What Language Does SPPU Actually Use for Teaching?

The answer that surprised me most: English. The primary medium of instruction for undergraduate engineering and science programmes at Savitribai Phule Pune University is English. Your lecture notes are in English. Your examination papers are in English. Your assignment briefs are in English. Your academic communication with faculty is in English.

This is not an exception to some rule. It is the standard across technical higher education in Maharashtra, which is why the state consistently attracts international students from Sri Lanka, Oman, Bahrain, Nigeria, and Southeast Asia.

That said, here is the honest nuance: some professors occasionally mix in Marathi or Hindi mid-explanation, particularly when clarifying a concept to a room of students who grew up speaking those languages. This can throw you off in the first few weeks. The most effective strategy I found was reading the relevant chapter before each lecture. When part of the lecture runs in a language you do not fully understand, prior reading fills the gaps.

After the first month, this stopped feeling like a problem. By the second semester, I had stopped noticing it at all.

What About Life Outside the Classroom?

This is where Hindi and Marathi do come in — and it is worth being honest about this too. Daily life in Pune runs primarily in Marathi, with Hindi widely used in shops, autos, markets, and food stalls. The areas around SPPU's campus have significant student populations, so most vendors have enough English for a basic transaction. But it is not guaranteed, and you will have moments of frustration early on.

Every Sri Lankan student I know at SPPU went through the same curve. None of us became fluent. All of us got comfortable. There is a meaningful difference between speaking a language and navigating daily life through it. Navigating is something most people manage within eight weeks.

The Sri Lankan Student Community at SPPU

One factor that accelerated the adjustment significantly was community. There are Sri Lankan students at SPPU — more than most people realise when they are still in Colombo researching their options. Students from Kandy, Gampaha, Jaffna, Negombo. Some are in their third or fourth year. They have already figured out which canteen serves food closest to what you grew up eating, which professors are accessible after hours, and how to survive Pune's monsoon.

You do not have to navigate any of this alone. Maharashtra operates a foreign candidate quota specifically for international, NRI, and overseas citizen students. This is a completely separate admission pathway from the competitive MHT CET examination that Indian domestic students sit. As a Sri Lankan student, you do not need to give MHT CET. Your application is assessed on the strength of your A/L results or equivalent qualification. The entire process runs through the official Maharashtra government portal at fn.mahacet.org, which has a dedicated section for foreign candidates.

What Sri Lankan Students Should Know Before Arriving

• 1 Your English matters more than your Hindi. SPPU engineering requires technical report writing, project presentations, and written exams — all in English. If your English is solid, your academic foundation is solid.
• 2 Expect an adjustment period. The first six weeks in Pune are difficult for almost every international student. Homesickness is real. Food takes adjustment. This is the honest challenge nobody mentions in the social media content about studying in India.
• 3 The language barrier fades fastest. By month four, you stop noticing it as a problem. By month twelve, you stop noticing it at all. It is the one adjustment that resolves quickest.