Master’s Programme in Public Policy

The University offers the Master’s Programme in Public Policy – a two-year interdisciplinary programme focusing on the interface between policy, social sciences, and the law. Introduced in 2014, this programme provides comprehensive training in designing public policies for the complex societal problems, translating policies into deliverable programmes, and in evaluating the efficacy of policies. Through this programme, NLSIU trains young professionals to become policy practitioners capable of supporting inclusive and sustainable development.

India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world, continuously faced with challenges of justice, inequity, exclusion, and progress. The study of public policy concerns how the State can respond to the new dynamic challenges that emerge in society. As every legislation requires clear policy formulation, there is demand for trained professionals who will be equipped to design, implement, and evaluate policies and programmes. We derive inspiration from our transformative Constitution while addressing the challenges of diverse national needs.

Pedagogy: We emphasise on a dialectical pedagogy that encourages students to question the complexities in the practice of public policy arising from real-life situations of people from a diverse set of social and economic backgrounds. The programme has adopted an innovative pedagogy which combines reflective learning through classroom discussions, in-field exposures, solving problems for real-world clients, internship and research dissertation.

Candidates with any graduate degree can apply for the MPP programme.  To view the academic and examination regulations, please click here.

For more details on eligibility and admissions process, please click on the admissions tab on this page.

Related Videos

Watch videos on the programme here.

The Academic Year will commence on July 1, 2025.

Eligibility

Any person holding a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized national or international University is eligible to apply to the programme. Applicants in the General Category should have graduated with an aggregate of not less than 45% of total marks. Applicants in the SC or ST or OBC-NCL or PWD category should have graduated with an aggregate of not less than 40% of total marks. Students in the final year of their Bachelor’s degree are also eligible to apply. However, their final offer of admission shall be contingent upon successful completion of their Bachelor’s degree with the minimum aggregate marks specified above. Proof of completion of the qualifying degree has to be submitted no later than December 31, 2025.

International Students

Applications for the Academic Year 2025-26 will open shortly for International students. Candidates can apply for the NLSAT – International Examination for “international student” category, if they fulfil the following conditions:

• They should be a citizen of a country other than India; AND
• They should have completed a minimum of ten years of their education in a school/college/university outside India.

For more details, click here.

Admission Process

The maximum intake is up to 120 students for the 2-year MPP programme in the Academic Year 2025-26 and ONLY students qualifying as per the criteria set out below will be admitted. Admission to the programme will be through an all-India written admission test, the NLSAT-MPP.

NLSAT-MPP

All candidates seeking admission to the programme shall appear for the National Law School Admission Test for Masters in Public Policy (NLSAT-MPP). The NLSAT-MPP will have a single question paper comprising two parts – Parts A and B. All candidates shall be required to attempt both parts of the question paper. The examination shall be for a duration of 150 minutes.

Part A

Part A will consist of Multiple-Choice Questions and shall be for a maximum of 75 marks. Each question will be of one mark. 0.25 marks shall be deducted for each wrong answer, and for each unanswered question.

Part A will constitute the first stage of the admissions process. A rank list of candidates will be prepared based on their performance in Part A of the NLSAT-MPP. To be eligible for evaluation of Part B of the NLSAT-MPP paper, a candidate should have secured more than zero marks in Part A of the paper.

From amongst these eligible candidates, Part B of the NLSAT-MPP answer scripts will be evaluated in a ratio of 1:5 based on performance in Part A. That is, five candidates per seat available will qualify for the evaluation of Part B of the examination.

Part B

Part B will consist of questions related to policy, and quantitative skills which shall be for a maximum of 75 marks. A fresh and final rank list shall be prepared based on the cumulative performance in Parts A and B of the NLSAT-MPP.

Offers of admission shall be made according to this final rank list subject to the candidate satisfying the following conditions:

(a) The candidate should have secured more than zero marks in both Parts A and B of the NLSAT-MPP.

