Top Arts Colleges in India 2024

Arts is a popular stream with a plethora of courses covered in it. The subjects included are humanities, geography, political science, sociology, psychology and each subject is studied in depth during this course. These courses have a lot of career opportunities. The duration of the bachelor degree courses is 3 years in India whereas master’s degree courses are two years and have a lot of other specialisations as well. India is home to some of the best and most reputed Arts colleges and institutions. There are more than 15000 arts colleges in India.

This degree is highly valued and transferable to many sectors. Students can, later on, pursue journalism, mass media, law, tourism, sociology and many different career options. The study of some of these specialisations requires a great deal of practical work and study of the background. Many universities also offer an option to undertake work experience during your studies, which is a great opportunity to develop the skills learnt within a professional context.

In this article, the top 10 arts colleges in India along with their details such as cut-offs, fees, and ratings have been given as per different zones i. e. north zone, east zone, south zone and west zone. 

Arts degree colleges in India: Specialisations available

Degrees in Arts are very popular in India. The popular specialisations are:

Bachelor’s degree

 The undergraduate level courses in Arts and Humanities is known as Bachelor of Arts or BA and has a lot of specialisations under this course. Some of the popular undergraduate courses are:

• BA English

• BA Political science

• BA Economics

• BA History

• BA Geography

• BA Sociology

• BA Psychology

• BA Philosophy

Master’s degree

Postgraduate degrees are known as Masters of Arts or MA. This is a two-year course with many specialisations and the popular ones are:

• MA English

• MA in Political science

• MA in Economics

• MA History

• MA Geography

• MA Sociology

• MA Psychology

• MA Philosophy

• Masters of social work

PhD

PhD is a doctoral degree with an academic focus. There are various PhD courses in Arts as well. Some of the popular ones are:

• PhD in Humanities

• PhD in Social Work

• PhD in Public and Economic Policy

• PhD in Psychology

• PhD in Physiology

• PhD in Economics

• PhD in English

• PhD in Humanities & Social Sciences

• PhD in Social Sciences

• PhD in Humanities and Life Sciences

• PhD in International Relations and Politics

• PhD in Literature

Arts degree colleges in India: Eligibility Criteria

Various institutes across India have different eligibility criteria. The criteria for different levels of specialisations are as follows:

Undergraduate courses:

• Aspirants who have cleared their 10 + 2 from any stream from a recognised board with minimum marks required by the desired college/university.

• Students from the science and commerce stream are also eligible to pursue Arts courses in India. But some universities prefer students with Arts backgrounds to pursue graduation. 

For Postgraduate courses:

• Aspirants must have pursued graduation, preferably in the subject in which they wish to pursue during their masters with not less than 50% marks from a recognised college or university.

• Some universities also conduct entrance examinations in which the candidate’s aptitude and basic knowledge of the course are tested. 

For PhD courses:

• Candidates must have completed their master’s degree course in Arts with a minimum of 60 % marks in the last qualifying exam from a recognised university.

Arts degree colleges in India: Admission Process

For UG courses:

The admission process for Bachelor degrees is merit-based. Students with a minimum of 50% marks are eligible to apply for the colleges of their choice. Admission is granted based on cut-offs set by these colleges. The cut-offs vary across colleges with it ranging from 50% to more than 90% based on college or university. After qualifying that round, the students are required to secure admission by submitting the documents and paying the fees. Admission will be confirmed only after successful verification of documents and payment of fees.

For PG courses:

Most colleges conduct an entrance exam for admission to MA courses. Students need to clear the entrance exam to seek admission in the desired college. Some colleges conduct few extra rounds such as interviews and group discussions before granting admission to students. Some of the popular MA entrance exams are:

• TISSNET

• Delhi University M.A Entrance Exam

• JNU M.A. Entrance Exam

• Christ University M.A Entrance Exam

• Azim Premji University M.A. Entrance Exam

For PhD courses:

• Candidates need to fill out the application form of the respective college and pay the application fee. The candidate’s documents need to be submitted for verification.

