Best Archaeology Colleges in India - Courses, Fees, Admissions 2026

About 60+ best Archaeology colleges are there in India, of which 52 are government-owned, 6 are owned privately, and 3 are owned by semi-government institutions. CUET and CUET-PG are the top entrance exams for admission to the best Archeology colleges in India. The top Archaeology colleges in India are Kerala University, BHU, University of Madras, and MSU, etc. 

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Archaeology Colleges in India

The table here gives some top Archaeology college options in India 

Note - This information is taken from the official website and may vary.

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Archaeology Colleges in India

Hope this helps!

Yes, you can get admission to best Archaeology colleges in India without any entrance exam but it is advised to go for entrance exams like CUET PG to increase your chances of getting into most colleges. However you can refer below for the best Archaeology colleges in India that accept students on merit-basis:

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

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As the Arts & Humanities stream is mostly preferred by students to pursue a graduate degree course in Archaeology, it is not an essential requirement. Most of the top universities in India do not demand a stream specification in 12^th board for taking admission to their BA Archaeology program.

So, to answer your question, yes. You can pursue an undergraduate course in Archaeology after completing your 12^th class in Science stream or any stream.

K J Somaiya Institute of Dharma Studies courses' admissions are based on entrance exam scores. The university also accepts CUET UG or CUET PG scores as per respective courses. Students can check the list of course eligibility from the table presented below:

You can refer below for the top specialisations offered by best Archaeology colleges in India.

Note - The information is taken from the official website of the college.

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Archaeology Courses

No, Archaeology courses aren't necessarily expensive. In fact, there are 49 colleges where it is offered at a course fee of less than INR 1 Lakh. Some colleges with low tuition fees have been mentioned in the table below:

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

The colleges with the highest placement after Archaeology courses have been mentioned below, along with their average placement salary and top recruiters.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Archaeology field provides various career aspects at graduate level, post graduate level and PhD level. It depends on where you are at right now and what type of career you wish to pursue as an archaeologist. Let's make it clear for you by categorizing on different levels.

Graduate Level – You can take admission to BA Archaeology courses after qualifying your class 12^th board with at least 50% marks. Complete your 3-years degree programme in archaeology at your preferred college. You can choose careers as assistant professor, assistant researcher or consultant archaeologist.

Post-Graduate Level – After completing undergraduate course in Archaeology, you can go for post-graduation which is a 2 years course and contains more detailed study in Archaeology field. A post-graduate degree in archaeology offers associate level career opportunities.

PhD Level – 5-years doctoral research programme in Archaeology allows deeper research scope in your specialised with a chance to publish your research work. At this level, you can opt for advance career jobs as research specialist, heritage manager, archivist, museum manager, and others.

According to the University of Madras NIRF report, 483 PG 2 year students were placed in 2024 with a median package of INR 4.2 LPA. In PG 3 year program, 7 students got placements with a median salary of INR 4.80 LPA.

Hi, please refer below for the top courses offered by best Archaeology colleges in India:

Hope this answered your question!

I think the course fee for Archeology in India is generally inexpensive. The costliest Archaeology college comes in a range of around 1.5 lakh rupees. 

Note - The information is taken from the official website and may vary.

CUET PG is the top entrance exam for admission to best Archaeology colleges in India followed by CUET, Andhra Pradesh PGCET, IPU CET, etc.

Here are some top Archaeology book recommendations for you

• Handbook of Archaeology by Tejas Chadha and Dipankar Agarwal.
• Pre-Historic Archaeology by D K Bhattacharya.
• Archaeology: The Essential Guide to Our Human Past by Paul Bahn.
• Ancient Lives: An Introduction To Archaeology And Prehistory by Brian M. Facan.
• Spooky Archaeology: Myth and the Science of the Past by Jeb J. Card.
• Michel Foucault's Archaeology of Western Culture.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU Aurangabad) has a very big campus and offers various facilities to postgraduate, undergraduate, and various other course students. There is a health centre construction going on at the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University has a library, hostel, cafeteria, sports complex, and also provides various other facilities to students. Students can visit the campus and see what all facilities are being provided by the university.

