Mysore School of Architecture

Written by L K Monu Borkala, Founder & Chief Strategist
Last Updated: August 6, 2026 · Verified with COA and VTU data for 2025–26

Mysore School of Architecture (MSA) was established in 2014 under the L.K. Memorial Charitable Trust, described as the first stand-alone college of architecture in Mysore. Approved by the Council of Architecture and affiliated to VTU, Belagavi, it offers a 5-year B.Arch on a 2-acre campus, with admission through NATA, JEE Main Paper 2, or COMEDK UGET scores.

Not to be confused with the School of Planning and Architecture at the University of Mysore, a separate, older, public institution with a similar name.

A Distinct Institution From "SPA Mysore"

Mysore has two separate architecture institutions that get confused with each other regularly because their names overlap. This college, Mysore School of Architecture (MSA), is a private institution established in 2014 under the L.K. Memorial Charitable Trust, affiliated to VTU, Belagavi. The School of Planning and Architecture, University of Mysore (often called SPA Mysore), is a completely different, older institution: established in 2002 as part of the public University of Mysore itself, which traces back to 1916. SPA Mysore also runs B.Plan, M.Arch, and M.Tech Urban Planning programs that MSA does not offer. Applicants should confirm which specific "Mysore" architecture institution they mean before applying, since fees, affiliation, and the range of available programs differ meaningfully between the two.

MSA describes itself as the first stand-alone college of architecture in Mysore, meaning it opened specifically as a dedicated architecture institution from day one, rather than growing out of an existing engineering or general college. The Council of Architecture approved its B.Arch program, and the college runs on a compact 2-acre campus with a full-time faculty of 13, supplemented by 4 visiting faculty, led by Director and Dean Dr. Champa H.S.

Admission and Cutoffs

B.Arch admission requires 10+2 with a minimum 50% aggregate and Mathematics as a compulsory subject, alongside a qualifying score in NATA, JEE Main Paper 2, or COMEDK UGET. The 2024 COMEDK UGET-linked cutoff for General Merit category closed in the range of rank 504 to 509, a useful directional reference though this shifts year to year based on applicant volume. This runs independently of KCET-based admission, which does not cover architecture seat allocation.

The application process runs through the college's own website, requiring a non-refundable Rs 1,000 application fee payable to the L.K. Memorial Charitable Trust. Total course fees across the five-year program run approximately Rs 10 lakh all-in, combining roughly Rs 1.75 lakh per year in tuition with one-time deposits for hostel, library, canteen, and a Rs 20,000 university admission fee; the college has stated its year-to-year fee figures shift enough that it does not publish one fixed annual number, so applicants should confirm the current exact figure directly before applying.

Facilities

MSA maintains separate hostels for male and female students on a twin-sharing basis, alongside mess and transport facilities for day scholars. The library holds more than 450 architecture-specific volumes plus access to EBSCO's online e-journal system, and computer labs run current architectural software over broadband connections. For a 2-acre campus, this represents a reasonably complete set of dedicated architecture-education facilities rather than shared infrastructure borrowed from an unrelated parent institution.

What "Trust-Managed" Means Here

The L.K. Memorial Charitable Trust runs MSA as its architecture-focused institution, a smaller-scale trust structure than the multi-institution foundations covered elsewhere on this site, such as Alva's Education Foundation or the SDM Educational Society. This has a practical implication: MSA does not draw on a wider network of sister institutions across other disciplines the way a larger trust-run architecture school might, meaning campus culture and available cross-disciplinary resources are more contained to architecture specifically rather than benefiting from adjacent engineering or business schools under the same umbrella.

A compact, architecture-dedicated campus rather than shared infrastructure borrowed from an unrelated parent institution.

The AICTE does not directly approve B.Arch programs, which fall under COA's jurisdiction specifically; applicants sometimes look for AICTE approval on an architecture listing out of habit from researching engineering colleges, and should know that COA is the correct regulatory body to verify here instead.

Who This Fits

MSA suits NATA or JEE Main Paper 2-qualified applicants specifically seeking a small, dedicated, architecture-only institution in Mysuru, rather than a program sharing campus space with engineering or general-degree students. Applicants wanting the broader program range SPA Mysore offers, including B.Plan and M.Arch, or preferring a public-university affiliation over a private trust, should look at that separate institution instead. For admission guidance or comparison against other Karnataka architecture schools on fees and facilities, confirming current-year figures directly with MSA remains essential.

Applicants weighing MSA against other Karnataka architecture schools covered on this site should factor in the specific trade-off a small, single-purpose trust institution presents: less scale and fewer adjacent-discipline resources, against a campus culture entirely centred on architecture rather than shared with unrelated programs. For students specifically comparing this against management-focused institutions in the region, the two serve entirely different professional tracks and aren't typically weighed against each other directly, but the comparison tool covers both if useful.

Verify current accreditation and approval status directly via the NAAC database and COA's own records before applying, since a private trust-run institution's specific accreditation history is less consistently documented across third-party aggregators than a larger, more established college's would be.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as the School of Planning and Architecture at University of Mysore?

No. Mysore School of Architecture (MSA) is a private institution established in 2014 under the L.K. Memorial Charitable Trust, VTU-affiliated. The School of Planning and Architecture, University of Mysore (SPA Mysore) is a separate, older, public institution established in 2002, part of the University of Mysore.

What is MSA's admission process?

10+2 with 50% aggregate and Mathematics compulsory, plus a qualifying score in NATA, JEE Main Paper 2, or COMEDK UGET. The 2024 GM category cutoff closed around rank 504-509.

Does KCET matter for admission here?

No. Admission runs through NATA, JEE Main Paper 2, or COMEDK UGET specifically. KCET does not cover architecture seat allocation at MSA or elsewhere.

What does the program cost?

Approximately Rs 10 lakh all-in across the five-year program, combining roughly Rs 1.75 lakh per year in tuition with one-time hostel, library, and admission deposits. The college has stated fees shift enough year to year that no single fixed figure is published; confirm current costs directly.

Does MSA offer programs beyond B.Arch?

No. MSA offers only the B.Arch program. Students seeking B.Plan, M.Arch, or M.Tech Urban Planning should look at the separate School of Planning and Architecture, University of Mysore.