Guide, updated July 2026
Best photography colleges in India, compared honestly
Eleven of the colleges Indian students actually shortlist, ordered oldest first, with the source named for every fee. Including ours, including where the published figures do not agree, and including where ours is the wrong choice.
11
Colleges compared, oldest first
5 of 11
Publish a fee we could verify. One is disputed, five we could not
7 of 11
Need a degree, or an entrance exam, or both
1 of 11
Publishes a fee that includes hostel and food
The short answer
Which are the best photography colleges in India?
The most established are the government institutes, FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata for film and NID Ahmedabad for design, and Creative Hut Academy in Kerala for a fully residential year straight after Class 12. Published fees run from around Rs 65,000 for a short diploma to over Rs 8 lakh for a three year degree, and seven of the eleven require a degree or an entrance exam.
There is no single best. There is the best for a beginner straight out of Class 12, the best for a graduate who already shoots professionally, and the best for someone who wants to live inside the work for a year. This page sorts them by that, not by rank.
The comparison
Photography colleges in India, side by side
Ordered by founding year, oldest first. No ranking is implied by the order and none is intended by this page.
Every fee carries its source. Where the listing sites disagree with each other we say so rather than pick the figure that suits us, and where we could not verify a current fee at all we say that too.
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.
| College | City | Est | Flagship course | Entry | Duration | Published fee | Source of the fee | Residential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTII | Pune | 1960 | PG Diploma in Cinematography | Graduation, plus the JET entrance exam | 3 years | Government subsidised, substantially lower than private fees | Not verified. Confirm on the FTII site | Hostel available, limited seats, charged separately |
| National Institute of Design | Ahmedabad | 1961 | Photography inside Film and Video Communication | Class 12, plus the NID DAT entrance exam | 4 years | Not published in a form we could verify | Not verified. Confirm on the NID site | Campus hostel, charged separately |
| National Institute of Photography | Mumbai | 1983 | Diploma in Photography, plus genre diplomas | Class 12 | 6 to 12 months | Rs 65,000 to 90,000 | Verified. Shiksha and Careers360 listings agree | No accommodation listed |
| MIT World Peace University | Pune | 1983 | Diploma in Photography, or BA in Photography | Class 12, plus MIT WPU CET | 1 year, or 3 years | Rs 1.25L diploma, Rs 8.25L BA | Verified. Shiksha listing | University hostel, charged separately |
| AAFT | Noida | 1993, not verified | Diploma or BA in Photography and Videography | Class 12 | 1 year, or 3 years | Not published in a form we could verify | Not verified. Confirm with the institute | Hostel available, charged separately |
| Pearl Academy | Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru | 1993, not verified | Photography programme | Class 12, plus the Pearl entrance process | Varies by programme | Rs 3,36,500 | Verified. Collegedunia listing | Hostel available, charged separately |
| SRFTI | Kolkata | 1995 | PG Diploma in Cinematography | Graduation, plus the JET entrance exam | 3 years | Government subsidised, substantially lower than private fees | Not verified. Confirm on the SRFTI site | Hostel available, limited seats, charged separately |
| Light and Life Academy | Ooty, Tamil Nadu | 2001 | PG Diploma in Professional Photography and Digital Production | Graduation, plus a 20 image portfolio | Up to 1 year | Disputed. Figures from Rs 3.5L to 7.5L appear across the listing sites and they do not agree with each other | Conflicting. Shiksha, Collegedunia and CollegeSearch all differ. Confirm with the academy | No hostel. The academy helps find housing in Ooty. 50 per class |
| Creative Hut Academy | Mattakkara, Kottayam, Kerala | 2007 | Professional Diploma in Photography and Cinematography (PDAP), or in AI Filmmaking and Digital Cinematography (PDAC) | Class 12, any board, any stream. No entrance exam, no portfolio | 1 year | Rs 3,73,505 paid in full, Rs 4,03,505 on instalments. Includes tuition, hostel, food and GST | Our own published fee. This is our page, so treat it as we ask you to treat theirs and check it with us | Yes. Fully residential and compulsory, inside the fee. 30 per batch |
| KR Narayanan National Institute | Kottayam, Kerala | 2007 | Diploma in Cinematography | Graduation, plus an entrance test | 3 years | State subsidised | Not verified. Confirm on the institute site | Hostel available, charged separately |
| Delhi College of Photography | New Delhi | 2013 | One Year Diploma in Photography | Class 12 | 1 year | Rs 2,17,800 | Verified. Collegedunia and Zollege listings agree | No accommodation listed |
Figures gathered in July 2026 from each institute’s own site and from Shiksha, Collegedunia, Careers360 and CollegeSearch listings. We found the listing sites frequently disagree with each other, and in one case a site published our own fee incorrectly, so a fee marked verified means two independent sources agreed, not that we have seen an invoice.
