Architecture & Planning Colleges in Chennai - Courses, Fees, Admissions 2026, Cutoff, Placements

Sure, there are more than 100 private M.Arch colleges in India that are known for their excellent coursework and practical exposure. Some of the best private M.Arch colleges are given below:

• Manipal University
  
• Chandigarh University (CU)
• SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur
• Manipal College of Architecture
• Manipal University, Jaipur
• Ramaiah Institute of Technology
• VIT Vellore
• Anant National University

It is very much competitive to get hired by top recruiters such as Morphogenesis, CP Kukreja, Sanjay Puri Architects, Godrej & Boyce L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji and Tata Projects but not impossible. 

You basically need strong portfolios, specialised skills (like BIM, sustainability), excellent communication, and a standout mentality beyond just grades.

For pursuing M.Arch, students would be expected to show some amount of work during the time of admission. But students are advised to check same with university as every university would have its own unique admission eligibility criteria. 

SRM Institute of Science and Technology admissions are conducted on the basis of entrance tests. The admission for the flagship programs are held on the basis of SRMJEEE UG exam. Further, SRM MBA admissions are conducted on the basis of SRMJEEM test. The SRMJEEE PG test is conducted for the various SRMIST PG courses. The university also accepts scoring from nationally-held tests like CAT, TANCET, MAT, etc. for admissions.

For Dr. M.G.R, the following rank have been obtained from the Institute for Educational Research.

NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework): Ranked 92 out of 200 colleges by 2023 in India.
IIRF (Indian Institutional Ranking Framework): Architecture program ranks among 45 colleges by 2024 in India.

Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology is a private university. It is a leading university in Chennai and was established in 1987. The university is UGC-recognised and offers AICTE-approved courses to students. SIST has ranked 93 under the 'Overall' category by the NIRF 2025.

Hindustan College of Engineering, established in 1985 is a private college and is located in Kelambakkam, Chennai. The college was conferred the status of a university under the name Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS). It is a deemed-to-be University recognised by the UGC, the AICTE, the AIMA, the SAE International, AIAA,  and is a member of AIU and is accredited by the IAO, NAAC with an 'A' Grade,  and NBA. 

Yes, IIT Madras is known as a tier 1 college. IIT Madras is known as an 'Institute of Eminence'. The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (Chennai IIT Madras or IITM) was established in 1959 as a public technical & research university. It is the third IIT to be set up by the Government of India & is autonomous in nature. Chennai IIT Campus, through its various departments, offers various full-time/ part-time/ online courses at postgrduate, undergrdauate, & doctoral levels across the Engineering, Science,  Humanities,  Management,  and various other streams. The available flagship programmes are BTech and MBA.

During SRM Ramapuram placements 2023, more than 140 companies made offers so far and made over 12,000 total offers to the students out of which over 1300 offers were made so far in campus recruitment process. Moreover, the highest package offered was INR 1.1 crore per annum. The top recruiters include Cognizant, TCS Ninja, Wipro, etc. Additionally, during SRM Ramapuram placements 2022, the highest package of INR 42.5 LPA was offered to the B.Tech CSE student.

The popular programmes offered at Rajalakshmi Engineering College are BTech, MTech, and MBA. The college mainly offers courses in Engineering and Management streams. These courses are offered in full-time mode. 

MEASI Academy of Architecture has been rated 4.9 for faculty as per reviews by students. This shows that Institute has qualified and experienced faculty members.

The DOT School of Design offers many courses which include UG, PG, and Diploma courses in the field of Design and Fine Arts. The most popular courses of the institute include a 4-year full-time B.Des course in 4 specializations and a 2-year full-time M.Des course in interior and furniture design. Apart from that, DOT School of Design has BFA in fine arts and 2-year PG Diploma courses in 2 specializations.

Bharath University has a dedicated faculty for each of its department. The faculty members are positioned based on designations such as associate professor, and assistant professor. Further, all the faculty members are highly qualifed and experts in their respective subjects. Most of the members are also PhD holders.

Arena Animation Mumbai offers VFX courses to students. The institute offers VFX Prime, VFX Film Making and VFX Compositing & Editing courses to students. The total fee for the VFX Prime course is between INR 2 lakh and INR 3 lakh. The fee varies depending on the course and the centre location. The fee indicated here are exclusive of various applicable taxes.

Saveetha College of Architecture and Design offers various full time courses at the UG and PG level courses. Candidates looking for course admission must meet the eligibility criteria set by the college. Students can check the table below to know detail eligibility and selection criteria:

Courses	Eligibility	Selection Criteria
BArch	Class 12 with Physics, Maths and Chemistry	NATA
MSc	Graduation	Merit-based
BDes	Class 12	Merit-based
BSc	Class 12	Merit-based
MArch	BArch with a 60% aggregate	PGETA/GATE
Diploma	Class 10 with a 60% aggregate	Merit-based

Fashion Designer, Textile Designer, Accessory Designer, Interior Designer, Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Game Designer, and Furniture Designer are some of the job profiles available after studying design courses. Designer pay may vary depending on a number of factors, including cities or demand. Your degree's worth may differ between cities. There are more offices and enterprises in big cities, which increases your chances of finding work.

Graduates in design have a wide range of employment possibilities.

Job Profiles	Average Salary (INR)
Fashion Designer	INR 3.5 LPA
Textile Designer	INR 4.2 LPA
Graphic Designer	INR 3.0 LPA
Interior Designer	INR 3.1 LPA
UI/UX Designer	INR 5.5 LPA

On the official webiste of B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, I could not find any information on the cutoff marks required in the JEE Main or Crescent College's entrance test, namely Crescent Institute Engineering Admission Test (CIEAT 2024) for admission. However, as per the eligibility criteria mentioned on the official website of the college, students must have at least 50% scores in their Class 12 in the PCM subject combination to be eligible for this course. 

MBBS-The institute has a well-established reputation for producing successful doctors through its MBBS program. Through its affiliated tertiary care hospital, it offers considerable clinical experience. A curriculum based on credits and problem-based learning is used in the MBBS program.
BDS-Saveetha is regarded as having one of the top dental programs in the nation. Improved practical knowledge in dentistry is the aim of the BDS program. It provides training in cutting-edge dental procedures and has highly skilled faculty.
MDS: The Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) programme at Saveetha Institute is highly esteemed. Modern dentistry equipment and MDS instrumentation labs are available at the institute.
Bachelor of Technology Biotechnology: This school also boasts a well regarded biotechnology engineering department. Industrial process engineering and genetic engineering are the main topics of study.

Candidates willing to get admission must take part in the MARG Institute of Design and Architecture Swarnabhoomi (MIDAS) application process mentioned below:

Step 1: Visit the official website of college.

Step 2: Select the course and pay the application fee.

Step 3: Fill out and submit the application form with required information.

CAAD - Chennai Academy of Architecture and Design courses are approved by eminent Government bodies such as CoA. The combined seats available for various programmes provided by CAAD - Chennai Academy of Architecture and Design goes up to 80.

Rajalakshmi School of Architecture courses are approved by eminent Government bodies such as CoA. The combined seats available for various programmes provided by Rajalakshmi School of Architecture goes up to 60.

ICAT Design And Media College has been rated 3.07 for Faculty as per the Shiksha verified reviews by students. This represents that Institute has decent, qualified and experienced faculty members.