![Symbiosis School of Visual Arts and Photography - [SSVAP]](https://img.collegedunia.com/public/college_data/images/logos/1773754269logo.png?h=71.7&w=71.7&mode=stretch)
Symbiosis School of Visual Arts and Photography (SSVAP) is a private photography and visual arts school established in 2012. It functions as a constituent institute of Symbiosis International University Pune, under the Faculty of Media and Communication. The university is recognised by the UGC and holds Category-I autonomy status.
SSVAP is not ranked individually by NIRF, since NIRF ranks the parent university rather than its constituent schools. Symbiosis International (Deemed University) is ranked 24 in NIRF University 2025 and is accredited with a NAAC A++ grade at a CGPA of 3.56.
The school sits inside the 300-acre Symbiosis Knowledge Village campus at Lavale, Mulshi, Pune. It runs five genre-specific studios, including what the school describes as India's only dedicated automobile photography studio.
- SSVAP offers a narrow but deep program portfolio:
- B.A. in Visual Arts and Photography - 3 years, 30 seats, open to any 10+2 stream
- Photography tracks cover 20+ genres such as fashion, wildlife, wedding, automobile, food, product, sports, street, photojournalism and documentary
- Visual arts tracks cover 10 courses including adfilms, direction, cinematic lighting, sound design, editing, visual effects and script writing
- The total fee for the B.A. program is INR 13.2 Lakhs for the entire duration, billed at INR 4,40,000 per year in two instalments.
- Merit scholarships give semester toppers a 5 to 20 percent concession on academic fees.
- Graduates work with editorial, tourism, advertising and wildlife clients, with alumni credits in Vogue, Grazia India and Harper's Bazaar.
SSVAP Admission Dates 2027
Admissions for the 2027 academic session are open and run on a rolling basis. SSVAP does not gate entry through a national entrance exam, so the calendar is built around registration, portfolio review and interview slots.
| Event | Date (2027-30 Batch) |
|---|---|
| Online Registration | Open |
| Registration Fee | INR 1,500 (non-refundable) |
| Portfolio Submission | Rolling, before the interview slot |
| Virtual Personal Interview | Scheduled by the admissions team |
| Registration Closes | March 2027 (Tentative) |
| Merit List and Offer Letters | April 2027 (Tentative) |
| Fee Payment | As stated in the offer letter |
| Session Commencement | July 2027 (Tentative) |
The selection route differs between the two program levels at the school. The table below sets out what each program accepts.
| Course | Exam Accepted | Selection Route |
|---|---|---|
| B.A. Visual Arts and Photography | No entrance exam | (Creative Visualization & Personal Interaction |
SSVAP Courses and Fees
SSVAP runs a single full-time degree program at the undergraduate level, supported by a doctoral route. The annual academic fee is INR 4,40,000, payable in two instalments. Check the detailed table of SSVAP Courses and Fees:
| Course | Duration | Eligibility | Total Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.A. Visual Arts and Photography | 3 years | 10+2 in any stream from a recognised board | INR 13.2 Lakhs |
The curriculum is weighted towards practice, with roughly 70 percent studio and field work against 30 percent theory. Internal assessment carries 80 percent of the evaluation through coursework, field projects and research, while 20 percent is assessed by external experts.
Distinctive electives set the program apart from a general mass media degree. These include automobile photography, star-trail photography, food styling, dark room printing and social media visual production.
Hostel accommodation on the Lavale campus costs around INR 1.53 Lakhs per year for triple sharing, with mess charges of about INR 1.04 Lakhs per year. These are billed separately from the academic fee.
SSVAP Admission Process
Admission at SSVAP is portfolio-driven rather than score-driven. The school assesses a candidate's existing body of photographic work, not a percentile.
B.A. Visual Arts and Photography
This is the flagship program and the only undergraduate route at the school.
- Eligibility: pass in Standard XII or an equivalent examination from any recognised board
- Stream: any stream, including Arts, Commerce, Science and vocational boards
- Entrance exam: not required
- Intake: 30 seats per batch
The selection sequence runs through four stages.
- Online registration on the official portal with a fee of INR 1,500
- Candidates have to go through Creative Visualization & Personal Interaction (CVPI)
- Interaction with the admissions team and scheduling of the interview slot
- Submission of an original photographic portfolio, followed by a virtual personal interview assessing craft, creativity and intent
- Merit-based offer, followed by fee payment to confirm the seat
SSVAP Scholarships
Scholarship support at SSVAP runs through the university-wide schemes of Symbiosis International (Deemed University). Awards are concessions on academic fees rather than cash transfers in most cases, and merit is assessed semester by semester. Check SSVAP Scholarships below:
| Scholarship | Eligibility | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Topper Merit Scholarship | Top four students in order of merit, minimum GPA of 8.50 for UG | 20, 15, 10 and 5 percent concession in academic fees |
| North-East Region Merit Scholarship | Meritorious students domiciled in the eight North-Eastern states | Fee concession as per university norms |
| EBC Scholarship for Girl Students | Girls from low-income families in university-adopted villages | Fee support as per university norms |
| Global Immersion Program Scholarship | Selected Indian students travelling on the immersion program | Partial funding of program cost |
Education loan assistance is also routed through the admissions office. Topper scholarship amounts are credited after the semester result is declared.
