⭐Top BSc Physics colleges| THE BEST LIST ON THE INTERNET

This a post for those in 12th, and are looking to become Physicists.

Unlike the manipulated and paid lists you find in popular websites, this is a list of best places to do a bachelor's degree in physics in India as opined by students who actually lived and studied in those regions.

Based on the information I've gathered from my friends, and our PAE (Physics After Engineering) community members and the internet, I have put up the names of some of the good institutes that we felt are actually worth spending a few years in to study Physics.
It'll answer questions like

How to become a Physicist in India?

How to become a Physicist after 12th? 

What are the best colleges for BSc Physics in India ?

[After you read the article I'd recommend reading this post about how to excel during your Bachelors's. It's basically all the things I regret not knowing or not doing in my bachelor degree days How to make the most out of your undergraduate days?]

Types of courses:

Firstly these are the types of courses that are present:

• Bachelors of sciences
• Honors in physics
• Major in physics
• General B.Sc
• The first two are considered equal but Honors degree has a slight edge because more focus is laid in Physics. Also if you are opting for a general B.Sc make sure that you have 4 semesters of physics in your coursework so that you'll be eligible to get admission in IIT through JAM.

• Integrated M.Sc
• B.Sc+M.Sc
• It's a 5-year course after which you will be receiving both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in physics.
• BS-MS
• This is also a 5-year course similar to above which will be more research-focused and the value of the degree is increasing day by day.
• IISERs, Few IITs, and IISC, etc offer these programs.

• Engineering Physics, Astronomy, space science or related areas
• Engineering Physics in few IITs
• Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology(IIST)
• B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering and ECE(With specialization in Avionics)
• Dual degree B.Tech+ M.Tech/MSC.
• You can get a job directly in ISRO after completion of the degree here.

Integrated MSc and BS-MS programs

               I'm listing out a few places that are known to us to offer Integrated M.Sc and BS-MS programs and the corresponding entrance exams that are accepted by the institute to give admission.

• IISERs - Marks in 12th class(Central or state board), JEE Adv, KVPY. [Intake 1512 !! ]
• IITs: JEE Advanced
• NITs: JEE Mains
• IISC: JEE-Main, JEE-Advance, KVPY, NEET-UG [Intake 120]
• NISER Bhuvneshwar - NEST(Intake 200)
• CBS- Mumbai - NEST [Intake 45]
• IIST- JEE (Advance) [Intake 60+60+20]
• University of Hyderabad: BS-MS: (their own entrance exam) 
• The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata (Intake:40)
• BITS: BITSAT(There is B.E+MSc dual degree program and integrated BSc+MSc program as well )
• Pondicherry University: (their own entrance exam) 
• In Kerala:
• Mahatma Gandhi University: IIRBS
• Cochin University: CUSAT - CAT ( newly started)

• IISERs (BS-MS)⭐

            Of all the options mentioned in the post, the BS-MS courses offered by IISERs deserves a special mention for multiple reasons. Firstly, because the intake is Huge, All 7 campuses put together take 1,512 students as of 2k19. So, you'll have a better chance to get admission than in any other institute. I'd recommend applying for this at any cost through their website in all the channels you can. These institutes are established specifically to cultivate and encourage scientific research in the country. You can read the success stories as shared by the former students themselves here in their blog for the Alumni of IISERs. For more reasons read Why join an IISER? by the Founding director of one of the IISERs.

A Little background about the Institutes:

             Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISERs) is a group of premier science education and research institutes in India. Though they are rather newly established, they are growing at an incredible pace. The campuses that are established first (Kolkata and Pune in 2006 and Mohali in 2007) have already made it to top tier research institutes in the country and will hopefully turn into Holy grail of Sciences like IITs are to Engineering studies. As of now, there are 7 campuses, situated in Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Berhampur respectively. 

Course work:

                Course work is very well designed with lots of choices for the students. Actually, it differs from campus to campus but mostly it is like one or two years of common compulsory courses in Basic sciences for all. Once these are completed, the student will have a plethora of options to choose from in the form of electives, major, minor, etc. The best of all, Mohali has 80 electives to choose from. In the last year, course work will be minimal to zero(as in Pune) and the sole focus will be on research or project work, which the student can do in any institute in India or even abroad.

Admissions:

Coming to the main part, The institutes take students through 3 ways:

1. SCB-State and Central Boards [ For those who scored a good percentage in 12th class ]
2. IIT-JEE (Advanced)
3. KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana)

Candidates can apply through more than one or all three channels if she/he wishes to, But have to apply for each channel separately. For the candidates seeking admission through the first channel i.e through marks in 12th class, The cut-offs percentage in 12th will vary from Board to Board (which for the year 2019 can be found here in their website) and they will have to give an Aptitude test conducted by IISERs and admission will be based on that score. Do visit their FAQ section for more details.

