Fergusson College (Autonomous), Pune, is a historic arts and science college founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society, affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). Ranked 57th nationally in NIRF 2025 Colleges and consistently recognised as the top-ranked college in Maharashtra, it offers government-aided BA and BSc programmes at annual fees as low as Rs 7,380, alongside a broad range of self-financed and postgraduate programmes.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Deccan Education Society's Fergusson College (Autonomous), Pune |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Governing body | Deccan Education Society (est. 1884) |
| Type | Autonomous, Grant-in-Aid + Self-Financed; affiliated to SPPU |
| Location | F.C. Road, Pune 411004, Maharashtra |
| Campus | 65 acres (Victorian heritage; UGC Special Heritage Status) |
| Autonomous since | 2016 |
| NAAC | A+ (CGPA 3.31, 4th Cycle, April 2023) |
| NIRF 2025 College | #57 nationally (58.35); #1 in Maharashtra |
| UGC recognitions | College of Excellence; CPE; Special Heritage Status; DBT STAR |
| Admission (UG) | Merit-based on 12th board marks; no CUET or MHT-CET |
| Grant-in-Aid BA fee | Rs 8,060 per year (Rs 24,180 total, three years) |
| Placements (UG, NIRF 2025) | 83 placed of 1,251 eligible (6.6%); median Rs 3.80 LPA |
| Hostels | 6 blocks; 587 seats (427 boys + 160 girls) |
| Faculty | 195 |
| Official website | fergusson.edu |
Sources: fergusson.edu official site; NIRF India Rankings 2025 (nirfindia.org); NAAC 4th Cycle SSR document; careers360 (NIRF-sourced placement data).
Admissions to the most sought-after science programmes are extremely competitive and effectively reserved for board toppers. BSc Computer Science, Biotechnology, and Microbiology close at or near 100 percent for general-category Maharashtra applicants; non-Maharashtra applicants face even tighter competition. Students with 12th scores in the 85 to 95 percent range can access Grant-in-Aid science subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics Honours, which closed above 96 percent in 2024. Students targeting these programmes must treat cutoffs as near-certain floors and plan realistic alternatives, since no counselling system exists to offer a second preference at Fergusson.
Fergusson's value proposition for UG students is academic depth, institutional prestige, and low cost, not direct employment at high packages. The UG placement rate of 6.6 percent (NIRF 2025) is not a failure but a structural reality: BA and BSc graduates at an arts and science college predominantly pursue postgraduate study, civil services, or research, not campus placements. Applicants who prioritise campus recruitment, high starting salaries, or engineering roles should consider professional colleges instead. For students planning UPSC, research, MSc abroad, or any path that values a strong academic foundation and prestigious institution name, Fergusson is among the best available options in Maharashtra.
| Programme | Duration | Subjects / specialisations | Approx. seats | Annual fee (Grant-in-Aid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | 3 years | Economics, English, Marathi, Psychology, Political Science, History, Philosophy, Hindi, Sanskrit, German, Sociology, Geography (English and Marathi medium streams) | 480 (EM + MM) | Rs 8,060 |
| BSc (Hons and non-Hons) | 3 years | Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Botany, Zoology, Electronics, Biomedical Sciences, Geology, Statistics; Honours variants available | 600 | Rs 7,380 |
| BSc Computer Science | 3 years | Computer Science | 160 | Rs 83,560/yr (MH) |
| BSc Microbiology / Biotechnology / Environmental Science | 3 years | Self-financed science streams | 40-80 each | not confirmed |
| B.Voc | 3 years | Media and Communication, Fashion Technology, Interior Design, Digital Art and Animation | 50-60 each | Rs 2,40,830 total (Media) |
| MA | 2 years | Economics, English, Marathi, Psychology; AICH and Archaeology (Self-Financed) | 60 per stream | Rs 6,290 (GIA) |
| MSc | 2 years | Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, Botany, Zoology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Geology, Electronics, Computer Science (SF), Data Science (SF) | 492 combined | Rs 9,390 (GIA) |
| Diploma and Certificate | 1-2 years | Landscape Design, Advertising, Photography, Filmmaking, Yoga, Counselling Psychology, International Relations, ESG, and others | varies | varies |
| PhD | 3-5 years | All recognised research departments | varies | contact college |
UG admission is merit-based on Class 12 board marks through the college's own admission portal (fergusson.edu/admission). No CUET, MHT-CET, or third-party entrance test is required. Applicants rank subjects of preference and seats are allotted by cutoff score.
