Which programmes require Sanskrit?

38 programmes at 15 universities name Sanskrit outright in their CUET requirement. No combination of the other papers reaches them, so a candidate who does not sit Sanskrit cannot apply to any of them.

Which universities accept Sanskrit?

382 programmes across 38 universities can use Sanskrit in their CUET requirement, counted from the admission documents we have read line by line. That figure includes the programmes that merely allow the paper as one option alongside others.

What is the CUET subject code for Sanskrit?

Sanskrit carries NTA subject code 325. It is a domain paper in the CUET (UG) subject list.

Which papers are most often taken with Sanskrit?

Counting the programme rules that accept Sanskrit, the papers those same rules accept most often are Knowledge Tradition - Practices in India, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics / Applied Mathematics, Biology / Biological Science / Biotechnology / Biochemistry. This is a count of rules, not of what candidates choose.

Are past answer keys available for Sanskrit?

NTA has published a final answer key covering Sanskrit for 2026, 2025, 2024. Each link opens NTA's own PDF at the page where this paper starts. NTA does not publish the question paper itself.

Sanskrit

Subject code 325 · domain paperWhere this paper leads

Listed by NTA as a domain subject. The Sanskrit paper is not translated into any other medium.

programmes strictly require Sanskrit

universities among them

Each of those rules names Sanskrit outright — no combination of the other papers reaches them. That is the whole case for spending one of five slots on it.

The paper at a glance

Sanskrit carries the subject code 325. The syllabus described here is the one published for 2026-27.

NTA lists Sanskrit among the domain subjects rather than the languages, and the paper is not translated into any other medium. The syllabus document reflects that: apart from its cover, it is written entirely in Sanskrit, in Devanagari, and it is a grammar syllabus. There is no prescribed reading passage, poem or author in it.

How the syllabus is organised

The document is laid out in ten numbered sections — 1 शब्दरूपाणि (noun forms and case usage); 2 धातुरूपाणि (verb forms); 3 सन्धयः (sandhi); 4 समासाः (compounds); 5 प्रत्ययाः (suffixes); 6 उपपदविभक्तिप्रयोगाः (case usage governed by particular words); 7 भाषिककार्यम् (language work); 8 छन्दांसि (metres); 9 अलङ्काराः (figures of speech); 10 संस्कृतसाहित्यस्य सामान्यपरिचयः (general introduction to Sanskrit literature). It does not group these into units; it simply numbers them one to ten. Sections 1 to 5 are the traditional core of school grammar (nouns, verbs, sandhi, compounds, suffixes); sections 6 and 7 are applied usage; sections 8 and 9 are prosody and poetics; section 10 is a single line on literature.

The syllabus is a list of topics only. It does not print question counts, marks, negative marking or timing. Read it alongside the exam pattern.

Sections 1 and 2: Nouns and verbs

These two sections are the most precise in the document. They name every stem and every root that is in scope, and for verbs they name the tenses and moods (lakaras) too.

Section	What it covers
1. शब्दरूपाणि — वाक्येषु विभक्तिप्रयोगाः (noun forms and the use of cases in sentences)	अजन्ताः (vowel-ending stems): बालक, फल, रमा, कवि, मति, वारि, नदी, शिशु, धेनु, मधु, पितृ, मातृ, कर्तृ, सखि, दातृ, नृ, स्वसृ, अक्षि, गो, वधू। हलन्ताः (consonant-ending stems): राजन्, भवत्, आत्मन्, विद्वस्, वाच्, पथिन्, मरुत्, तादृश्, दिश्, धनिन्, पञ्चन्, अष्टन्, नवन्, दशन्। सर्वनामानि (pronouns): सर्व, तत्, यत्, किम्, इदम् (in all three genders), अस्मद्, युष्मद्
2. धातुरूपाणि (verb forms)	परस्मैपदिनः: गम्, नम्, अस्, हस्, श्रु, नश्, आप्, शक्, इष्, प्रच्छ्, कृ, ज्ञा, भक्ष्, चिन्त्, नृत्, कथ्, नी, पच् — in five lakaras: लट्, लृट्, लोट्, लङ्, विधिलिङ्। आत्मनेपदिनः: लभ्, सेव्, वन्द्, याच् — in लट्, लृट्, लङ्

Section

What it covers

1. शब्दरूपाणि — वाक्येषु विभक्तिप्रयोगाः (noun forms and the use of cases in sentences)

अजन्ताः (vowel-ending stems): बालक, फल, रमा, कवि, मति, वारि, नदी, शिशु, धेनु, मधु, पितृ, मातृ, कर्तृ, सखि, दातृ, नृ, स्वसृ, अक्षि, गो, वधू। हलन्ताः (consonant-ending stems): राजन्, भवत्, आत्मन्, विद्वस्, वाच्, पथिन्, मरुत्, तादृश्, दिश्, धनिन्, पञ्चन्, अष्टन्, नवन्, दशन्। सर्वनामानि (pronouns): सर्व, तत्, यत्, किम्, इदम् (in all three genders), अस्मद्, युष्मद्

2. धातुरूपाणि (verb forms)

परस्मैपदिनः: गम्, नम्, अस्, हस्, श्रु, नश्, आप्, शक्, इष्, प्रच्छ्, कृ, ज्ञा, भक्ष्, चिन्त्, नृत्, कथ्, नी, पच् — in five lakaras: लट्, लृट्, लोट्, लङ्, विधिलिङ्। आत्मनेपदिनः: लभ्, सेव्, वन्द्, याच् — in लट्, लृट्, लङ्

Sections 3 to 5: Sandhi, compounds and suffixes

Each section here names the individual rules or suffixes rather than just the category, so the list is closed: a sandhi rule or a suffix not named here is out of scope.

