School of Planning and Architecture

What courses does School of Planning and Architecture offer?

School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi offers programmes across three levels - undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and doctoral (PhD) - all concentrated in the architecture, planning, design and built-environment disciplines rather than spread across unrelated faculties. At the UG level it runs two flagship degrees: the 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) and the 4-year Bachelor of Planning (B.Plan). At PG level it offers a cluster of 2-year master's specialisations including M.Arch (Urban Design and Architectural Conservation), M.Plan (Urban Planning, Housing, Transport Planning, Regional Planning and Environmental Planning), Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Building Engineering and Management, and a Master of Design (M.Des) in Industrial Design. The institute caps the structure with full-time and part-time PhD programmes across nine departments. As a government institute (an Institution of National Importance under the Ministry of Education), SPA Delhi is one of only three dedicated SPAs in the country, which is why its programme list reads as a specialist's catalogue and not a general university's.

Course-Wise Fees, Duration & Eligibility (2026)

The table below answers the single most common applicant question: what does each SPA Delhi programme cost, how long does it run, how many seats exist and which entrance exam unlocks it. Fees shown are the full programme (not annual) figures recorded for the 2026 admission cycle; seats are the latest published intakes (B.Arch and B.Plan via JoSAA 2025). Read it row by row - the entrance-exam column tells you which national test to register for, while the eligibility column shows the minimum marks gate you must clear. Note that the four programmes with verified institutional fee data (B.Arch, M.Arch, M.Des, PhD) are the factual spine here.

The takeaway for 2026 applicants is that SPA Delhi remains strikingly affordable for a top-tier government institute: even its priciest programme, the 5-year B.Arch at ₹4,88,000, works out to under ₹1 lakh per year, while every 2-year master's (M.Arch, M.Plan, M.Des) is fixed at ₹2,18,000. The exam routing is clean - 10+2 students chase JEE Main for B.Arch/B.Plan, graduates take GATE for planning and architecture masters, and design aspirants sit CEED for M.Des. Seats are deliberately small (132 in B.Arch, 43 in B.Plan), which keeps the cohort competitive and the studio ratios tight.

Flagship & Most Popular Programmes at School of Planning and Architecture

The 5-year B.Arch is unquestionably SPA Delhi's flagship and its most sought-after programme, drawing the steepest JEE Main competition for its 132 seats at ₹4,88,000 for the full course. It is the degree most directly tied to the institute's brand and its history as India's premier architecture school. Close behind in prestige sit the M.Plan specialisations - particularly Urban Planning and Transport Planning - because SPA Delhi is regarded as the country's leading planning school, and its planning masters feed directly into agencies like NITI Aayog, the National Institute of Urban Affairs, UNDP and the World Bank Group, all of which recruit here.

The M.Arch streams in Architectural Conservation and Urban Design are niche but highly respected, reflecting SPA Delhi's deep specialisation in heritage and city-design work that few other Indian institutes match. The M.Des (Industrial Design) at ₹2,18,000, admitting through CEED, is a smaller but growing draw for design-oriented graduates. What unifies the popular programmes is outcome strength: in 2024, 47 B.Arch students were placed with a median package of ₹7.5 LPA, while the broader PG cohort of 185 placed students recorded a median of ₹8 LPA, with top architecture offers reaching ₹20 LPA and planning offers up to ₹12 LPA.

How to Choose the Right Course at School of Planning and Architecture

The right SPA Delhi course follows from the career you are aiming at, and the institute's strengths make the decision fairly clean. If you are a 10+2 student (with Mathematics) who wants to design buildings and become a licensed architect, the 5-year B.Arch via JEE Main is the direct path; if your interest is shaping cities, infrastructure and land use rather than individual buildings, B.Plan (4 years, JEE Main) is the better-fit undergraduate route and leads into SPA Delhi's powerhouse planning ecosystem.

