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Artslanguages

Linguist

Linguists analyze how languages are structured, acquired and used in social contexts. In India they work in academia, publishing, media, government language policy, and NLP/tech companies building language technology for Indian languages.

Salary range
₹3–30 LPA
Job growth
high
Work type
Office / Remote / Field
Paths to entry
3 routes

Actions for your grade

  • Choose literature/second-language subjects that deepen grammar and linguistics intuition
  • Start basic coding (Python) if interested in computational linguistics
  • Participate in local language preservation or oral-history projects

Your complete path from Grade 10 to Linguist

Every step you need — from now to your first job.

BA (Hons) Linguistics — academic route
Arts

Many central universities use CUET UG; some colleges may have additional interviews or shortlisting.

  1. Now
    Arts Stream
  2. Exams
    CUET UG
  3. Degree
    BA (Hons) Linguistics / BA (3 years)
  4. Colleges
    Jawaharlal Nehru University · University of Delhi · Jadavpur University
  5. Career
    Linguist
MA / MPhil / PhD — research & teaching
Arts

Postgraduate admissions may use university-specific entrance tests or interview panels; strong research sample helps for PhD.

  1. Now
    Arts Stream
  2. Exams
    —
  3. Degree
    MA Linguistics (2 years) → MPhil/PhD (research)
  4. Colleges
    Jawaharlal Nehru University · University of Delhi · School of Oriental and African Studies India Collaboration
  5. Career
    Linguist
Computational linguistics — technical route
Science

Combine computer science training with linguistics courses or electives to enter NLP and language-technology roles.

  1. Now
    Science Stream
  2. Exams
    JEE Main or JEE Advanced or BITSAT
  3. Degree
    BTech / BTech (CS) → MTech / MSc in NLP or PhD (for computational linguistics)
  4. Colleges
    IIT Delhi · IIT Bombay · IIT Madras
  5. Career
    Linguist

Entrance exams

ExamEligibilityDifficultyWindow
JEE Main
NTA
Class 12 PCMVery HardJan & Apr
JEE Advanced
IIT (rotating)
JEE Main top 2.5LVery HardMay
BITSAT
BITS Pilani
Class 12 PCM, 75%+HardMay-Jun
CUET UG
NTA
Class 12 (any stream)MediumMay-Jun

Where to Study

Institutes known to offer this career pathway in India.

Jawaharlal Nehru University
University of Delhi
Jadavpur University
English and Foreign Languages University
School of Oriental and African Studies India Collaboration
IIT Delhi
IIT Delhi
Central GovtNew Delhi, Delhi
JEE Advanced + JoSAA
IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay
Central GovtMumbai, Maharashtra
JEE Advanced + JoSAA
IIT Madras
IIT Madras
Central GovtChennai, Tamil Nadu
JEE Advanced + JoSAAIISER Aptitude Test
BITS Pilani
BITS Pilani
Deemed UniversityPilani, Rajasthan
BITSAT
Recommendations only — verify eligibility, seat availability, and admission rules from official portals before applying.