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Studies & Degrees in Sanskrit

Sanskrit is the classical language of India. Its history goes back more than three thousand years, and for much of that time it was the main language of learning, literature and religion on the subcontinent. The oldest form is Vedic, the language of the Vedas. Later classical Sanskrit is the language of the two great epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, and of works on grammar, logic, law, mathematics, astronomy and poetics. Buddhists, Hindus and Jains still use Sanskrit today, and it is one of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Students of Sanskrit learn the Devanagari script and a grammar with many forms to memorise, and then spend most of their time reading texts closely. A degree also covers the history, religions and philosophy of ancient and medieval India, and often a second language such as Hindi, Pali, Prakrit or Tibetan.

Qualifications and levels

Sanskrit can be studied as a full degree, as a language option inside a wider degree, or in short courses. The route differs by country.

  • Bachelor's degree. The University of Oxford offers a BA in Sanskrit within Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. No prior knowledge of an ancient language is expected. The first part lasts about five months and ends with the Preliminary Examination. The second part, the Final Honours course, takes seven terms (26 months). Students add a subsidiary language in the second and third years, and there is no year abroad.
  • Language sequences in a US degree. At The University of Chicago, Sanskrit is one of the languages of the BA major in South Asian Languages and Civilizations. The first-year sequence spends about fifteen weeks on the script and grammar. It then moves to simple texts, with the aim that students can read simple narrative Sanskrit with a dictionary.
  • Master's degrees in India. The M.A. in Sanskrit at the University of Delhi is organised in four semesters. The University of Madras admits to its M.A. in Sanskrit students who took Sanskrit within a B.A. or B.Sc., or graduates who passed its Higher Diploma course in Sanskrit.
  • Certificates and diplomas. The University of Delhi also runs Certificate and Diploma courses in Sanskrit, which suit beginners and part-time learners.
  • Research degrees. The University of Delhi offers a Ph.D. in Sanskrit, and Oxford a DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Oxford's MPhil in Classical Indian Religion has Sanskrit as a major part, and students on that course can start the language from the beginning.

Credit systems differ between countries. If you plan to continue in another country, ask the university how its credits and grades are documented.

Where to study it

Our directory lists six active schools for Sanskrit: three in India, two in the United States and one in the United Kingdom.

  • India. The University of Delhi, the University of Madras in Chennai and the University of Calcutta in Kolkata. The Delhi department dates from 1922, the year the university was founded, and reports more than four hundred postgraduate students and more than one hundred and fifty research scholars. The Madras department traces its origin to 1868, when Presidency College appointed its first Professor of Sanskrit. For 2026-27, candidates for Delhi's two-year postgraduate programmes must apply through CUET (PG), a national entrance test.
  • United States. The University of Chicago and The University of Texas at Austin, where the Department of Asian Studies lists Sanskrit among its languages.
  • United Kingdom. The University of Oxford.

In the United Kingdom and the United States, teaching is in English and focuses on reading. In India the medium of instruction can differ from one department to another, so ask the department which languages it teaches and examines in before you apply.

Careers

Sanskrit is rarely a direct path to one profession. Graduates go into university research and teaching, school teaching, work with manuscripts in libraries and archives, publishing and translation, and religious and cultural organisations. The language is also useful background for yoga teaching, Indian philosophy, Ayurveda and the study of other South Asian languages. A newer field is computational linguistics: the Delhi department, for instance, maintains computational Sanskrit tools.

We found no official employment statistics for Sanskrit graduates as a group. An academic career normally requires a doctorate, and posts are few, so many students combine Sanskrit with a second subject.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know Sanskrit before starting a degree?

Not always. The BA in Sanskrit at the University of Oxford expects no prior knowledge of an ancient language, and US universities such as The University of Chicago teach it from first-year level. The University of Madras, for instance, requires earlier study of Sanskrit for its M.A.

Is Sanskrit still used today?

Yes. It is one of the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, and Buddhists, Hindus and Jains use it in religious practice. Most students learn it to read texts, not for everyday conversation.

How long does it take to read Sanskrit texts?

University courses reach simple texts within the first year. The first-year sequence at The University of Chicago, for example, spends about fifteen weeks on script and grammar before moving on to simple narrative texts.

Where can I study Sanskrit in India as a postgraduate?

Our directory lists the University of Delhi, the University of Madras and the University of Calcutta. Delhi's M.A. in Sanskrit has four semesters, and the university also offers Certificate and Diploma courses.