakh, excluding the admission fee which is Rs 35,000. The university also provides accommodation to the students at Rs 50,000 per year.

Students can also choose to stay in the nearby PG accommodations or rented flats, costing around Rs 10,000 to 15,000 per month. The university also provides bus facilities. Frequent outings are very common among students and the cost of a single day’s outing is around Rs 3000, including food and transportation. The university also has a cafeteria where a regular meal costs Rs 150.

The university offers merit scholarships and need-based aid to the students. The cost of projects and fieldwork associated with the academics will be borne by the university.