SLS Hyderabad: Admissions, Curriculum, and Student Diversity

Symbiosis Law School's Hyderabad Campus is one among the four law schools under Symbiosis International (Deemed) University headquartered in Pune. Established in 2014, the college is still in a developing stage in comparison to Pune and Noida locations of Symbiosis. The campus is fully residential and is located in a relatively isolated part of Hyderabad, Telangana. The campus has commendable level of infrastructure including well maintained class rooms, seminar hall, reading room, library and hostels. Considering the fact that the campus is still evolving and is at an isolated location of the college. There exists minor issues in access to transportation and other spheres.

Currently the college offers 5 year Integrated BA, BBA LLB programs and I am currently pursuing my final year of 5 year B.A.LL.B course. I chose this course over BBA LLB option as I was more inclined towards the BA subjects like sociology, economics and political science than the BBA options such as accounting and business administration. Admissions are based on the Symbiosis Law Admission Test (SLAT) that can be attempted after 12th standard. There is a reservation of certain percentage of seats for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, and Differently abled as well as International students. Students from all streams are eligible to appear for SLAT which is a centralized admission test for all four locations of Symbiosis Law Schools. The college follows semester system and each year there are two semesters of six month duration each. Each semester includes internal tutorials, viva’s and end semester examinations. The curriculum is well curate and is as per the Bar Council of India Standards. There is a mandatory internal moot court competition that has to be completed in the first year of law school. A drawback is that irrespective of these efforts the academics at times fail to make the students prepared for the real-life challenges and the same can only be resolved by putting significant initiatives from the students as well as the faculties.

Fees are relatively on the expensive side and are paid in Installments at the end of each semester. The fees varies according to the year of study but can possibly range from 5-6 lakh per annum which includes around 3 lakh or above as tuition fees and 2 lakh as hostel and mess fees. A couple of financial aids are available to foreign nations and scholarships to batch toppers of the course. The fees can also be increased every year up to 15% and the same is as per the discretion of Symbiosis University guidelines.

The faculty members are approachable and knowledgeable. Majority of them come from an NLU background. There is an underlying issue in accessibility to the campus which reduces the availability of experienced faculties. The teaching methods are a combination of class room interactions, discussions and PPT’s. The tutorial formats are up to the discretion of the respective faculties and they are mostly accommodative to the preferences of the students and are open to discussions and feedbacks.

The college has a dedicated Training and Placement Cell which is guided by a faculty-in charge and a placement officer. The cell provides internship opportunities and conducts seminars of various industry experts, college alumni and law firms. The college is struggling to get recruiters for campus placements 2025 considering the present job market. Major recruiters that have recruited the students include Deloitte USI, Tatva Legal, QuisLex Legal, etc. The highest package offered is 8 lakh per annum and the average range from 3-4 lakh per annum. I got placed for a package of 5 lakh per annum but I had to turn down the offer due to certain communication and procedural issues from the placement cell's end. Overall the placements in the college currently do not look promising and the college is constantly working on the same.

The college is fully residential and there exists multiple hostel buildings for Law, MBA, BBA and Engineering courses offered. The mess is common for boys and girls and it offers both north as well as south Indian cuisine. The mess is hygienic and well maintained. The food is above-average when compared to other colleges. Hostel fee is collected at the end of every semester. Students have to reach the campus compound by 9pm and hostels by 11pm. Hostels are above average and are cleaned daily. From personal experience, it gives holistic and fun filled memories for a lifetime to the hostellers.

The campus is small as well as it is expanding. It looks beautiful in the evening. It includes a centralized gym, auditorium, health centre, mess, salons and a few essential stores. The campus is located in a village away from Hyderabad and the same makes it difficult to find modes to travel to the city. There are multiple cab services available which one can share with other students. The college also provides free bus rides on Sundays to Hyderabad city. The campus has a football turf, basketball as well as volleyball court which can be well-utilized by the students. The health centre includes one doctor and two nurses who can cater to minor issues and if further consultation is needed the transport for the same shall be provided by the college. The academic block of the campus is shared by all streams including Law, MBA and BBA streams and is well designed and maintained.

Overall campus life will be memorable as the campus offers beautiful sky, an amphitheater, a couple of small hangout spots in front of the campus where people gather for evening chai and fresh dosa. There are students from all parts of India and thus there is so much exposure to people from a plethora of culture and background. There are multiple clubs and centers like dance, music, movie clubs and centers that specialize in various facets of law. The college is active in celebrating festivals across the country including Diwali, Dussera, Holi, Onam, etc. and it also conducts annual ethnic day, college fest called Syminaret as well as annual moot court competition which instill collaboration and celebration. I personally had a wonderful campus experience where I enjoyed every bit of my campus life with a wonderful group of people.