Two founding years are marked not verified. Rather than remove them and break the ordering, we have flagged them. Always confirm fees and dates with the institute before you pay anything.
Compiled and last verified by Creative Hut Academy, July 2026
How to choose
What actually separates a good photography college from a bad one?
Six questions, in the order they matter. A college that answers all six in writing before you pay is a college worth paying.
01
What does the fee actually include?
Most published photography fees are tuition only. Living cost, gear hire, genre workshops, editing software and GST are commonly charged on top, which is how a Rs 2 lakh course becomes a Rs 5 lakh year. Ask for one number, in writing, with the exclusions listed.
02
How many students are in the batch?
Photography is taught by correction, one frame at a time. Ask for the batch size, not the annual intake, and ask how many mentors are on campus full time.
03
Do you leave with a portfolio or a certificate?
Few people in this industry are hired on a certificate alone. Ask to see the last three batches’ complete portfolios, not a showreel of the top two students. If the college cannot show you the median student’s work, that is the answer.
04
Is the certification recognised outside the college?
Some photography diplomas are issued by the institute alone. Government or industry recognition, such as KGTE from a state Department of Technical Education, NCVET-MESC under Skill India, or an Adobe credential, can be checked by an employer. A certificate from the institute alone cannot be checked independently.
05
Who teaches, and are they there on Tuesday afternoon?
Ask which named people are on campus full time, what they have shot, and how many hours a week you will be in front of them.
06
What is the refund policy, in writing?
This is the question nobody asks and everybody regrets. Get the refund and cancellation terms as a document before you transfer anything. On the college websites we checked in July 2026, we could not find published refund terms for most of the eleven on this page, including at first glance our own, which is why ours are now stated in full further down.
College by college
Who each of these colleges is genuinely right for
Every card carries a Best for and a Consider. The Consider line is the single sourced fact most likely to send the wrong applicant elsewhere, and no card is exempt, including ours.
The dedicated photography colleges
Light and Life Academy and Creative Hut Academy
These are the two institutions here that teach only photography and cinematography full time, rather than running it as one department among many. They differ mainly on who they admit: one takes graduates, the other takes students straight after Class 12.
Light and Life Academy, Ooty
Best for
Graduates who already shoot and want a rigorous, craft-first postgraduate year in the Nilgiris.
Consider
You need a completed degree and a 20 image portfolio to apply, so it is closed to you straight after Class 12. There is no hostel, and a year of living in Ooty is on top of a fee the listing sites cannot agree on.
Creative Hut Academy, Kottayam
Best for
Someone straight out of Class 12 who wants to live inside the work for a year, with mentors on the same campus, and leave with a full portfolio, a screen credit on a feature film, and KGTE, NCVET-MESC and Adobe certification.
Consider
The residential year is compulsory and there is no part-time or online route, so it does not work if you need to live at home or keep a job. We are a village campus in Kottayam district, not a metro, and there are only 30 seats.
The government film institutes
FTII, SRFTI and KR Narayanan
FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata
Best for
Anyone who wants to be a feature film cinematographer and can commit three years. Government subsidised, with a long record of alumni working in Indian cinema.
Consider
You need a degree first and you must clear JET, and seats per specialisation are very limited. Admission is highly competitive, so have a second plan before you apply.
KR Narayanan National Institute, Kottayam
Best for
Malayalam-industry ambitions on a state-subsidised fee, with a three year cinematography diploma and a direct line into Kerala film production. It is in the same district as us and we rate it.
Consider
Graduation and an entrance test are required, so it is not open after Class 12, and it is a three year commitment.
The multi-discipline institutes and city schools
NID, Pearl, AAFT, MIT-WPU, NIP and Delhi College of Photography
National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
Best for
Students who want a full design education with photography inside it, a degree at the end, and a well known design brand behind their portfolio.
