Best Religious Studies Colleges in India - Courses, Fees, Admissions 2026

To pursue Bachelor of Theology course you should have completed Class 12 or equivalent qualification such as BVoc, Diploma etc. You could have studied in any stream such as Science, Commerce and Arts. But make sure that you have studied in a recognised institute.

Theology courses are degrees that involve the study of religious belief systems, traditions and other social and cultural facets of the particular faith. By pursuing a theology degree, students can enhance their knowledge associated with a belief system. A degree of theology has close links with fields like Philosophy, History, Anthropology and Religion Studies.

 To become a professor, the first step that you need to clear is pursuing a Master. After completing the Masters, you should go for the UGC NET Exam. The UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test) is conducted by the National Testing Agency NTA to select the candidates for Lectureships and Junior Research Fellowships.

 The exam is conducted twice a year in 81 subjects like Humanities, English Literature, Management, etc. Make sure that you meet the required eligibility criteria before applying for this exam like qualification, age norms, etc. There are also other exams like CSIR NET SET, GATE, etc. That can help you pursue your dream of becoming a Professor.

Placement sessions are conducted in several colleges for Theology students. Some of these are as follows:

Theology Course Colleges	Average Fees (in INR)
Faculty of Arts, Dayalbagh Educational Institute	4 LPA
Aliah University -City Campus (Park Circus)	1 - 3.4 LPA
Department of Jainology and Comparative Religion and Philosophy, Jain Vishva Bharti Institute	2.9 LPA
Aliah University -Old Campus (Taltala)	1.8 - 2.5 LPA

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:

Course Name	Eligibility
BA	Class 12
MA	Graduation with a 55% aggregate in any stream
Certificate	Class 12 or equivalent
PG Diploma	Graduate in any stream
UG Diploma	Class 12 or equivalent

There are several colleges that offer Theology courses with low fees. Some of these are as follows:

Theology Course Colleges	Average Fees (in INR)
SHUATS - Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences	1 K - 90 K
Aliah University -Old Campus (Taltala)	1.2 K - 2.8 K
Faculty of Arts, Dayalbagh Educational Institute	1.8 K
Department of Jainology and Comparative Religion and Philosophy, Jain Vishva Bharti Institute	2 K
Aliah University -City Campus (Park Circus)	4.5 K - 6.6 K
Directorate of Distance Education, Madurai Kamaraj University	5 K
Christ University	86 K

There are many good books on Theology. Some of these are as follows:

Theology Books	Authors
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine	Wayne Grudem
On being a servant of God	Warren Wiersbe
A Theology of Biblical Counseling: The Doctrinal Foundations of Counseling Ministry	Dr. Heath Lambert
The Screwtape Letters	C. S. Lewis
The Moody handbook of theology	Paul Enns
The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses	C.S. Lewis
Building Healthy Churches	Nick Roark

Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences provides the flagship Bachelor of Science (BSc) program, which provides a solid Scientific foundation to students. The course is available in various specializations, and is geared towards the Agricultural fields. The SHUATS BSc programme is available in various relevant specializations like Nursing, Agriculture, Biotechnology, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Community Science, among others.

Admission to School of Humanities and Social Sciences courses is entrance-based. The institute conducts Jain entrance test to shortlist candidates for admission. The entrance test is conducted in three rounds and they are as mentioned below:

1. Written Test
2. Group Discussion
3. Personal Interview

Candidates who clear all rounds are offered admission at School of Humanities and Social Sciences.   

Shoolini University has its position among India top higher education institutions securing 3rd rank in India & maintaining its place in Top 500 globally in the Times Higher Education & World University Rankings 2026. University also achieved 135 global rank in Research Quality highlighting its growing strength in research & innovation. 

The American College is a well-known institution for UG Diploma, MCA, Ph.D, M.Sc, M.A, MBA/PGDM, B.Sc, B.A, BCA, B.Voc, BBA, B.Com, M.Com courses. These programs are delivered by highly experienced faculty. As per Shiksha's verified reviews, The American College has a rating of 4.1 on the basis of Shiksha-verified reviews by students. Not just this, it has also been rated 4.47 on Campus Life, 3.39 on Placements, 4.15 on Faculty and 4.23 on Infrastructure.

St Xavier's College Mumbai offers a wide range of courses across the UG, PG, Diploma, Certificate and PhD levels with the college having 8 UG level, 11 PG level, 11 Diploma level, and 4 certificate level as well as PhD programmes not accounting for the different specialisations or major/minor combinations. The college also features Junior College programmes in the Arts, Science and Commerce streams.

Kalindi College, University of Delhi has been rated 4.16 for Faculty as per the Shiksha verified reviews by students. This represents that Institute has decent, qualified and experienced faculty members.

Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women admissions are based on merit. The college considers Class 12 score for UG programmes whereas graduation scores are considered for PG admission. Once selected, aspirants are called for document verification and fee payment.

Christ College, Bangalore is famous for its MBA, BTech, and Law courses as the university is ranked by NIRF for these streams. Also these course students are placed in top companies such as Sandisk, McKinsey & Co, Vedanta, Engagely AI, and others. Yes, Christ University is a good university which is renowned for its placements and infrastructure. 

