The PhD programme at IISER Pune is a blend of classroom curriculum and mentoring undergraduate students along with a major research component. IISER Pune admits students to doctoral programmes in Biology, Chemistry, Data Science, Earth and Climate Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics.
Students with a Master’s degree in Science / Mathematics or a four-year Bachelor's degree with at least 60% marks (aggregate) are encouraged to apply to our PhD programme. In addition to the qualifying degree, we expect the students to have qualified a national examination such as CSIR-UGC NET/GATE/JEST/NBHM/JGEEBILS, etc., depending on their area of research interest. Students will be selected to the PhD programme based on performance in the interviews.
Candidates who hold non-Indian passports, but are Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and have obtained their qualifying degree ( 10+2 or equivalent, Bachelor's, and Master's) while living (or domiciled) in India can apply through the departmental portals available below.
Please note that the precise eligibility criterion for each year may vary from department to department and will be announced at the time of intake.
Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF)
IISER Pune is one of the PMRF granting institutes offering PMRF Fellowship to meritorious PhD candidates. To apply for PMRF through direct entry, the candidate needs to get selected in our regular PhD programme, and the Institute will recommend a selected few candidates for PMRF. The final decision will be taken by the National Level Discipline-Specific Selection Committee. Detailed eligibility criteria are mentioned on the PMRF website and the same will be applicable.
Link to details on PMRF Scholars hosted at IISER Pune
Candidates are advised to visit the PMRF website to know more.
Admissions to the PhD Programme (Batch starting in August 2023)
Application Process
- Only online applications will be accepted.
- The candidates must carefully fill out and submit the online application form on or before the specified date.
- After the last date, all applications will be screened and candidates selected for interviews will be intimated by email.
Please Note / Important Points / Application Criteria
- All communication with candidates will be by email only.
- Kindly check this website for periodic updates.
- In case of any application-related queries, please contact doctoraloffice@iiserpune.ac.in with your application number mentioned in the subject line.
- Candidates who are appearing or are about to appear for final examinations of the qualifying degree programme are eligible to apply for the PhD programme. However, upon selection, the admission to the PhD programme would be provisional until the candidate fulfills all the eligibility related criteria.
- Selection will be based on interviews of the short-listed candidates.
- Relaxation of eligibility criteria for SC, ST and PwD applicants will be as per Government of India norms. Candidates belonging to the reserved category will have to submit relevant certificates, if selected.
- For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank/score, the cut-off rank/score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank/score.
- Applying does not automatically guarantee that a candidate will be shortlisted for interview. The respective departments may use additional criteria (based on academic performance and/or performance in the national level tests) in order to shortlist candidates for interviews depending on the number of applications received.
- Selection of students shall be done as per the provisions of The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 and amendments made thereto.
- All OCI candidates, irrespective of their domicile status and education history, will be treated as international Candidates (as per the Gazette of Government of India, 4th March 2021).
Eligibility criteria and application details for the August 2023 batch are given further below on this page, separately for each of the following departments:
Biology
Chemistry
Data Science
Earth and Climate Science
Humanities and Social Sciences
Mathematics
Physics