(b) A candidate seeking admission in the General Category or EWS categories must secure a score above the 75th percentile of the eligible candidates in the aggregate score of Parts A and B. A candidate seeking admission in the SC or ST or OBC-NCL or PWD category must secure a score above the 40th percentile of the eligible candidates in the aggregate score of Parts A and B. In case where more than one candidate obtain the same aggregate score of Part A and Part B, the marks obtained in Part B shall be used to break the tie between them and determine their rank.

Note: The applicable reservations policy shall be applied at each stage of the admissions process.

Important Dates

• The NLSAT-MPP will be held on April 27, 2025 (Sunday), from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm in centres across the country.
• Application forms for the programme are now available at nlsatadmissions.nls.ac.in 
• Application fees of Rs. 2500 (Rupees Two thousand five hundred only) shall be payable at the time of submission of the application. Candidates belonging to the SC or ST or OBC-NCL or PWD or EWS shall be required to pay Rs. 2000 (Rupees Two Thousand only).
• Applications shall be accepted till 11:59 pm on March 23, 2025.
• The final admissions list will be published by the end of May 2025. A candidate’s provisional admission will become final only after verification of the originals of documents and payment of fees. The Academic Year will commence from July 1, 2025.

NLSAT will be held in several centres across the country. List of centres will be available on the application portal. The syllabus for the NLSAT-MPP will be available on the website of the University in the first week of January. Fees and other details of the programme are also available on the fee tab of this page.

Intake and Reservation

Seats shall be reserved as follows:

• Scheduled Caste – 15%
• Scheduled Tribe – 7.5%
• Other Backward Classes (NCL) – 27%
• Economically Weaker Sections – 10%
• 5% of the total intake shall be reserved horizontally for Persons with Disabilities (PWD).
• 30% of the total intake shall be reserved horizontally for Women.
• 25% of the total intake shall be reserved horizontally (compartmentalised) for Karnataka Students*.

* Karnataka Students Category:

1. Candidates who have studied for not less than 10 years in a recognized educational institution in Karnataka shall be eligible to be considered as ‘Karnataka Students.’

2. Candidates who have not completed ten years of study in Karnataka shall be eligible to apply under the Karnataka Students category if they fall under any of the below categories:

a)     Children of defence personnel/ex-servicemen, who at the time of joining service, have declared their hometown to be in the State of Karnataka, and who have served or are serving outside Karnataka, corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

b)    Children of employees of the Karnataka State Government who have served or are serving outside Karnataka corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

c)     Children of serving or retired employees belonging to the Karnataka cadre of the All India Services (IAS/IFS/IPS), who have served or are serving outside Karnataka corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

d)    Children of working or retired employees in the Central Armed Police Force service, who upon joining service declared their hometown to be in the State of Karnataka, and who have served or are serving outside Karnataka, corresponding to the candidate’s years of study outside Karnataka.

Illustration: If the candidate has studied in Karnataka for three (3) years, they must prove that their parent/s were serving outside Karnataka for at least seven (7) years corresponding to their own period of study outside Karnataka.

If the candidate has not studied in Karnataka continuously for at least one (1) year, they must prove that their parent/s were serving outside Karnataka for at least ten (10) years corresponding to their own period of study outside Karnataka.

3. Eligible candidates must keep their Study Certificates issued by their School/s and other relevant documents ready to be submitted at the time of counselling/admission.

The official admission notification containing the above details for the Academic Year 2025-26 has been released. View the official notification here.

For any queries regarding NLSAT, please write to 

Master’s Programme in Public Policy at NLSIU is a two-year programme organised through six trimesters. The programme is a strong blend of theory-driven and skill-enhancing courses. Apart from the courses focused on the theory and practice of public policy, the programme includes courses across several disciplines including economics, law, sociology, and politics (including political economy), in ways that allow participants to reckon with complex features of Indian society. Classrooms follow innovative and integrative pedagogy encouraging participants to share their perspectives on contemporary policy issues, and the learning revolves around discussions in the light of theories and practices.

