BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application)

BCA full form Bachelor of Computer Application is a three-year undergraduate course in the field of computer science and information technology. Candidates after completing class 12 will be able to pursue the BCA. Standing as the most preferred course for candidates who want to make their career in computer science, the BCA course makes the candidates qualified and technically trained to showcase their technical expertise in the IT industry. Candidates who want to pursue the BCA course should complete their class 12 from a recognised institution with an aggregate of 50% marks. Candidates from non-science and science backgrounds can apply for the BCA course. For admissions into the BCA courses, there are entrance exams like IPU CET, KIITEE, LUCSAT, PESSAT, CUET, GSAT, etc. To score a rank in these entrance exams students must study the BCA subjects well. 

 The job roles available after the BCA course includes Web developer, Software developer, System analyst, etc. Candidates who want to pursue a BCA course can opt for online, offline as well as distance education. The top BCA colleges in India include the Institute of Management Studies, National Institute of Management, Institute of Business Studies and Research, VIT, etc. The BCA course fees range from Rs 80,000 to 4 LPA.

The table below shows the BCA course details: duration of the course, BCA Eligibility criteria, BCA Entrance Exams, BCA Admission Process,  BCA Scholarships, etc

The scope of BCA is inclined upwards because of the emerging demand and the popularity that it has recognized in the last years. Since the BCA is a three-year duration course, Candidates who wish to omit study for more than 3 years can choose BCA courses over B Tech courses. The BCA syllabus is completely developed on the fundamentals of computer science and its applications. Accordingly, the candidates pursuing the BCA course get the total idea as well as the image of the computer application.

Following are some of the reasons, why the BCA course is a good study option in the current time and for the future: 

• The BCA course syllabus prepares students for careers in computer applications, programming languages, and information technology, which may be found in a variety of fields such as healthcare, information technology, trade, finance, software, transportation, and education
• With 76 crore internet users and counting, India will see the next phase of the IT revolution. According to Gartner, IT spending will reach USD 101.8 billion in 2022. To cater to these needs many BCA graduates will be required
  The increased need for IT, along with government policy assistance, makes the BCA course a viable alternative for many students. The IT sector is expected to rise to USD 19.93 billion by 2025, with leading IT firms like TCS, Wipro, and Infosys offering more than 1 lakh employment in FY22
• According to IBEF, database management abilities taught to BCA graduates will play a key role in the data annotation industry, which will grow to USD 7 billion in 2030 from USD 250 million in FY20.
• BCA graduates will play a significant part in the Indian software product market. According to the IBEF, the software product sector will reach USD 100 billion by 2025 as a result of a continuous focus on foreign markets and the expansion of worldwide distribution centres
• The IT industry has been a significant contributor to employment creation in India. In FY22, the industry added more than 440000 employees, with a total of 50 lakh professionals engaged

Due to the boom in the IT sector and rapid development in technologies, pursuing a BCA course will offer you numerous career advantages. 

The scope of BCA courses in India is quite dilated. The top job profiles that are proposed to the BCA graduates are Web developer, Software developer, Software tester, Web designer, System Administrator, System Engineer, Database Administrator, etc. 

Job Profile & Salary for BCA Graduates:

The job profiles available for the BCA graduates along with the salary have been highlighted in the table below.

The BCA specializations include various types which include internet technologies, database management, word processing, Animation, Computer Graphics, Music & Video Processing, etc. Candidates can check the list of all the specializations before opting for the BCA course.

BCA Specializations:

Before taking admission into the Bachelor of Computer Application course candidates must go through the eligibility criteria and make sure they fulfill all the factors such as educational qualification, age limit, minimum marks, etc. Candidates can check the BCA eligibility criteria mentioned below. 

• Candidates applying for BCA must have passed their class 10+2 in any stream (art, commerce, science)  from a recognized board with an aggregate mark of 50%
• Candidate should have English and Mathematics as their compulsory subjects in their Class 12th
• The minimum age limit for this course is 18 years in some colleges in India. There is no upper age limit required for admission to BCA

Note: Some colleges offer admissions without mathematics and English as compulsory subjects.