2024 UG merit cutoffs, general category (selected programmes):
| Programme | General | OBC | SC |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSc Computer Science | 100% | n.a. | n.a. |
| BSc Biotechnology | 100% | n.a. | n.a. |
| BSc Microbiology | 99% | n.a. | n.a. |
| BA English (Honours stream) | 99% | 94.5% | 92% |
| BSc Chemistry (Honours) | 96% | n.a. | n.a. |
| BSc Physics (Honours) | 96% | n.a. | n.a. |
| BSc Mathematics (Honours) | 96% | n.a. | n.a. |
| BSc Zoology (Honours) | 93% | n.a. | n.a. |
Source: Fergusson College 2024 merit list data (via collegesearch.in). Verify the current-cycle cutoffs at fergusson.edu.
PG admission is through a college-conducted entrance examination each June. SPPU graduates are assessed on 50% merit and 50% entrance score; non-SPPU applicants on entrance score alone. Ninety percent of PG seats are reserved for SPPU graduates.
| Programme | Annual fee | Duration | Total (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA (Grant-in-Aid) | Rs 8,060 | 3 years | Rs 24,180 |
| BSc (Grant-in-Aid) | Rs 7,380 | 3 years | Rs 22,140 |
| BSc Computer Science (Self-Financed, MH) | Rs 83,560 | 3 years | Rs 2.51 lakh |
| MA (Grant-in-Aid) | Rs 6,290 | 2 years | Rs 12,580 |
| MSc (Grant-in-Aid) | Rs 9,390 | 2 years | Rs 18,780 |
| MA AICH (Self-Financed, MH) | Rs 63,290 | 2 years | Rs 1.27 lakh |
Hostel: men Rs 41,350 to Rs 46,350 per year (room); women approximately Rs 67,350 per year. Refundable deposit Rs 8,000. Mess Rs 2,600 to Rs 3,500 per month, billed separately.
Source: Fergusson College official fee schedule 2024-25. Grant-in-Aid fees are set by the Maharashtra government. Self-financed fees vary by programme; confirm latest amounts at fergusson.edu.
Students at Fergusson can access multiple Maharashtra government and central government scholarship schemes. Post-matric scholarships and freeship are available for SC, ST, NT, OBC, and SBC category students via the MahaDBT portal (mahadbt.maharashtra.gov.in). Students from non-reserved categories with family income below Rs 8 lakh can apply for the EBC (Economically Backward Class) freeship. Central schemes including the National Merit Scholarship and minority-category scholarships are applied for through the National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in). Fergusson's scholarship cell assists students in completing MahaDBT and NSP applications after admission; no separate scholarship entrance test is required.
Sources: fergusson.edu scholarship cell; mahadbt.maharashtra.gov.in.
The 65-acre campus is anchored by a Victorian Gothic main building inaugurated in 1895 and holds UGC Special Heritage Status, one of 19 colleges in India with this designation. The Bai Jerbai Wadia Library (est. 1929) holds over 300,000 volumes. Research facilities include ICARD (IUCAA Center for Astronomy Research and Development, the first college-based IUCAA centre in India) and DBT STAR wet laboratories. Six student hostels provide approximately 587 beds: four blocks for men (427 seats) and two blocks for women (160 seats).
Annual hostel room charges are Rs 41,350 to Rs 46,350 for men and approximately Rs 67,350 for women, inclusive of a refundable deposit of Rs 8,000. Mess is billed separately at Rs 2,600 to Rs 3,500 per month. The campus is in central Pune (F.C. Road), well-served by public transport and within 25 kilometres of Hinjawadi IT Park.
Sources: hostels.dtu.ac.in; fergusson.edu/campus; Wikipedia (Fergusson College).
Official sources consulted:
Deccan Education Society's Fergusson College (Autonomous) was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society, established the previous year by social reformers and nationalist educators including Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar. The college is named after Sir James Fergusson, the then-Governor of Bombay, who donated land for its establishment. The iconic Victorian main building was inaugurated in 1895. Today the college operates on a 65-acre heritage campus on Fergusson College Road in central Pune, affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University and functioning as an autonomous institution since 2016.