SSVAP Campus and Infrastructure
SSVAP operates from the 300-acre Symbiosis Knowledge Village at Gram Lavale, Taluka Mulshi, Pune. The campus sits in the Lavale hills, roughly 17 km from Savitribai Phule Pune University, and the surrounding terrain doubles as a field-work location for landscape and wildlife assignments.
The school runs five genre-specific studios. Studio 1 handles fashion work with an attached green room, Studio 2 is a table-top setup for product and food styling, Studio 3 is the foundation space for visual and film techniques, Studio 4 is a dedicated automobile photography studio, and Studio 5 is a natural daylight space. Supporting facilities include a red darkroom for film processing, a digital darkroom, a filmmaking studio and a MAC lab running Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
Hostel rooms on campus are semi-furnished and allotted by sharing type, with single occupancy reserved for differently abled students. Students consistently rate the studio access and equipment availability as the strongest part of the campus, given that 30 students share five studios. Faculty mix in-house instructors with visiting professionals, including Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalists and national award recipients who run masterclasses.
Campus life is built around exhibitions rather than conventional fests. SRIJAN is the annual exhibition where students curate, print and promote their own work under mentor guidance, and Third Eye is the school's annual photography showcase. Study tours and industry visits are written into the curriculum rather than offered as optional add-ons.
SSVAP vs AAFT Noida vs Whistling Woods International
Aspirants looking at a three-year creative degree after 10+2 usually weigh SSVAP against AAFT Noida and Whistling Woods International Mumbai. All three are private, portfolio or aptitude driven, and none require a national entrance score of the JEE or CUET type.
| Parameter | SSVAP Pune | AAFT Noida | Whistling Woods International |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship Course | B.A. Visual Arts and Photography | B.A. Photography and Videography | BFA Filmmaking |
| Duration | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Eligibility | 10+2, any stream | 10+2, any stream | 10+2, any stream |
| Selection | Portfolio and personal interview | Merit and interview | MECAT, Creative Ability Test, SOP and interview |
| Total Fees | INR 13.2 Lakhs | INR 6.41 Lakhs | INR 29.5 Lakhs plus GST |
| Intake | 30 seats | Program-wise intake | 220 seats |
| Core Focus | Photography with visual arts support | Photography and videography | Filmmaking and screen craft |
AAFT is the cheapest of the three by a wide margin and suits candidates who want a degree without a heavy fee commitment. Whistling Woods carries the strongest film-industry proximity through its Filmcity location, but its fee is more than double that of SSVAP and its focus is filmmaking rather than still photography. SSVAP sits between them, with a deemed-university degree, the tightest batch size and the deepest photography-specific studio infrastructure.
SSVAP FAQs
Ques. Does SSVAP require an entrance exam like SET or CUET?
Ans. No. SSVAP does not accept SET, CUET UG or any other national-level entrance score for the B.A. program. Selection is based on an original photography portfolio and a personal interview after online registration.
Ques. What is the total fee for the B.A. program at SSVAP?
Ans. The academic fee is INR 4,40,000 per year, payable in two instalments, which works out to INR 13.2 Lakhs for the three-year program. Hostel and mess charges are billed separately and add roughly INR 2.57 Lakhs per year.
Ques. Can a Commerce or Arts student take admission at SSVAP?
Ans. Yes. Eligibility is a pass in Standard XII or an equivalent examination from any recognised board, and every stream is accepted. There is no subject or minimum percentage restriction published for the program.
Ques. How many seats does SSVAP have?
Ans. The B.A. in Visual Arts and Photography has an intake of 30 students per batch. The small cohort is the reason studio and equipment access per student is high, and it also means offers fill up quickly in later rounds.
Ques. Does SSVAP have a NIRF ranking?
Ans. SSVAP is not ranked separately, because NIRF ranks universities and not their constituent schools. Its parent university, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), is ranked 24 in NIRF University 2025 and holds a NAAC A++ grade at a CGPA of 3.56.
Ques. Is SSVAP worth the fees compared to a cheaper photography course?
Ans. The trade-off is degree value and infrastructure against cost. SSVAP gives a deemed-university degree, five genre-specific studios including an automobile studio, and a 30-student batch, which a short-term diploma or a cheaper private course usually cannot match. Candidates who only want technical skills and not a degree can find lower-cost options.
Ques. What kind of jobs do SSVAP graduates get?
Ans. Graduates move into editorial and fashion photography, photojournalism, wildlife and travel assignments, commercial and product shoots, and film or adfilm production roles. A significant share build independent practices or studios rather than take salaried roles, which is normal for the field.
Ques. What scholarships can an SSVAP student get?
Ans. The main route is the university merit scholarship for semester toppers, which gives the top four students a 20, 15, 10 and 5 percent concession in academic fees, subject to a minimum GPA of 8.50 at the UG level. Students from the North-Eastern states and girl students from university-adopted villages have separate schemes available.
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Yes, the institute offers its flagship B.A. in Visual Courses & Photography programme, which accepts candidates from any stream of 12th pass (so you can apply without having maths) as noted on their website. No available sources indicate whether SSVAP has a specific, official policy or dedicated support services for students with disabilities (PwD) or accommodations under the PwD category.
The admission to Symbiosis School of Photography BA Photography is merit based.