There are three types of bachelor’s of computer applications available in India, which include BCA offline course, BCA online course, and BCA distance education. The most common form of education chosen by the candidates is BCA offline mode. 

1. BCA offline mode- BCA offline course tenures 3 years. The interested candidates will have to pass Class 10+2 from a recognized institute. The average BCA fee in India ranges from Rs 2 Lakhs to Rs 3 Lakhs per annum. Some of the well-known institutes that offer quality education are Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, Pune, Amity Institute Of Information Technology, and Loyola College Chennai.
2. BCA online mode- The duration of the BCA online course is 1 month to 6 months. The eligibility criteria of the candidate applying for the BCA online course will have to pass their Class 10+2 and have a proper internet connection along with a properly working camera. The BCA online fee ranges from Free courses to Rs. 18,000. Some of the best BCA online course providers are Coursera, Alison, future learns, Edx, and academic Earth.
3. BCA distance education- Apart from choosing BCA online and offline mode, there are candidates who are looking for BCA courses that are available through distance education. The duration of the course ranges from 3 years to 6 years. The candidate applying for BCA distance education must be qualified with a minimum degree of Class 10+2 from a well-recognized institute. The admissions are done on the basis of the merit of the candidate. The annual BCA fee ranges from Rs 6,000 to Rs 20,000 per annum. Some of the top colleges offering distance education are IGNOU, TNOU Chennai, School of distance education, Bharathiar University, etc. 

Students who pass their Class 10+2 are quite confused about whether to choose BCA or BTech in computer science. Therefore, a complete difference has been brought forward for the candidates trying to choose the best course for themselves. The basic difference between BCA and BTech in computer applications is BCA domains for computer applications whereas BTech in computer applications domains for computer science. The major differences have been discussed in the table below.

Admission to BCA is done on the basis of merit-based as well as entrance exam-based. Some of the popular BCA entrance exams include IPU CET, AIMA UGAT, BUMAT, SET, GSAT, SUAT, and CUET. To get admission to BCA, candidates will have to secure 50% marks in class 12 from a well-recognized institute or equivalent. The minimum age required to apply for BCA is 18 years for all the candidates, generally.

Check details about the BCA admission process given below. 

• BCA admission is also dependent on entrance tests administered at both the national and state levels
• To sit for the BCA entrance exam students must first fill out the application form, download the call letter, and then give the exam
• Based on their performance in the entrance exam students are allotted colleges providing admission to BCA course
• Many colleges also conduct counselling, personal interview, group interview rounds, etc to judge candidate’s skills and abilities 
• Students can also take direct admission to BCA courses based on their merits in their previous classes as many colleges offer direct admission also to BCA course 

There are many entrance exams in India that offer admissions to BCA to all eligible candidates. Following are the entrance exams that offer BCA admissions are IPU CET, AIMA UGAT, BUMAT, SET, GSAT, SUAT, and CUET.

All the important details such as the application form date and exam dates of the above-mentioned exams have been mentioned in the table below.

BCA Entrance Exams:

• IPU-CET
• AIMA UGAT
• BUMAT
• SET
• GSAT
• CUET
• SUAT

There are various BCA Colleges in India in which you can enroll and acquire academic specialization. Check the list of popular BCA colleges in India along with their average fees given below. 

The BCA course abroad is a 3 to 5-year duration course in the USA, Australia, Canada, UK, New Zealand, etc. Candidates who wish to pursue BCA from abroad, have to crack various entrance exams such as SAT, ACT, etc. There are various colleges that offer admission on a merit basis. In that case, candidates will have to score minimum marks of 79 in TOEFL, and 6.5 in IELTS. The average tuition fee for the BCA course ranges from 13,500 USD to 1,41,000 USD. The IT Sector is the most heightened paying for BCA graduates from abroad. The average salary received by a BCA fresher can range in between Rs 3 to 4 LPA.  The top recruiters of BCA graduates are Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Facebook, etc.  

There are a lot of high-end colleges that deliver quality education to the candidates including colleges from the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc. 