In NIRF 2025, Fergusson ranks 57th nationally in the College category (score 58.35) and is the highest-ranked college in Maharashtra. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council awarded it an A+ grade with CGPA 3.31 in its fourth accreditation cycle (April 2023). The University Grants Commission has conferred four concurrent recognitions: College of Excellence (CE), College with Potential for Excellence (CPE), Special Heritage Status (one of 19 colleges nationally), and inclusion in the STRIDE Scheme. The Department of Biotechnology recognises the college under its STAR College Scheme.
Admission to all undergraduate programmes is merit-based using Class 12 board marks; Fergusson does not use CUET, MHT-CET, or any centralised entrance test. Competition is intense: BSc Computer Science, Biotechnology, and Microbiology consistently close at or near 100 percent in the general category, while BSc Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics Honours attract cutoffs above 96 percent. Postgraduate admission is through a college-conducted entrance examination held each June; SPPU graduates fill 90 percent of PG seats through a 50/50 merit-plus-exam process.
Fergusson is fundamentally an Arts and Science college; NIRF 2025 data shows 83 of 1,251 eligible UG graduates placed directly (6.6 percent, median Rs 3.80 LPA). The majority of BA and BSc graduates pursue MA, MSc, UPSC, MPSC, or other higher study. Postgraduate placement outcomes are stronger: 238 of 572 eligible two-year PG students received offers (41.6 percent) at a median of Rs 4.20 LPA. Employers such as Infosys, ZS Associates, Deloitte, Accenture, and Cipla have recruited primarily from science and computing PG programmes.
The 65-acre heritage campus hosts the Bai Jerbai Wadia Library (est. 1929; over 300,000 volumes), the IUCAA Center for Astronomy Research and Development (ICARD), DBT STAR research laboratories, sports grounds, and an amphitheatre dating to 1912. Six student hostels provide approximately 587 beds. The Pune location, minutes from Hinjawadi IT Park, Magarpatta, and the pharma clusters of Pimpri-Chinchwad, gives students access to internship and placement opportunities across technology, life sciences, finance, and consulting.
Fergusson ranks 57th nationally in NIRF 2025 Colleges, outranking every other Maharashtra college in the category. Combined with NAAC A+ (4th Cycle, CGPA 3.31) and four UGC recognition titles including Special Heritage Status, the institutional quality is validated across multiple independent assessments.
For Grant-in-Aid BSc and BA programmes, annual tuition is Rs 7,380 to Rs 8,060. A full three-year degree costs under Rs 25,000. Among colleges at this NIRF rank, this fee level is exceptional; private-college peers in Maharashtra charge ten to thirty times as much.
The 65-acre heritage campus houses ICARD (India's first college-based IUCAA astronomy research centre), DBT STAR wet labs, and a 300,000-volume library from 1929. Science undergraduates work in an environment most colleges cannot match, alongside research-active faculty.
As an autonomous institution, Fergusson designs its own curriculum, internal assessment, and electives independently of SPPU. The college offers over 80 programmes spanning BA, BSc, B.Voc, MA, MSc, diplomas, certificates, and PhD, providing a breadth of choice unusual for an arts and science college.
Pune hosts Hinjawadi IT Park (India's third-largest tech cluster), Magarpatta City, and Pimpri-Chinchwad's pharma-manufacturing belt. MSc computer science, data science, and life science PG graduates are positioned close to a dense employer base, with PG placement rates at 41.6 percent and a median Rs 4.20 LPA.
| Framework | Category | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIRF | College | 2025 | #57 |
5 courses offered. Fees in INR lakhs.
| Course | Specialization | Duration | Total seats | Total fee | Avg package |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.Sc (Bachelor of Science) | — | 36 months | 600 | ₹0.22L | — |
| BA (Bachelor of Arts) | — | 36 months | 360 | ₹0.24L | — |
| BA (Bachelor of Arts) | Honours (General) | 36 months | 120 | ₹0.24L | — |
| M.Sc (Master of Science) | — | 24 months | 492 | ₹0.19L | — |
| MA (Master of Arts) | — | 24 months | 240 | ₹0.13L | — |
2-year placement history, latest data from 2024.
| Year | Registered | Placed | Rate | Avg package | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 572 | 238 | 41.6% | ₹18.73L | — |
| 2024 | 1251 | 83 | 6.6% | ₹27.03L | — |
Campus size, faculty strength, hostel facilities, and academic infrastructure.
