Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has invited applications for admission to its Ph.D. Programme for the Spring Semester of the academic session 2026-27. The admission is open across various Departments, Centres and Schools of the Institute.

IIT Roorkee is an Institution of National Importance located at Roorkee, Uttarakhand. The Institute has a long academic and research legacy and offers doctoral research opportunities in Engineering, Science, Architecture & Planning, Management, Humanities & Social Sciences, Design, interdisciplinary areas and emerging technologies.

The Spring Semester 2026-27 Ph.D. admission process is conducted online only. Candidates must satisfy the Common Minimum Eligibility Criteria (CMEC) as well as the Minimum Educational Qualification (MEQ) prescribed by the concerned Department, Centre or School.

The last date for submission of the online application is 20 October 2026. The tentative interview and/or written-test period is 16–21 November 2026, while academic registration is scheduled for January 2027.

1. Introduction
2. Admission Overview
3. Important Dates
4. About Doctoral Research
5. Common Minimum Eligibility Criteria
6. Minimum Educational Qualification
7. Departments, Centres & Research Areas
8. Ph.D. Admission Categories
9. Special Admission Schemes
10. Selection Process
11. Application Fee
12. Assistantship & Fellowship
13. Documents Required
14. How to Apply
15. Important Notes
16. Academic Registration
17. Official Links

The schedule for the interview and/or written test will be communicated by the concerned Department, Centre or School. Candidates should regularly check the respective departmental portal for updates.

IIT Roorkee's doctoral programme aims to develop a deep and broad understanding of fundamentals and state-of-the-art knowledge in the selected field through coursework and self-study.

The programme is designed to develop creativity, innovation, independent research ability and the skills required to address specific research and development challenges.

The Ph.D. degree is awarded for original research work carried out in areas recognized by the Academic Departments, Centres or Schools of IIT Roorkee. The research should represent an original contribution to existing knowledge.

IIT Roorkee is also recognized as a centre for Ph.D. programmes under the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP), and facilities are available for part-time Ph.D. research.

Candidates must satisfy the Common Minimum Eligibility Criteria (CMEC) as well as the department/centre/school-specific Minimum Educational Qualification (MEQ).

1. Applicants with Master's Degree

• General, GEN-EWS and OBC candidates must have a minimum CGPA of 6.0/10 or 60% marks.
• SC/ST/PwD candidates must have a minimum CGPA of 5.50/10 or 55% marks.
• Candidates must have qualified a prescribed national-level examination such as GATE, CEED, JEST, UGC-NET, CSIR-NET including Lectureship (Assistant Professorship), Ph.D.-only qualification or equivalent, or hold a national-level fellowship.

2. B.Tech. / M.Sc. from MoE-Funded Technical Institutions

Candidates of all categories having a B.Tech. degree or M.Sc. with CGPA 8.0 or above from Ministry of Education-funded Technical Institutions may be exempted from the national-level test requirement such as GATE/NET, subject to the prescribed conditions.

3. Four-Year Bachelor's Degree

Candidates with a four-year Bachelor's degree must generally have a minimum CGPA of 7.50/10 or 75% marks and qualify a prescribed national-level examination such as GATE, CEED, JEST, UGC-NET, CSIR-NET, Ph.D.-only or equivalent, or hold a national-level fellowship.

4. Bachelor's/Master's Degree from IITs

Candidates with a Bachelor's or Master's degree from an IIT with CGPA 8.0 or above may be exempted from the national-level examination requirement, subject to the applicable conditions.

5. Medical Qualifications

Candidates with MBBS, BAMS, BHMS or BDS from Indian Universities/Institutions must have at least CGPA 6.0/10 or 60%. Such candidates are exempted from the prescribed national-level test requirement under the conditions specified in the brochure.

6. MS / MD

Candidates holding Master of Surgery (MS) or Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Indian Universities/Institutions are exempted from the minimum CGPA and national-level test requirements specified for the general category.

• A four-year BS degree may be considered equivalent to a B.E./B.Tech. degree under the conditions specified in the brochure.
• IIT graduates with a BS degree who qualified JEE (Advanced) and secured CGPA greater than 8 may be exempted from the GATE requirement.
• CGPA or percentage should be entered exactly as issued by the Institute/College/University. Candidates should not convert CGPA into percentage or percentage into CGPA.
• Final-year students who will complete all qualifying-examination requirements, including back papers, supplementary examinations and viva-voce, before the registration date may apply provisionally.
• Candidates appearing in any part of the qualifying examination after the registration date will not be considered qualified for admission in the 2026-27 session.
• OCI/PIO candidates are treated at par with Indian Nationals in the General Category.
• OBC-NCL and EWS candidates must submit a valid certificate issued after 31 March 2026, as prescribed by the Government of India.

