Unlike the undergraduate architecture admissions that are conducted across the country on the basis of the NATA exam, postgraduate architecture admissions are conducted individually by each university.
However, you might come across states where architecture admissions are conducted through a state body, even though this is not a widely prevalent practice.
You would be required to visit the website of the university/college you wish to join and find out about their admission criteria and procedure in detail before you decide to apply.
How to get into a Postgraduate course at an Architecture College in India?
There are 4 ways through which you can into an M.Arch course at an Architecture College in India:
1. Through GATE
GATE is a very popular postgraduate national level entrance exam which provides students with the opportunity to join various postgraduate engineering/architecture programs.
Some of the institutes that admit students into postgraduate architecture courses on the basis of their GATE scores are:
IIT Roorkee: http://www.iitr.ac.in
IIT Kharagpur (MCP course): http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/academics/?page=acads
SPA, Delhi: http://spa.ac.in/Admission2014.aspx
2. Through State level Entrance Exams
Many colleges admit students into postgraduate architecture programs on the basis of an entrance exam conducted by a Government authority for that state. Candidates are required to appear for the state exam and are then allocated a seat on the basis of their score.
Some of the states that conduct postgraduate entrance exams for M.Arch admissions include:
Odisha JEE PGAT: http://www.odishajee.com
Tamil Nadu CET: http://www.annauniv.edu/tancet2014/
Andhra Pradesh: http://www.appgecet.org/
3. Through University/College level Entrance Exams
Several architecture colleges conduct their own entrance exams for admissions into postgraduate architecture courses. These entrance exams are only applicable to that particular university/college.
Some of the colleges/universities that conduct their own entrance exams for M.Arch admissions include:
Jamia Milia Islamia: http://jmi.ac.in/fae
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University (For Non – GATE candidates): http://14.139.236.35/index.php
4. On the basis of College Marks
A significant number of architecture colleges admit students solely on the basis of their marks in their Bachelors degree and do not conduct/consider any entrance exam while admitting candidates.
Some of the colleges/universities that admit students on the basis of their college marks include:
Sushant School of Architecture: http://www.ansaluniversity.edu.in/sushant-school-of-art-and-architecture/m.arch
Manipal University: http://www.manipal.edu/institutions/architecturedesign/fapdmanipal/courses/postgraduate/pages/march(urbandesignanddevelopment).aspx
Rachana Sansad: http://rachanasansad.edu.in/dept/Envior/M_Arch14_15/admission_procedure.html
Aayojan School of Architecture, Jaipur: http://www.aayojan.edu.in/jaipur/courses.php
What are the admissions based on?
Postgraduate Architecture admissions are based on several factors apart from your score in an entrance exam. Architecture colleges generally go through your college academic record to make sure that you have been performing consistently as an architecture student.
Not only that, but the fate of your application also rests on the quality of your portfolio, which is a collection of all the projects, plans, layouts and designs you have created or have been a part of till now. By going through your portfolio, the selection committee tries to see your aptitude, creativity and technical knowledge so as to make sure that you’re a worthy candidate for the seat.
Apart from your marks in the entrance exams, college degree and portfolio, many competitive architecture colleges like the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) make you write a ‘Statement of Purpose’ which provides you with an opportunity to communicate with the authorities directly and try and give them an insight into your personality, goals, achievements and background.
Almost every architecture college’s admission process comprises of a ‘Personal Interview’ stage. Candidates are made to communicate face to face with the admission authorities and answer questions related to their past projects, academic background, future goals etc. This stage might also sometimes include a practical or written test. The interview helps the authorities see your level of confidence and judge whether you’ll be a good fit in their postgraduate architecture course or not.
In totality, it can be said that your performance in the entrance exam (GATE/State/University level), your college marks, your portfolio, your personality and aptitude, all make a difference towards the fate of your application.
Before you decide to apply to a college, go through its website and find out in details about its admission criteria and process.
