Master of Arts in General Economics at Madras School of Economics: Eligibility & Requirements

Use the correct Indian, NRI or foreign self-financing route; nationality alone does not waive academic or documentation conditions.

• An undergraduate degree in social sciences, including commerce/management, sciences or engineering; final-year candidates in AY 2026 could also apply.
• Indian-route undergraduate marks: 55% General, 50% eligible OBC-NCL or 45% eligible SC/ST/PwD. Foreign applicants require equivalent qualifications; these concessions are not automatic.
• Be under 25 on 1 July 2026.
• Mathematics at 10+2 or equivalent, including NIOS Senior Secondary mathematics, or undergraduate mathematical-economics coursework.
• Regular Indian-route selection uses the MSE entrance test; qualifying marks and age break entrance-score ties.
• Foreign self-financing applicants need an equivalent qualifying examination. Obtain AIU equivalence if the university or board is not on the AIU list.
• When the foreign-route English-test rule applies: IELTS 6.5 overall and 6 in each section, or TOEFL iBT 95 overall and at least 20 in writing; scores must be no more than two years old.
• Open to: Indian applicants meeting the 2026 programme qualification and age rules
• Open to: NRI applicants through the separately labelled 2026 application route
• Open to: Foreign nationals meeting equivalent qualification rules through self-financing admission
• The academic, mathematics and age rules below concern the 2026 admission cycle, not an announced future intake.
• Foreign self-financing applicants require an equivalent qualifying examination and the same minimum academic qualifications. Indian reserved-category concessions are not automatically extended to foreign applicants.
• For foreign qualifications, MSE checks correspondence against the AIU list; an unlisted university or board requires an AIU equivalence certificate.
• Foreign applicants submit attested English translations of transcripts. Overseas records also require the stated authorised-government-agency attestation and Indian Embassy or Consulate certification.
• The dedicated NRI/foreign form does not make every applicant eligible. Foreign-national entrance-test exemption is not automatically extended to Indian-passport NRI applicants.
• Foreign applicants must document English proficiency. Where English is not the first language or the medium during secondary and tertiary education, the ordinance requires a qualifying English test no more than two years old.

The 2026 brochure and live admissions page establish the current route. The current MA academic page continues to link the April 2025 ordinance for foreign equivalence, documents and conditional English proficiency; 2026 brochure dates and fees take precedence.