Archaeologists can look deeply into specific aspects of human history and cultural heritage thanks to these specializations. People may decide to specialize in one or more of these categories, depending on the place, era, or kind of archaeological site of interest.

Candidates can check the table to learn about Archaeology specializations

Disclaimer: The information given in the above table is taken from external sources and may vary.

There is no age limit to pursue MA Archaeology course. You can pursue this course at any age. The colleges and entrance exam conducting bodies do not prescribe any minimum or maximum age limit for you to pursue MA Archeology course. Some colleges especially private colleges may have their own eligibility rules. So, it is better if you check the individual college's eligibility criteria before applying. Make sure that you satisfy other eligibility parameters such as academic qualifications and marks criteria.

You need to have excellent research skills, the ability to work methodically, planning & project management skills, an interest in History & research, cultural awareness, and so on to become an Archaeologist. These skills will help you succeed in your field. 

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Archaeology Career

Central College of Haryana offers more than 83 UG, PG, and PhD programs in different disciplines. CUH comprises 8 schools and 34 departments, headed by well-experienced staff individuals. BTech is the lead program of Central College of Haryana. Affirmations to BTech program are done through JEE Primary examination. The BTech program being the lead program indicates the university’s strong focus on technology and engineering disciplines

Patna University has 100+ faculty members such as Science, Humanities, Social Science, Commerce, Education, and Law. Most of these faculty members have master's and PhD level degrees from top colleges. Moreover, the faculty members have a minimum of 6+ years of experience.

For Visva Bharati University admissions to various UG & PG courses, candidates have to fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria, followed by the other selection rounds. Find below the course-wise eligibility and selection criteria related to Visva Bharati University course admissions 2025:

B.Tech at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University is a reputable, affordable, NAAC 'A' graded central university option in Uttarakhand featuring 80% placements with top recruiters like TCS & HCL. Program provides good infrastructure & hostel facilities for tuition fees ranging from INR 67000 to INR 88000. 

Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith offers all the necessary campus facilities to its students. Some of the facilities include:

• Well-equipped classrooms
• Library
• Sports and medical facilities
• Labs

National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) is generally considered a Tier 1 institution. The university has an academic reputation as it has been accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with an A grade and recognised by the UGC. NFSU offers a wide range of programs from Diploma to doctoral levels in various forensic disciplines. 

Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University (PRSU) has over 215 faculty members in various schools of PSRU. Some of the names of these schools include School of Studies in Environmental Science, School of Studies in Electronics and Photonics, School of Studies in History, School of Studies in Psychology, Renewable Energy Technology & Management, etc. Most of these faculty members have a doctoral degree with good teaching experience.

Admissions to NEHU Shillong is offered on the basis of merit and valid scores of accepted entrance exams. Candidates must secure a minimum aggregate in Class 12 for admission to UG level courses. Whereas, for PG level courses, candidates must secure valid scores in accepted entrance exams such as JEE Main, CUET UG/PG, CAT/MAT/AIMA and other national-level examinations suitable for the chosen course.  

Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) offers a wide range of UG, PG, Diploma, and Certificate course across various specialisations, and the university have specified different entrance exams for different courses. Given below are some of the details of which entrance exam is required for which course, along with their application form:

ajasthan University has collaborated with various companies and universities. For these collaborations, UNIRAJ has signed MoUs with various industries and organisations. The table below reflects some of the notable Rajasthan University Jaipur collaborations:

Himachal Pradesh University has well-educated faculty. Most of the faculty are PhD and Masters degree holders. HPU Shimla also invites faculty for guest lectures and offer an opportunity to students to interact with some of the best personalities. At present, there are more than 150 faculty members and most of them are doctorates.

After JEE session 2 is completed, only those candidates who are aiming for IITs need to start preparing for JEE Advanced after clearing JEE Main. Those who are above the 98th percentile should start preparing for JEE Advanced as soon as possible. Those below this, between the 95th and 98th percentile, should focus on attempting more mock tests and previous year question papers so that they have a better chance of clearing JEE Advanced