Yes, Aligarh Muslim University admission to most of the courses is based on CUET scores. Admission to AMU undergraduate courses including  BSc (Hons.) Community Science, BA (Hons/Research), BVoc in Production Technology, Polymer and Coating Technology and Fashion Design & Garment Technology and BSc (Hons/Research) is completely based on valid Central University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) scores. From the academic session 2022, all the central universities along with a few state-deemed universities and private universities started accepting CUET scores for admission to their UG and PG courses. 

S.S. Jain Subodh PG College offers scholarships under various schemes initiated by the Central/ State Government institutions. Students who are from privileged, needy and physically challenged groups are endowed with scholarships. The below-mentioned are S.S. Jain Subodh PG College scholarships:

S.S. Jain Subodh PG College Scholarships
Chief Minister Higher Education Scholarship	Kali Bai Bheel Medha	Endowment Scholarship
Sumedha Scholarship	Scholarship for Class Merit Holders	Protsahan Scholarship for Excellence

DU admission is open. Admission in Delhi University is based on CUET-UG & CUET-PG scores. Below are the upcoming events for DU admission:

• University of Delhi (DU) has released the admission cutoff for 5-yr integrated BA LLB and BBA LLB courses through Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) scores.
• The CUET PG 2026 registration process for admission to PG courses is expected to begin in Jan 2026.
• DU CSAS-PG 2025 Spot Round 3 allocations have been released for admission to various PG courses based on the CUET-PG 2025 scores, and the last date for fee payment is Aug 20, 2025.

IIT BHU was just another engineering college within a university. By an ACT of Parliament, IT-BHU changed its affiliation to IIT (BHU) Varanasi on June 29, 2012. The Institute immediately created procedures and practises in accordance with IIT standards after becoming an IIT. IIT BHU was placed 13 among all Engineering colleges across the country in the NIRF Rankings 2022, making it one of the most sought-after engineering options.

Mumbai University admission to various courses is based on merit or entrance exam. Mumbai University admission process is conducted through an online application. Candidates can refer to the steps below to fill out the Mumbai University application form:

• Visit the official website of MU
• Fill MU pre-enrolment form
• Fill out the application form of MU affiliated colleges
• Wait for the release of MU merit lists which are published on the official websites of the affiliated colleges

Candidates must wait for the Mumbai University cutoff after submitting their application for admission. Those who make the university's merit list must report to the college for document verification and counselling.

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Rankings 2026 will be updated here once out. A few of the important MSU Baroda rankings are mentioned below:

Ranking Body	Ranks
QS Asian University Rankings - Southern Asia 2026	362
QS Asian University Rankings Ranking 2026	1101-1200
The Week 2025 under the Law category	18
NIRF 2025 under the Pharmacy category	46
NIRF 2025 under the engineering category	201-300

Univerity of Madras is a state public university in Chennai. Madras University has also been recognised by the UGC. It ahs been ranked 38th under "University" category, 68th under "Overall" category & 18th under "State Public Universities" by NIRF 2025. BTech & MBA are the flagship courses of the university. Overall, it is a very good university in terms of rankings, infrastructure, faculty, etc.

Jamia Millia Islamia is an excellent choice with the State Public University being most well-known for its liberal and scholarly atmosphere with the university producing many well-known alumni and free thinkers such as Shah Rukh Khan, Kabir Khan, Mouni Roy, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Barkha Dutt, and many more.

The liberal atmosphere of JMI Delhi extends to its faculty and courses with the university having a curriculum design with the latest breakthroughs and changes in mind.

Further the university has approvals from a number of national bodies such as the AICTE, BCI, CoA, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, INC, NCTE, National Medical Commission, PCI, and Rehabilitation Council of India.

IGNOU admission cycle opens twice in a year i.e. January and July. The registrations for January session usually begins in December and close by March. The July session for ODL/ Online programmes begin in May and continue till July. The mode of application is online for all the courses.

One of India's leading institutes is Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. It has been consistently recognised by numerous national ranking agencies.

As per the NIRF 2025, the institute ranked #54 under Pharmacy category. Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University excellence in academics, distinguished professors.

The particular scores needed for acceptance into the Undergraduate (UG) Diploma programmes at the Institute of Distance Education, University of Madras, can change based on the programme and the academic year. UG Dimploma at IDE requires about 33% in marks. The formal admission notification or prospectus that the institute releases for each academic session normally includes information about the qualifying requirements, including the minimal score requirement.

Yes, MDU Rohtak accept JEE Main scores for admission to the BTech and various other courses. Candidates must prepare well for the JEE Main exam. Students must prepare according to the JEE Main syllabus. Students must read the JEE Main books and pepare accordingly. 

Lucknow University admissions are conducted on the basis of entrance exam scores and the merit of the student. It accepts entrance scores such as CUET, CUET-PG, and JEE Main. University of Lucknow also offers direct admission to vacant and NRI seats for BTech and MCA programmes. Candidates must secure a minimum aggregate of 40% to 60% in Class 12 for UG level admissions. For PG level admissions, candidates must secure a minimum aggregate of 45% to 50% in graduation. 

 For a few courses, such as MA, BA, MLib, etc., admissions are completely based on merit in the last qualifying examination. Students must go through the Panjab University CHD-conducted/ national-level entrances and then appear for the university-level selection rounds for final admission at Panjab University.