The course intends to combine reflective and interactive learning with field exposure and problem-solving tasks. The pedagogy encourages the amalgamation of divergent and convergent thinking which is further judged in the dissertation where students are given the opportunity to use the research training received in the programme to explore, analyse, and effectively articulate their findings on policy relevant questions. The evaluation over the two years is based on the dual criteria of: (i) knowledge, which is periodically assessed through end-term examinations; and (ii) the skills, that are continuously assessed through various evaluations including assignments, projects, presentations, and debates.

Course Structure

1. Core Courses: 50 credits.
2. Elective courses: 16 credits.
3. Field Work: 2 Credits (exposure to communities)
4. Client-led Projects: 2 Credits (exposure to public/private/non-profit organizations)
5. Seminar Courses: 4 credits
6. Dissertation: 10 credits

Click on each of the titles below to know more about the different components:

Courses | AY 2024-25

Note: The exact trimester in which the courses are taught may vary at times.

Year 1

Year 2

Academic Calendar | Trimester II (Nov 2024 – Jan 2025)

*This date is subject to change depending on final holiday list from the University

Fee Structure for AY 2025-26 (First Year Students)

Admission fee – one time – Rs. 13,000/-
Tuition and facilities fee – Rs. 2,96,000/- p.a.
Housing fee (subject to availability) – Rs. 1,23,500/- p.a.
Total fee per annum – Rs. 4,32,500/-

One Time Refundable Deposit 
Refundable deposits for SC/ST category students – Rs. 17,500/-
Refundable deposits for other students – Rs. 22,000/-

The total amount payable by SC/ST category students is Rs. 4,50,000/-
The total amount payable by other students is Rs. 4,54,500/- 

NOTE:

* Fees mentioned above are provisional and subject to ratification by the University Governing Bodies.
* Housing Fee includes meal plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening snack.
* Day scholars may opt for meal plan at Rs. 74,500 (Mess Fee) per annum. The meal plan includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening snack.
* Refundable deposit will be refunded either upon graduation or admission withdrawal. The refund will be subject to the deduction of applicable convocation fees, fees for issue of certificates, and other outstanding dues, if any.

Financial Aid

The University offers means-based scholarships. To know more about NLSIU’s financial aid options for students, click here. 

Fee Structure for Foreign Students for AY 2024-25 (First Year Students)

Admission fee – one time – Rs. 36,000/-
Tuition and facilities fee – Rs. 8,07,000/-
Hostel residential charges – Rs. 45,000/-
Mess charges – Rs. 67,500/-
Total fee – per annum – Rs. 9,55,500/-

One Time Refundable Deposit
Refundable deposits – Rs. 60,000/-
The total amount payable at the time of admission, by foreign students is Rs. 10,15,500/-

* Fees mentioned above are provisional and subject to ratification by the University Governing Bodies.
* Mess fee includes meal plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening snack.

Information for Students

• View Placement Brochures of the MPP programme for the year 2023.
• View recruitment timeline here. 

Information for Recruiters 

Embedded in the values of collaboration and participation, our students are equipped with analytical skills and critical thinking. They are trained to engage in all levels of policy from design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Our students have acquired skills in policy memo writing, preparation of policy briefs, desk and field research with advanced knowledge in research methodology, case preparation, data analysis, policy design and evaluation through training and on-the-job internships across a variety of organisations. Additionally, they have been exposed to managing negotiation and case presentation.

Many of our students also voluntarily take up internship opportunities in diversefields including agriculture, development, gender and social inclusion, urban infrastructure, and international affairs. Previous internship avenues have included governmental organizations, NGOs, inter-governmental institutions, research organizations, policy think tanks, academic institutions and corporations.

If you are interested in hosting an intern or recruiting our students, please write to