Top BCA Colleges in the USA:

The top institutes of the USA include Columbia University, Duke University, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Texas At Austin, the University of Washington, and Stanford University. 

Top BCA Colleges in the UK:

The top institutes of the UK include Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, King’s College London - the University of London, University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford, and University College London.  

Top BCA Colleges In Australia:

The top institutes of Australia include the University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, Monash University, Australian National University, etc.

Top BCA Colleges in New Zealand:

The top institutes of New Zealand include the University of Otago, University of Waikato, University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, University of Canterbury, and Massey University. 

BCA Job Profile Abroad:

Candidates who are interested in pursuing Bca and thereafter working in their dream, companies can refer to the table below. The table will highlight the job profiles that are available for the candidates who are willing to work abroad along with the job location and Company.

The list of BCA colleges based on the states and cities has been listed in the following tables. Candidates can take a look at it for better clarity. In order to view the colleges based on the states, click on the link. 

The BCA course fees vary from college to college. The fees in a private colleges are higher compared to a government college. Also, if you are studying full-time courses in place of part-time or distance education the fees will be higher. However, if you are eligible for any scholarship offered by the college or state you can get a concession. 

Go through the BCA fees for various colleges given below-

To become a successful BCA graduate and stand out from others, one must have certain qualities such as familiarity with the industry standards, knowledge of the core subject, acquaintance with computers and IT, teamwork, etc. These important key skills make the day-to-day work of BCA professionals easy too. The required skill set necessary for becoming a successful BCA graduate is listed below: 

• Strong programming knowledge
• Ability to develop applications for practical aspects
• Strong communication skills
• Teamwork
• Sound knowledge of computer and IT
• Analytical thinking
• Creativity
• Strong database concepts

BCA is a 3-year long undergraduate degree that includes six semesters and includes core and optional subjects.  The BCA Course syllabus includes topics such as Introduction to Programming in C, Programming in Java, Computer Networks, Operating Systems, Computer Graphics & Animation, and Database Management Systems.  Classroom learning, lectures, lab sessions, project work, seminars, group assignments, classroom presentations, and contacts with industry experts are all part of the BCA curriculum. As part of the BCA course requirement, students must also present a project report in their final year of BCA.

BCA subjects students in the ever-changing world of IT and computer applications. BCA course syllabus and subjects include programming expertise, application development, analytical thinking, and creativity.  Apart from computer expertise, emphasis is placed on social awareness, communication skills, and professionalism in order to operate as a team in sustaining various settings for the development of society.

The BCA Hons Syllabus includes one main course, which is the subject of specialization. Together with the Hons course, students must study all other related disciplines. Students can select BCA specialties based on their preferences.

Note- The BCA course syllabus and subjects varies from college to college as each institute as its own curriculum.

The fundamental subjects taught in any college that offers BCA courses. Each BCA subject's course information must be understood by students. This will assist them in comprehending and preparing. Check the semester wise BCA course syllabus given below 

BCA Course Syllabus (First Year)

BCA Course Syllabus (Second Year)

BCA Course Syllabus (Third Year)

The top recruiting companies that recruit BCA graduates include Accenture, Cognizant, Capgemini, etc. The average salary of the BCA Graduates ranges from Rs 2.5 Lakhs to 3.5 Lakhs per annum. The table below shows the top recruiting companies along with the average BCA salary offered that has been discussed.

Top Recruiting Companies for BCA Graduates:

The Job profiles acquired by candidates after completing Bachelor of Computer Applications course such as Web Developer, Software Developer, Junior Programmer, etc are offered an average salary of Rs. 2.5 Lakhs to Rs. 8 Lakhs per annum.

The table below shows the average salary of the BCA graduates depicting various job profiles and the average BCA salary per annum.

Students who enroll in this course gain knowledge and abilities not only in computer and information technology, but also in communication, organization, and management which is required by the recruiters. As we are in the technological era, there is a high demand for computer and software experts. Therefore, if you study the BCA course you will get many career options with handsome salary packages.