For graduates, the choice hinges on your bachelor's background. Architecture graduates can specialise upward through M.Arch in Urban Design or Architectural Conservation (GATE/CEED) - the latter being a genuine SPA Delhi signature with limited national competition. Engineering, geography and allied graduates should target the M.Plan streams (GATE), which carry the strongest recruiter pull toward UNDP, the World Bank Group, NITI Aayog and consultancies like AECOM, PwC and EY. Design aspirants should sit CEED for the M.Des in Industrial Design. Those committed to research, teaching or senior policy roles should weigh the PhD (Master's with 60% aggregate; GATE/UGC NET/CEED), spread across nine departments with 65 seats. Given the institute's NIRF Architecture standing - rank 5 (score 69.00) in 2024 and rank 8 (score 65.11) in 2025 - any of these programmes carries strong placement leverage, so anchor the decision to the discipline you want to build a career in rather than to relative prestige.

Frequently Asked Questions: School of Planning and Architecture Courses 2026

What courses does School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi offer in 2026?

SPA Delhi offers UG, PG and doctoral programmes: the 5-year B.Arch and 4-year B.Plan at undergraduate level; M.Arch (Urban Design, Architectural Conservation), M.Plan (Urban, Transport, Regional, Housing and Environmental Planning), Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Building Engineering and Management, and M.Des (Industrial Design) at postgraduate level; plus PhD programmes across nine departments. All offerings sit within architecture, planning and design, reflecting the institute's specialist focus as a government Institution of National Importance.

What is the B.Arch fee at School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi?

The B.Arch programme at SPA Delhi costs ₹4,88,000 in total for the full 5-year course in 2026, which is roughly under ₹1 lakh per year - notably affordable for a top government architecture institute. Admission is through JEE Main, and the programme has 132 seats. Eligibility requires 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks including Mathematics. It is the institute's flagship and most competitive programme.

How long is the M.Arch course at SPA Delhi and what does it cost?

The M.Arch at SPA Delhi is a 2-year postgraduate programme costing ₹2,18,000 for the full course in 2026. It is offered in specialisations including Urban Design and Architectural Conservation, with admission through GATE or CEED scores. Eligibility requires a Bachelor's degree in Architecture with a minimum 55% aggregate. The combined M.Arch intake is around 46 seats, keeping cohorts small and studio-focused.

What is the eligibility for M.Des at School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi?

For the M.Des (Industrial Design) at SPA Delhi, you need a Bachelor's degree with a minimum 55% aggregate, and admission is through a valid CEED score. The programme runs 2 years with a total fee of ₹2,18,000 and roughly 29 seats. It suits design-oriented graduates who want a product and industrial design pathway within a planning-and-architecture institute, distinct from the architecture and planning master's routes.

Which is the best course at SPA Delhi?

The B.Arch is widely considered the best and most prestigious course at SPA Delhi, given the institute's standing as India's premier architecture school and its 2024 placement record of 47 B.Arch students placed at a ₹7.5 LPA median, with top offers up to ₹20 LPA. However, the M.Plan streams are arguably the strongest postgraduate choice, recruiting into UNDP, the World Bank Group and NITI Aayog. The right pick depends on whether you want building design or city planning.

How many seats does SPA Delhi have for B.Arch and B.Plan?

SPA Delhi offers 132 seats for B.Arch and 43 seats for B.Plan as per JoSAA 2025, both filled through JEE Main scores. These deliberately small intakes keep admission highly competitive and maintain tight student-to-faculty ratios in studio teaching. B.Arch is the 5-year programme and B.Plan the 4-year programme, both requiring 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks (Mathematics is mandatory for B.Arch).

Does SPA Delhi offer a PhD and what is the eligibility?

Yes, SPA Delhi offers full-time and part-time PhD programmes with 65 seats spread across nine departments including Architecture (31 seats), Urban Planning (15) and Transport Planning (7). Eligibility requires a Master's degree in a relevant field with a minimum 60% aggregate marks, and admission is via GATE, UGC NET or CEED. The doctoral route suits candidates targeting research, academia or senior policy and planning roles in the built environment.