Consider
Photography is a component of Film and Video Communication, not the programme. Four years and the DAT entrance exam stand between you and it.
Pearl Academy and AAFT
Best for
Students who want a big campus, a broad creative-industry peer group and the option to move between design, media and photography programmes.
Consider
Photography is one department among many rather than the whole institution, and neither publishes a current photography fee in a form we could verify. Ask for the full figure with exclusions before you commit.
National Institute of Photography, Mumbai
Best for
Anyone already living in Mumbai who wants a low-risk, low-cost entry into a specific genre such as fashion, wedding or tabletop, at the lowest published fee on this page.
Consider
The fee is low because the course is short and does not include living. It is genre training rather than an immersive year, and you build your own network in the city.
Delhi College of Photography
Best for
North Indian students who want a full year of commercial practice with medium format experience and access to Delhi’s events, exhibitions and studio market on the doorstep.
Consider
It is a day college with no accommodation listed, so add twelve months of Delhi rent, food and travel to the published fee before you compare it with a residential figure.
MIT World Peace University, Pune
Best for
Students who want a recognised university degree in photography rather than a diploma, on a large campus with the usual university infrastructure around it.
Consider
The BA is the highest fee on this page at Rs 8.25 lakh over three years, hostel is charged on top, and entry runs through the MIT WPU CET.
Straight answer
Should you choose Creative Hut Academy?
We run this page and we are on the list, so here is the version we would give a friend’s child. Two columns, both true.
Choose us if
- You have finished Class 12 and do not want to wait three years for a degree before you shoot. Four of the eleven colleges on this page require a completed degree first.
- You want one fee that covers tuition, hostel, food and GST, so your parents know the real number on day one.
- You learn fastest when the mentor is on the same campus at nine at night, which is what the Gurukul model actually means here.
- You want a real screen credit. Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film made inside a film school, was crewed by 20 students, every one of them credited.
- You want certification an employer can check: KGTE from the Kerala Department of Technical Education, NCVET-MESC under Skill India, and Adobe.
Do not choose us if
- You need to live at home or keep a job. This is fully residential for a full year, with no part-time or online route.
- You want a university degree. This is a professional diploma, not a BA, and it is not affiliated to a university. NID and MIT-WPU are the routes to a degree.
- You want to be in a metro. We are in a village in Kottayam district, and the nearest city is a drive away.
- Your goal is specifically feature film cinematography and you can clear JET. FTII or SRFTI is the stronger route, and we would tell you so.
- You are not certain. Visit the campus, meet the mentors and read the fee terms in the next section before you commit anything.
Afterwards
What happens after a photography diploma in India?
Almost every college on this page advertises placement support, and the phrase means very little on its own. What is worth reading is named people, named employers and named awards, because those are the only claims a reader can check.
Being straight about it: the first two years are hard and income is uneven while you build a client base. The portfolio you leave with decides how long that period lasts, not the certificate.
Named outcome
Gessal Sebastian
2019 batch. Best Cinematographer at the Asianet Television Awards.
Named outcome
Agrah S Deth
Best Non-Fiction Documentary at the Vibgyor Film and Documentary Festival.
Named outcome
Jyotiraditya Patil
AI Cinematographer on Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film made inside a film school.
The money
What does a photography college in India actually cost?
The published fee is rarely the year’s cost. A Rs 2,17,800 day-college diploma in Delhi plus twelve months of rent, food and travel often lands higher than a residential fee that already includes all three. Compare the total cost of the year, never tuition against tuition.
Paid in full
Rs 3,73,505
Early bird
Rs 3,83,505
On instalments
Rs 4,03,505
Refundable caution deposit
Rs 10,000
Identical for PDAP and PDAC. Includes tuition, hostel, food and GST for the full year.
Before you read ours, read this
On the college websites we checked in July 2026, we could not find published refund and cancellation terms for most of the other ten colleges on this page. That is common in the sector and it is the reason the question is worth asking. Ask every college on your shortlist for its refund policy as a written document before you transfer anything, and treat a refusal as an answer.
Ours are below, in full, because we would rather you read them here than discover them later.
Our terms, in full
Fees are not refundable once paid. The Rs 10,000 caution deposit is fully refundable and is returned with your certificate. Read the refund policy before you transfer anything.
