Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute

Key Highlights

• Government-established specialist institution operating under India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
• Declared an Institution Deemed to be University on April 22, 2025
• Established in 1995; its first academic session began in 1996
• The 2026 Kolkata intake lists 12 seats per Cinema specialization and seven per EDM specialization

Student Life & Environment

Student life is closely tied to production schedules, screenings, and the residential campus. The institute reports separate boys’ and girls’ hostels, both with mess facilities. Its current accommodation page lists twin-sharing rooms, along with a television room, DVD room, table-tennis room, and gym in the boys’ hostel and a conference room in the girls’ hostel. Accommodation should not be assumed to be automatic; applicants should confirm allocation and availability directly with SRFTI. Film viewing is part of the campus routine as well as the curriculum. SRFTI describes weekday evening screenings of classic and contemporary Indian and international films, supported by a main theatre and preview theatre. The specialist library also lends audiovisual material and maintains collections spanning student films, documentaries, shorts, classics, experimental work, and features. The 2025–26 student union structure provides evidence of organized student participation through cultural, sports, library, mess, hostel, grievance, public-relations, and anti-ragging committees. The 2026 admissions prospectus states that ragging is prohibited on and off campus and requires students and parents to provide an undertaking at admission. Daily life is therefore likely to be more cohort-based and project-centered than at a large multidisciplinary university, with peers working across directing, camera, sound, editing, writing, production, animation, and media management.

Location & Surroundings

SRFTI’s Kolkata campus is at Eastern Metropolitan Bypass Road, Panchasayar, Kolkata 700094, in the southern part of the city. Official sources describe a residential site of nearly 40 acres with two large water bodies. Academic buildings, production facilities, theatres, the library, hostels, staff housing, and a guest house are located within the campus, creating a relatively self-contained environment for work that may continue beyond conventional classroom hours. Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal and has a longstanding place in Indian cinema, literature, theatre, visual art, and broadcasting. For film and media students, the city provides a relevant cultural setting for viewing, research, documentary observation, and creative collaboration. The campus’s position along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is outside Kolkata’s historic central districts, so applicants should assess everyday travel and housing in relation to Panchasayar rather than relying on a general image of central Kolkata. Those considering off-campus accommodation should verify commute times and transport options for their intended address, particularly because production and screening work may run into the evening.

Costs & Career Outcomes

SRFTI’s official fee page, updated August 19, 2026, lists an INR 8,493 one-time admission fee, an INR 71,038 one-time security deposit, and tuition of INR 47,861 per semester. The resulting amount due at admission for the academic program is INR 127,392, followed by INR 47,861 from the second semester onward. Hostel charges are separate: INR 1,546 for admission, an INR 9,265 security deposit, and INR 25,092 per semester, producing an initial hostel amount of INR 35,903 and INR 25,092 in later semesters. Students should confirm whether deposits are refundable and budget separately for mess, equipment, travel, personal productions, and other living costs because the published table does not establish those amounts. The same page lists 2026 application fees of INR 1,500 for one clubbed course choice or INR 2,250 for two for most applicants. Applicants in the SC, ST, and PWD categories, and female applicants across categories, are listed at INR 450 for one or INR 675 for two. Career preparation is embedded in production work and portfolio development rather than a conventional generalist curriculum. SRFTI has established an Incubation, Placement, Outreach and Public Relations cluster. Its placement function describes connections to internships, projects, alumni, production houses, channels, and streaming platforms, while incubation activity is intended to support media entrepreneurship. No current official placement rate, employer list, or graduate salary data was found, so applicants should ask for recent specialization-level outcomes and should not assume campus placement is guaranteed.