Section	What it covers
3. सन्धयः सन्धिविच्छेदाः च (sandhi and its resolution)	स्वरसन्धिः (vowel sandhi): दीर्घः, गुणः, वृद्धिः, यण्, अयादिः, पूर्वरूपम्। व्यञ्जनसन्धिः (consonant sandhi): श्चुत्वम्, ष्टुत्वम्, जश्त्वम्, अनुनासिकः, अनुस्वारः, परसवर्णः। विसर्गसन्धिः (visarga sandhi): उत्वम्, रत्वम्, लोपः, and the substitutes स्, श्, ष् in place of visarga
4. समासाः विग्रहाः च (compounds and their analysis)	अव्ययीभावः: यथा, प्रति, उप, अनु, निर्, सह, अधि। द्वन्द्वः: इतरेतरद्वन्द्वः, समाहारः, एकशेषः। तत्पुरुषः: विभक्तितत्पुरुषः, कर्मधारयः, द्विगुः, उपपदतत्पुरुषः। बहुव्रीहिः
5. प्रत्ययाः (suffixes)	कृत्-प्रत्ययाः: क्त, क्तवतु, तव्यत्, अनीयर्, शतृ, शानच्, क्तिन्, क्त्वा, ल्यप्, तुमुन्, तृच्। तद्धित-प्रत्ययाः: मतुप्, इन्, ठक्, ठञ्, त्व, तल्। स्त्री-प्रत्ययौ: टाप्, ङीप्

Sections 6 and 7: Usage

Section	What it covers
6. उपपदविभक्तिप्रयोगाः (case usage governed by particular words)	Heading only; the document lists no sub-topics under it
7. भाषिककार्यम् (language work)	विशेषण-विशेष्य पदचयनम् (picking out adjective and noun); कर्तृ-क्रिया पदचयनम् (picking out subject and verb); पर्याय / विलोम पदचयनम् (picking out synonyms and antonyms)

Sections 8 to 10: Metre, figures of speech and literature

Ten metres and seven figures of speech are named. The literature section, by contrast, is a heading with nothing under it.

Section	What it covers
8. छन्दसां सोदाहरणलक्षणपरिचयः / श्लोकेषु छन्दोऽभिज्ञानम् (metres, their definitions with examples, and recognising the metre of a verse)	छन्दांसि: अनुष्टुप्, इन्द्रवज्रा, उपेन्द्रवज्रा, उपजातिः, वंशस्थम्, वसन्ततिलका, मालिनी, शिखरिणी, शार्दूलविक्रीडितम्, मन्दाक्रान्ता
9. शब्दालङ्काराः अर्थालङ्काराः च (figures of sound and figures of sense)	शब्दालङ्काराः: अनुप्रासः, यमकम्, श्लेषः। अर्थालङ्काराः: उपमा, रूपकम्, उत्प्रेक्षा, अर्थान्तरन्यासः
10. संस्कृतसाहित्यस्य सामान्यपरिचयः (general introduction to Sanskrit literature)	Heading only; the document names no authors, works or periods under it

What this syllabus does not tell you

The document is a topic list and nothing more. From it you cannot learn:

how many questions come from each section, or the marks, negative marking and duration — those are on the exam pattern;
the weightage of any section, so treat every section as examinable rather than ranking them;
what "general introduction to Sanskrit literature" (section 10) or "उपपदविभक्तिप्रयोगाः" (section 6) will actually be tested on; the document names no authors, works, periods or specific upapada rules;
whether questions will be set in Sanskrit only, or with Hindi or English glosses;
which books to use; the syllabus names no textbook;
how much weight a university gives this paper once you qualify — the programmes that accept it are listed below, but the marks or ranking rule each one applies sits in its own admission bulletin.

One caution: the Devanagari in the NTA file is machine-extractable but the conjunct consonants and vowel signs come out broken in a plain text copy, so a search inside the PDF for a word such as शार्दूलविक्रीडितम् may fail even though the word is there. Check against the page as displayed, not against copied text. For anything about attempt rules or numbers of questions, go to the NTA information bulletin and the exam pattern rather than to this list.

Where this paper can take you

Programmes whose rule can use Sanskrit, from the 38 universities whose documents we have read. 38 of them cannot be reached any other way.

Sanskrit is the only way inSanskrit is one route

See all 382 against my paper setShowing the 12 universities with the most Sanskrit programmes, of 38.

Questions

Which programmes require Sanskrit?: 38 programmes at 15 universities name Sanskrit outright in their CUET requirement. No combination of the other papers reaches them, so a candidate who does not sit Sanskrit cannot apply to any of them.
Which universities accept Sanskrit?: 382 programmes across 38 universities can use Sanskrit in their CUET requirement, counted from the admission documents we have read line by line. That figure includes the programmes that merely allow the paper as one option alongside others.
What is the CUET subject code for Sanskrit?: Sanskrit carries NTA subject code 325. It is a domain paper in the CUET (UG) subject list.
Which papers are most often taken with Sanskrit?: Counting the programme rules that accept Sanskrit, the papers those same rules accept most often are Knowledge Tradition - Practices in India, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics / Applied Mathematics, Biology / Biological Science / Biotechnology / Biochemistry. This is a count of rules, not of what candidates choose.
Are past answer keys available for Sanskrit?: NTA has published a final answer key covering Sanskrit for 2026, 2025, 2024. Each link opens NTA's own PDF at the page where this paper starts. NTA does not publish the question paper itself.