B.Sc Physics

Here is a list of a few good colleges and universities listed state wise

Central & Private universities/institutes:

             State universities usually have very limited no. of seats for the non-locals so it'll be very difficult for people who don't have good colleges in their home state to get through. But Central & private institutes do not have any such local reservations and are open to all. So, it's better to apply to all Central Universities, when you are applying outside your state. I'm mentioning a few such institutes which are known to have a good Physics Department.

• Ashoka University⭐⭐
• [Private Univ] It has outstanding faculty and course structure, world-class actually, probably the best in the country (look at the faculty profiles, people are from highly top universities abroad) the fee is very high but if you show the need for financial aid, there will be fee-waiver, in fact, 41% students have a complete fee waiver. For full details about financial aid go through this. The campus life is excellent and has a very active & vibrant student clubs. It is extremely student-friendly. [This is not a sponsored article or anything lol. I'm seriously amazed to hear all the things about the place from a friend of mine studying there]
• Azim Premji University, Bangalore⭐⭐
• [Private Univ] This again has an excellently designed UG program, almost like that of Ashoka University, the fee is high (but lesser than that of Ashoka), but again they have fee waiver up to 100% based on your family income (details here).
• Chennai Mathematical Institute(CMI)⭐⭐
• CMI is one of the top research institutes in the country. Their UG program is also top class.
• Shiv Nadar University⭐
• [Private Univ] It has good faculty like the other Private unis. I've mentioned earlier. Fee is high but there is a scholarship option.
• Delhi University⭐
• It has umpteen number of colleges on campus and you can apply to all of them in a single application (Although Stephen's college needs a separate application)
• BHU (Banaras Hindu University)⭐
• University of Hyderabad⭐

State-wise

These are the few colleges that are known to have a good physics department

• West Bengal
• Scottish Church College⭐
• Presidency University⭐
• Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur (Boys only)⭐
• St. Xavier's College⭐
• Ramakrishna mission residential college, Narendrapur(Boys only)
• Lady Brabourne College (only for girls)
• Jadavpur University
• Bethune college (only for girls)
• Ramakrishna mission, Rahara (only for boys)
• Delhi
• Ashoka University⭐
• University of Delhi⭐
• Shiv Nadar University⭐
• St. Stephens College⭐ (Though affiliated to DU needs to be sent application separately)
• Ambedkar University
• Jamia Millia Islamia
• Maharashtra
• St.Xaviers college, Mumbai⭐
• Fergusson College, Pune
• Ramnaraian Ruia College, Mumbai
• Jai Hind College, Mumbai
• Uttar Pradesh
• BHU
• Telangana
• Hyderabad Central University
• Tamilnadu
• Chennai Mathematical Institute⭐
• Loyola college
• Madras University
• SRM, Kattankulathur
• Madras Christian College (MCC)
• Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College
• Bishop Herber College
• PSG college
• Anna University
• Amritha University
• Punjab
• Panjab University
• Karnataka
• IISC, Bangalore⭐⭐
• Azim Premji University, Bangalore⭐
• Christ University, Bangalore

• Kerala
• St. Berchmans College, Changanassery
• CMS College, Kottayam
• Baselius College, Kottayam
• Christ College, Irinjalakuda
• BMC, Thrikkakara
• Aquinas College, Edakochi
• St Paul's College Kalamassery
• St Thomas College, Palai
• SH College, Ernakulam
• Kuriakose Gregorios College, Pampady
• University College, Thiruvananthapuram
• Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram

   A Gentle Advice:  Since the 12th pass-outs will be just 17-year-olds and usually not so knowledgeable about how the institutes will be and which is good for them, it's recommended to have some parental guidance or help from teachers or someone who is well educated and is generally experienced in these things.
To get the most accurate first-hand review of an institute it's best to ask the students who are studying there currently or passed out of the college recently, usually, the universities put up the names of the students in their websites along with their email IDs. So, You can mail them or find them on FB by searching the names or looking up on the FB page related to that institute.

[After you read the article I'd recommend reading this post about how to excel during your bachelor's which you're about to begin. It's basically all the things I extremely regret not knowing or doing during my bachelor degree How to make the most out of your undergraduate days?]

Apart from physics there also are many other options available. I request the students to be informed about all options available and sagaciously choose their Undergraduate degree rather than going with the herd. Also during your UG, stay with an open mind and keep all options open so that you can switch to any other field you happen to develop an interest in. I'm listing out few such options: Engineering, B.Com, BA(literature, history, mass com, psychology, etc), B.Arch, BA-LLB, Prep for IAS, IES, IPS, IFS(UPSC, etc), Prep for Defence (CDS, AFCAT, etc), Physical education/sports college, Diplomas(commerce/vocational), BCS, BCA, Physiotherapy, Politics, CA, Actuaries, Professional courses, Fine arts, Business, Startup, Investments, Medical.

Note: Most of the information in this post is suggested to me by different people, all of whom I can't thank enough. Finally, I'd like to remind you that the programs shown above are not the only good options available, there might be a few I have missed if you happen to know of any good ones that you think deserve a mention in the list, please do inform me either in the comment section or directly to me on my mail or in our Telegram group, we shall verify and add them in the post.