Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts Pune BA {Hons.} Research Liberal Arts: Fees 2026, Course Duration, Dates, Eligibility

Ans. Both are awarded under the same four-year programme. The Honours with Research designation is given to students who maintain a CGPA of 7.5 or above at the end of Semester 6 and successfully complete a research project in their final year. Students who do not meet the CGPA threshold or choose not to pursue the research project can instead complete an additional internship or two extra courses from their major, and receive the Honours degree. Both designations are equally valid and recognised by Symbiosis International University.

Ans. The B.A. (Liberal Arts) degree is awarded to students who major in Anthropology, Business Studies, Economics, English, Education, History, International Relations, Media Studies, Philosophy, Political Science and Public Policy, Psychology, or Sociology. These are humanities and social science disciplines. Students majoring in STEM-oriented subjects such as Mathematics and Statistics, Computer Studies, or Applied Environmental and Sustainability Science receive the B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) degree instead. Both programmes are part of the same four-year liberal arts curriculum at SSLA.

Ans. Yes, SSLA's programme structure requires students to complete a Major (15 courses within a chosen specialisation, along with foundational courses and a mandatory internship), a Minor (6 courses within a second specialisation), and Electives that are inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary in nature. The programme also includes Core courses covering foundational and skill enhancement components. This structure allows students to build depth in one area while gaining breadth across multiple disciplines, which is the defining feature of a liberal arts education.

Ans. There is no stream restriction for admission to SSLA. Students from any stream (Science, Commerce, Arts, or Humanities) who have passed Class 12 with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC/ST) from a recognised board are eligible to apply. SSLA's liberal arts model is specifically designed to be stream-agnostic, welcoming students who wish to explore multiple disciplines rather than being confined to a single subject area.

Ans. Graduates of the B.A. (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research programme have pursued careers in diverse fields including public policy, journalism, consulting, social entrepreneurship, law, academia, and international organisations. Many alumni have also gone on to postgraduate programmes at reputed universities in India and abroad. The research component of the degree is particularly valued by universities offering master's and doctoral programmes, as it demonstrates independent academic inquiry and analytical capability.

Ans. The PI-WAT is the second stage of SSLA's admission process, conducted after SET/SAT results are declared. Shortlisted candidates are invited for an Online Personal Interaction (PI) followed by a Writing Ability Test (WAT), which is a short subjective-answer based test. The final merit list is prepared based on the combined scores of SET/SAT and PI-WAT. SSLA does not publicly disclose the exact weightage assigned to each component, but both the entrance test score and the PI-WAT performance are considered in the final selection. Candidates are advised to prepare for both components thoroughly.