The TOP 10 Arts colleges of India 2012

India Today has released the results of its annual survey of the best Indian colleges 2012. In the concluding part of a series, we bring you the top 10 arts colleges, as per their findings. (Please also read: top 10 commerce colleges, top 10 science colleges, top 10 medical colleges, top 10 engineering colleges)

One of the leading magazines in the country, India Today has prepared a list of the best colleges in India for this year.

Using data from the Internet, various published reports and the Association of Indian Universities Handbook, the publication partnered with global marketing and advertising research company Nielsen to draw up a list of over 1,500 colleges.

Faculties from leading institutes across the country rated all but their own colleges and universities on the basis of reputation, quality of academic input, student care, infrastructure and job prospects; those that figured high up in the rankings also had to submit factual data to figure in the list.

In the following pages, we bring you the top 10 arts colleges from across the nation.

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In tenth place is Miranda House, New Delhi.

Established in 1948, it caters to over 3,000 students annually across its undergraduate and post-graduate programmes.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, social activist Aruna Roy, filmmaker Mira Nair and actor Nandita Das have graduated from Miranda House.

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Chennai's Madras Christian College comes in at nine.

One of the oldest colleges in the country, it was founded in 1837 and admits over 6,500 students across its various undergraduate and post-graduate programmes.

Former president S Radhakrishnan and actor Gemini Ganesan are among its notable alumni.

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Next up is Hindu College, Delhi.

It was established in 1899 and is often ranked among the best institutions for arts and commerce in the country.

Directors Vishal Bhardwaj, Imtiaz Ali and actor Manoj Kumar have studied here.

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Sliding down one spot from last year is the Presidency College, Kolkata.

Established on January 20, 1817 by education reformist Raja Ram Mohan Roy as the Hindu College, it was renamed in 1855 and has over 11 academic departments at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

Among its eminent alumni are founder of the Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda, late former president Dr Rajendra Prasad and Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen.

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Christ College, Bangalore comes in at Number Six.

Also known as Christ University, this educational institution was established on July 15, 1969.

Interestingly, Christ was the first college in Karnataka to be accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for providing quality education to students.

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St Xavier's College, Kolkata rounds off the top five arts colleges in the country.

Founded in 1860, it is affiliated to the University of Calcutta.

Prominent alumni from this institute include former chief minister of West Bengal the late Jyoti Basu, National Award-winning actor Utpal Dutt and leading fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

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Loyola College, Chennai is ranked fourth for arts.

Although it was founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1925 with the primary objective of providing a university education to children of the Catholic community, it now admits youngsters from across communities and religions.

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Third on the list is St Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Established in the year 1889, it is named after Francis Xavier, a 16th century Spanish Jesuit saint.

St Xavier's is renowned for its many, highly successful alumni -- actors Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Tabu, Vidya Balan and Freida Pinto, journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, columnist Shobha De and cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, to name a few.

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In second place we have St Stephen's College, New Delhi.

Established in 1881, it was first affiliated to Calcutta University, then Punjab University and finally the University of Delhi in 1922.

Shashi Tharoor, Mani Shankar Aiyyar, Sachin Pilot and Montek Singh Ahluwalia have all studied here.

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Leading India Today's list of best arts colleges for 2012 is Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi.

Best known for its programmes in humanities, it offers professional courses in elementary education and journalism.

The college boasts of an eminent list of alumni that includes leading interior designer and Padma Shri recipient Sunita Kohli, investigative journalist Chitra Subramaniam and Nobel Prize-winning Burmese democrat Aung San Suu Kyi.

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