Design and fashion institution which has campuses across Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Mumbai claims to be focused on three pillars: technology, internationality and life skills. It intends to provide various opportunities for students to gain international exposure, such as cultural exchange programmes and collaborations with international institutions, Arun Bhardwaj, associate dean, department of creative practice, Pearl Academy told FE Education. “In order to ensure and uphold the quality of our curriculum, we extend invitations to international faculty members to assess our programme on an annual basis. These evaluators ensure that our institution adheres to international benchmarks and continually enhances our educational offerings,” he said.
Pearl Academy offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and professional certificate programmes in the fields of design and fashion. The undergraduate programme has a duration of three-four years, while the postgraduate programmes extend over a span of two years. As for the fee structure, which varies from campus to campus, the average semester fees for undergraduate programmes amounts to Rs 3.62 lakh, with an additional one-time fee of Rs 92,600 payable at the time of admission. For postgraduate programmes, the average semester fees are Rs 2.73 lakh (per semester), along with a one-time fee of Rs 92,600, according to the official website of Pearl Academy. “Typically, we follow a biannual academic structure consisting of two semesters per year. Each semester allows for enrollment in approximately four to five courses. These courses vary in credit value, which determines the number of teaching hours associated with each. We maintain a healthy balance between contact hours, where students interact with faculty and teams and non-contact hours, where students have the freedom to explore various topics independently,” Bhardwaj explained.
Additionally, Pearl Academy organises an annual series of engaging and immersive workshops, called ‘PowWow’, specifically designed for their undergraduate and postgraduate students. PowWow encompasses a diverse range of activities in upcycling, graffiti, theatre, kinetic sculptural installations, body art and self-deconstruction. “We embrace students with diverse backgrounds, including science, arts and commerce and introduce them to the world of design. Our main objective is to challenge any preconceived biases they may hold, as overcoming these biases is the initial step towards embarking on their creative path as designers,” Bhardwaj said.
The institution claims to have multiple partnerships with foreign universities including Torrens University Australia, Manchester Metropolitan University and Nottingham Trent University, according to the official website. Indian students can study at the home campuses for three years and then transfer to foreign universities for their fourth year. “Credits earned during the initial three years in India are transferred to the foreign universities. This approach is not mandatory for every student, students who are willing to study abroad in their fourth year may opt for this option specifically,” Bhardwaj explained.