What the fee does not include: your laptop, which you bring yourself and which needs 32 GB of RAM minimum. Production costs for your own personal projects. Optional tours. External exam fees.
There is no admissions deadline. Seats are first come, first served, 30 to a batch.
Checkable
What can be verified about us from outside this page
Everything below is either held by a record body, issued by a government department, or is a named person you can search for. None of it is our own opinion of ourselves.
18
World records, each held by an external record body. See the ledger
520+
Alumni across 19 graduated batches. See the directory
550+
Student portfolios, published in full. See student work
130 min
Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film made inside a film school. See the film
KGTE, Department of Technical Education, Kerala
NCVET-MESC, Skill India
Adobe qualified credential
Powered by Sony
Running since 2007, 19 years
Photography colleges in India, answered.
Which is the best photography college in India?
There is no single best. FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata are the strongest government route into feature film cinematography, NID Ahmedabad is the route into a design degree, and Creative Hut Academy in Kerala is the option for a Class 12 school leaver who wants a fully residential year. Choose by entry requirement, batch size and what the fee includes.
Can I do a photography course in India straight after Class 12?
Yes, but only at four of the eleven colleges on this page. Delhi College of Photography, the National Institute of Photography in Mumbai, AAFT and Creative Hut Academy accept Class 12 without an entrance exam. NID, Pearl and MIT-WPU accept Class 12 with one. Light and Life Academy, FTII, SRFTI and KR Narayanan require a completed degree.
How much does a photography course in India cost?
Published fees on this page run from Rs 65,000 for a six month genre diploma to Rs 8.25 lakh for a three year BA. A one year professional diploma typically sits between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh. The figure that matters is the total cost of the year including accommodation, food and GST, because most published fees are tuition only.
Which photography colleges in India are fully residential?
Only one on this list. Creative Hut Academy in Kottayam is fully residential, with hostel and food inside the fee and mentors living on the same campus. NID, FTII, SRFTI, MIT-WPU, Pearl, AAFT and KR Narayanan have hostels charged separately and not compulsory. Light and Life Academy states it provides no hostel. Delhi College of Photography and the National Institute of Photography list no accommodation.
Do photography colleges in India need an entrance exam?
The government institutes do. FTII and SRFTI require the JET entrance exam, NID requires the DAT, MIT-WPU requires its own CET, and KR Narayanan sets its own test. Most private photography colleges, including Creative Hut Academy, Delhi College of Photography and the National Institute of Photography, admit on eligibility and application with no entrance exam.
Is a photography diploma recognised by the government?
Only if the college holds an external recognition. Many private diplomas are issued by the institute alone. Ask specifically for KGTE from a state Department of Technical Education, NCVET-MESC certification under Skill India, or an industry credential such as Adobe. Creative Hut Academy students can earn all three alongside the Academy diploma.
How big should a photography batch be?
Smaller than you would accept for a lecture subject, because photography is taught by correcting individual frames. Creative Hut Academy caps every batch at 30. Many colleges do not publish a batch size, so ask for it directly, along with how many mentors are on campus full time.
Do photography colleges in India offer placement?
Most advertise placement support or assistance, and the phrase carries little weight on its own. Ask instead for named graduates, named employers and named awards with dates, and ask what proportion of the last batch is working in the field two years on. A college that can answer that in specifics is telling you something. One that repeats a percentage is not.
Are photography college fees refundable?
On the college websites we checked in July 2026, we could not find published refund terms for most of the eleven colleges on this page, which is common in the sector and is exactly why the question matters. At Creative Hut Academy fees are not refundable once paid, and only the Rs 10,000 caution deposit is returned, with your certificate. Ask every college on your shortlist for its policy as a written document before you pay.
What makes Creative Hut Academy different from other photography colleges in India?
It is the world’s first photography Gurukul. Students live and learn on campus with their mentors, 30 to a batch, for one year. It has run since 2007, holds 18 world records, and has produced more than 520 alumni. It made Rising Embers, the world’s first AI feature film made inside a film school.
2027 batch, 21st batch
Come and see it before you decide
Thirty seats, first come first served, no deadline. The most useful thing you can do is walk the campus, meet the mentors and look at the last batch’s work in full.
admissions@creativehut.org +91 85470 44220 Karimpany P.O, Thekkummattathil, Mattakkara, Kottayam, Keralam, India – 686564