CUET UG 2027 / Anthropology syllabus

CUET UG 2027 · Paper 303

CUET Anthropology Syllabus 2027: Units, Chapters and Books

The official CUET UG Anthropology syllabus (paper 303), unit by unit, with the book chapter each unit comes from, what changed from 2025 to 2026, and where to practise.

Practise CUET Anthropology in the Study OS Official NTA syllabus PDF

2027 status: NTA has not released the CUET UG 2027 syllabus. This page shows the official CUET UG 2026 Anthropology syllabus, the latest available, and will be updated when NTA publishes the 2027 version.

CUET Anthropology at a glance

Paper code: 303 (Anthropology)
Questions: 50 multiple-choice questions, all compulsory
Time: 60 minutes
Marking: +5 for a correct answer, minus 1 for a wrong answer; 250 maximum
Syllabus: 5 units, 18 chapters in our chapter map

How the CUET Anthropology paper is structured

CUET Anthropology (paper 303) has five units of five topics each: physical and biological anthropology, archaeological anthropology, socio-cultural anthropology, linguistic and tribal anthropology, and social change and applied anthropology.

NCERT and CBSE do not publish an Anthropology textbook. The Kerala SCERT class 11 Anthropology book covers most units. Genetics and evolution topics sit in NCERT Biology class 12, and the tribal, caste and social change topics sit in the two NCERT Sociology class 12 books.

CUET Anthropology syllabus, unit by unit

Unit titles and topics as printed in NTA’s CUET UG 2026 syllabus PDF.

Unit 1

Physical/Biological Anthropology

Human Evolution: Theories of evolution (Darwinism, Lamarckism, Neo-Darwinism and Neo-Lamarckism); Living Primates and their features. Hominid evolution: Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, and other Homo sapiens
Human Variation (Body size, Body shape, Skin color, Genetic traits).
Human Genetics: Mendelian Genetics (Laws of Inheritance), Dominant, recessive, sex-linked, sex-limited and sex-influenced traits. Monogenic, polygenic and multifactorial inheritance. Chromosomes and their aberrations.
Forces of Evolution, Genetic Drift, Mutation, Natural Selection and Gene flow.
Genetic Markers: Blood Groups (ABO, MN, Rh(D) and their distribution), DNA as a genetic marker in population diversity.

Unit 2

Archaeological Anthropology

Stone Age: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic Cultures.
Development of tool typology and technology. Evolution of stone tool technology: Choppers, Hand Axes, scrapers, Blade Tools Microliths, celts unifacial and bifacial tools, Pottery.
Metal Age: Discovery and use of Bronze and Iron.
Stratigraphy, Archeological dating (Dating of sites and materials with relative and absolute (carbon 14 and potassium-argon dating methods).
Important Archaeological Sites (Sohan, Burzahom and Nevasa; Indus Valley Civilization.

Unit 3

Socio-Cultural Anthropology

Family types (Nuclear, Joint, Extended) and their Functions; Marriage: Cultural variation in forms of Marriage (Monogamy, Polygamy); Kinship: rules of Descent (Matrilineal, Patrilineal).
Concepts of Culture: Cultural Relativism, Ethnocentrism; Socialization and Cultural Change (Diffusion, Acculturation).
Functions of religion in Society; Beliefs: Totemism, Animism, Animatism, Magic, and Shamanism.
Subsistence Strategies: Hunting, Gathering and Agricultural practices.
Traditional Political Systems: Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms; Power, Authority, and Social Control in Traditional Societies.

Unit 4

Linguistic and Tribal Anthropology

Language as a Cultural and Social Phenomena.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in India (festivals, house types, rituals and food habits)
Distribution and Characteristics of Tribes in India: Economic, Social, and Political Organization.
Major Indian Tribes (Santhals, Bhils, Gonds, etc.), Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Social Movements: Features; Ecological, Class Based, Caste Based and Tribal Movements.

Unit 5

Social Change and Applied Anthropology

Caste System and Social Stratification in India.
Impact of Colonialism on Indian Society; Changes in Indian Society: Modernization and Globalization. Anthropology and development; Tribal development.
Role of Anthropology in Public Health and Personal Identification (skeletal material, blood groups and fingerprints).
Change and development in Industrial Society.
Challenges of Cultural Diversity.

Chapter map

Each row is one chapter of study, with the book it comes from. Where a syllabus topic is missing from that book, the row says so.