• Some institutes also require candidates to submit a research proposal along with the application form.

• After scrutiny of the application form and research proposal, candidates are shortlisted for the entrance exam and other rounds conducted by the institute. 

Arts Degree Colleges in the North Zone

The north zone holds some of the prestigious colleges for a degree in Arts. These institutions have various specialisations and the cut-off, fees and ranking vary from college to college. This zone comprises states such as Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi is the home to some of the best Arts degree colleges. For students who reside in the north zone or aspire to study in a college in the north zone, 10 reputed colleges along with their details have been listed below.

Arts Degree Colleges in the East Zone

East Zone of India comprises states such as Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal. West Bengal holds some of the best Arts degree colleges in India. Students pursuing arts in these states have a wide scope due to the varied culture and traditions. For students who wish to pursue an arts degree from this zone, some of the best colleges in the East Zone along with their details have been listed below.

Arts Degree Colleges in the South Zone

The south zone is known for some of the highest-ranked colleges in India. This zone comprises states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are said to hold some of the most reputed Arts degree colleges in India. 10 reputed Arts degree colleges along with their details, have been listed below.

Arts Degree Colleges in the West Zone

The west zone comprises states such as Maharashtra, Goa, and Gujarat. But Maharashtra holds most of the reputed Arts colleges in India. Mumbai is home to most of these top colleges. These colleges have high ratings as well as high cut-offs. Admission into some of these colleges is difficult due to the high cut off. For students who aspire to pursue a degree from colleges in the west zone, 10 best colleges along with their details have been listed below. 

FAQs

1. Does St. Stephens college, Delhi have hostel facilities?

Yes, St. Stephens college, Delhi has 3 boys and 3 girl’s hostels. Boys hostel has an accommodation capacity of 190 and girls hostel has an accommodation capacity of 160. Hostel facilities include laundry service, tailoring service, Wi-Fi connection, hot water facilities and water purifiers.

2. Does Hansraj College provide admission through sports quota?

Yes, Hansraj college considers sports quota for admission purposes. Students need to apply for a sports quota while filling the application form of the University of Delhi and are required to appear for the centralised trials conducted by the university.

3. Is Siliguri College, Darjeeling a government college?

No, Siliguri College, Darjeeling is a Private college.

4. What facilities does Lady Brabourne college, Kolkata offer?

Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata offers canteen, computer, library, hostel, common room, and counselling facilities to the students.

5. Is Stella Maris College, Chennai, a private college or government college?

Stella Maris College, Chennai is a private college.

6. What is the placement rate in Madras Christian College, Chennai?

In Madras Christian College, Chennai, the placement rate is 90%.

7. Is Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, Pune a private college and what facilities does it have?

Yes, Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, Pune is a private college. It offers hostel, gym, library, sports, cafeteria, auditorium, hospital, WIFI, laboratories, alumni associations, guest rooms and bank facilities to the students.

8. What is the placement package in Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai?

The median placement package in Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai is Rs. 2.5 lakhs- 3 lakhs. 

9. Which are the best arts degree colleges in Mumbai?

Some of the arts degree colleges in Mumbai are:

• Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai

• St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai

• Jai Hind College, Mumbai

• Mithibai college, Mumbai

• Kishinchand Chellaram College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai 

• Bhavans College, Mumbai

• Wilson College, Mumbai

• SIES College

• DG Ruparel College, Mumbai

• St. Andrew’s College, Mumbai

• Sathaye College, Mumbai

• KJ Somaiya college

• Guru Nanak Khalsa college, Mumbai

10. What is the placement record of Mithibai College, Mumbai, and who are the top recruiters?

According to the placement statistics as given by the college for the year 2018, the highest salary package was Rs. 19.5 lakhs per annum, the lowest was Rs. 2.5 lakhs per annum, whereas the average salary package offered was Rs. 7 lakhs per annum. The top recruiters are:

• Tech Mahindra

• Deutsche Bank

• Nokia

• Citigroup

• PWC

• Google

• KPMG

• Capgemini