Human Evolution, Primates and HominidsAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 3Not covered in this source: Neo-Lamarckism; Homo habilis / Australopithecus detail beyond Kerala XI
Human Variation and Genetic Markers (Blood Groups, DNA)Anthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 3Not covered in this source: Distribution of ABO/MN/Rh(D) across Indian and world populations; DNA as a marker of population diversity
Human Genetics: Mendelian Inheritance and ChromosomesBiology XII - Ch 4: Principles of Inheritance and VariationNot covered in this source: sex-limited and sex-influenced traits; multifactorial inheritance
Forces of Evolution: Drift, Mutation, Selection, Gene FlowBiology XII - Ch 6: Evolution
Stone Age Cultures and Tool TechnologyAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 4
Metal Age and Important Archaeological SitesAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 4Not covered in this source: Burzahom; Nevasa
Stratigraphy and Archaeological DatingAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 4
Family, Marriage and KinshipAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 6
Culture, Socialization and Culture ChangeAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 1
Religion and Belief Systems (Totemism to Shamanism)Anthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 9
Subsistence Strategies and Traditional Political SystemsAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 7
Language, Culture and Diversity in IndiaAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 5Not covered in this source: Cultural diversity: festivals, house types, rituals and food habits (no single textbook section)
Tribes of India and PVTGsIndian Society (Sociology XII) - Ch 3: Social Institutions: Continuity and Change (caste, tribe, family)Not covered in this source: Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) list and criteria; Distribution of tribes across India
Social MovementsSocial Change and Development in India (Sociology XII) - Ch 8: Social Movements
Caste System and Social StratificationIndian Society (Sociology XII) - Ch 5: Patterns of Social Inequality and Exclusion
Colonialism, Modernization, Globalization and Tribal DevelopmentSocial Change and Development in India (Sociology XII) - Ch 1: Structural ChangeNot covered in this source: Anthropology and development (applied anthropology); Tribal development policy
Applied Anthropology: Public Health and Personal IdentificationAnthropology Class XI (Kerala Higher Secondary), chapter 1Not covered in this source: Personal identification from skeletal material, blood groups and fingerprints (forensic anthropology)
Industrial Society and Challenges of Cultural DiversitySocial Change and Development in India (Sociology XII) - Ch 5: Change and Development in Industrial Society

What changed from 2025 to 2026

U1.1 adds 'Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, and other Homo sapiens' (2025 said 'Homo sapiens').
U1.3 adds 'Monogenic, polygenic and multifactorial inheritance'.
U1.4 retitled 'Forces of Evolution, …' (same four forces).
U1.5 was 'Blood Groups (ABO, MN and Rh), DNA Structure'; now 'Genetic Markers: Blood Groups (ABO, MN, Rh(D) and their distribution), DNA as a genetic marker in population diversity' (DNA structure dropped, population distribution added).
U2.2 adds 'tool typology', 'scrapers, Blade Tools' and 'celts'.
U2.4 adds relative vs absolute dating with carbon-14 and potassium-argon named.
U2.5 adds named sites Sohan, Burzahom and Nevasa (2025: 'Important Archaeological Sites; Indus Valley Civilization').
U4.2 was 'Linguistic Diversity in India'; now 'Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in India (festivals, house types, rituals and food habits)'.
U4.3 adds 'Distribution' of tribes.
U5.2 adds 'Anthropology and development; Tribal development'.
U5.3 adds 'Personal Identification (skeletal material, blood groups and fingerprints)'.

Compared against NTA’s CUET UG 2025 syllabus PDF. When the 2027 syllabus is out, this section will compare 2027 with 2026.

Books to study from

Anthropology class 11 textbook, SCERT Kerala (Higher Secondary)
NCERT Biology class 12 (inheritance, molecular basis, evolution)
NCERT Indian Society and Social Change and Development in India (Sociology class 12)
NCERT Themes in Indian History Part I, chapter 1 (Harappan archaeology)

NCERT books are on ncert.nic.in; NIOS course material is on nios.ac.in.

Practise CUET Anthropology chapter by chapter

The Study OS CUET track follows the chapter map above. Choose Anthropology as one of your papers, revise a chapter, then test it with exam-style questions and read the explanation after every answer.

Practise CUET Anthropology

Frequently asked questions

What is the exam pattern of the CUET Anthropology paper?

CUET UG Anthropology (paper code 303) has 50 compulsory multiple-choice questions to be answered in 60 minutes. A correct answer earns 5 marks and a wrong answer costs 1 mark, so the paper is out of 250. This is the CUET UG 2026 pattern; NTA has not announced any change for 2027.

Has NTA released the CUET Anthropology syllabus for 2027?

Not yet. The syllabus on this page is the official CUET UG 2026 Anthropology syllabus, which is the latest one NTA has published. This page will be updated when the 2027 syllabus is released.

Which books should I study for CUET Anthropology?

Study from: Anthropology class 11 textbook, SCERT Kerala (Higher Secondary); NCERT Biology class 12 (inheritance, molecular basis, evolution); NCERT Indian Society and Social Change and Development in India (Sociology class 12); NCERT Themes in Indian History Part I, chapter 1 (Harappan archaeology).

What changed in the CUET Anthropology syllabus?

2026 added genetic markers, dating methods (carbon-14, potassium-argon), named sites such as Burzahom and Nevasa, and tribal development; DNA structure was dropped. This compares the 2025 and 2026 syllabi; the 2027 syllabus is not out yet.

Which book should I read for CUET Anthropology?

There is no NCERT Anthropology book. The Kerala SCERT class 11 Anthropology textbook is the closest match, supported by NCERT Biology class 12 for genetics and evolution and NCERT Sociology class 12 for tribes, caste and social change.

Which archaeological sites are named in the CUET Anthropology syllabus?

The 2026 syllabus names Sohan, Burzahom and Nevasa, along with the Indus Valley Civilisation.