The eligibility conditions stated above are the common minimum requirements. The concerned Department/Centre/School may prescribe additional or higher requirements.

The Spring Semester 2026-27 brochure provides Ph.D. admission opportunities across the following Departments and Centres. The applicable educational qualification varies according to the selected research area.

The brochure does not provide a single consolidated department-wise vacancy table. Admission is subject to availability of seats, faculty in the concerned specialization and Institute Assistantship. Candidates should therefore check the concerned Department/Centre/School for specific research opportunities.

IIT Roorkee provides different admission categories for Ph.D. research scholars, subject to fulfilment of the applicable eligibility requirements.

Full-Time Research Scholar (FTRS)

• Institute Assistantship Research Scholar (IARS): IIT Roorkee may provide financial assistance in the form of teaching or research assistantship for up to five years.
• An assistantship scholar may be required to devote up to 10 hours per week towards assigned departmental work.
• Renewal of assistantship depends on satisfactory academic performance and satisfactory discharge of assistantship duties.
• Externally Funded Research Scholar (EFRS): Candidates receiving fellowships from agencies such as UGC, CSIR, DST, ICMR, DBT etc. may be considered under the applicable category.
• Project Funded: Admission may be through a Department/Centre/ School during regular selection or through a project-staff route under the prescribed conditions.

Part-Time Research Scholar (PTRS)

• In-Service Internal Research Scholar (P-ISIRS) – applicable to regular employees of IIT Roorkee satisfying the prescribed requirements.
• In-Service External Research Scholar (P-ISERS) – applicable under the conditions prescribed for in-service external candidates.

In-service external candidates must satisfy the prescribed work-experience and employer-permission requirements. The brochure specifies at least two years of relevant experience in the applicable organizations/categories.

Golden Girl Scheme for Female Applicants

Female candidates who are First Rank Holders / Gold Medallists in the qualifying degree from an IIT and/or an Institute/University within the Top 50 NIRF overall ranking in the most recent year may be eligible for direct Ph.D. admission under the Golden Girl Scheme.

• Requirement of qualifying an All India Level Examination is exempted.
• Other applicable MEQ requirements continue to apply.
• Fellowship is at par with the Institute Assistantship.
• Intake is supernumerary.
• Selection is through interview by the concerned Department/Centre/School.

SAKUNTALA Fellowship

The SAKUNTALA – Scheme for Aspirants of Knowledge UNder TALent Advancement Fellowship is available for eligible female candidates.

• B.Tech./B.E./B.Arch./B.Des. degree from a Ministry of Education-funded Technical Institution.
• Minimum CGPA of 8.5/10.
• GATE/CEED/national-level examination requirement is waived under the scheme.
• Fellowship is at par with the Institute Assistantship.

MoU with IIT Roorkee

IIT Roorkee has MoUs with organizations/institutions including ARIES, IIRS, SSS-NIBE and IOCL. Eligible working professionals and research scholars such as JRF/SRF/RA from applicable organizations may apply subject to the prescribed CMEC and MEQ.

IIT Roorkee does not provide financial assistance to candidates admitted under the MoU category. Conditions are governed by the applicable MoU.

The selection process is based on merit. Candidates satisfying the minimum qualifications and department-specific requirements may be shortlisted by the concerned Department/Centre/School.

1. Application Screening: Applications are examined against CMEC and MEQ requirements.
2. Shortlisting: The concerned Department/Centre/School may restrict the number of candidates called for further selection.
3. Written Test and/or Interview: Shortlisted candidates may be required to appear for a written test and/or interview according to departmental requirements.
4. Final Selection: Admission is offered based on merit and subject to availability of seats, faculty in the specialization and Institute Assistantship.

The tentative written-test/interview period for this admission is 16–21 November 2026. The concerned Department/Centre/School will communicate the applicable schedule to shortlisted candidates.

The application fee is non-refundable.

Candidates can pay the application fee through Net Banking or Debit/Credit Card only. Additional bank charges may apply.

Candidates applying to more than one Department/Centre/School must pay the applicable fee according to the number of Departments/Centres/Schools selected.

Institute Assistantship

IIT Roorkee may provide financial assistance to eligible Full-Time Research Scholars through Institute Assistantships.

• Institute Assistantships may be awarded for a period of up to five years.
• Scholars may be required to devote up to 10 hours per week towards assigned teaching/research assistance work.
• Continuation of the assistantship is subject to satisfactory academic performance and satisfactory performance of assistantship duties.

External Fellowships

Candidates receiving fellowships from agencies such as UGC, CSIR, DST, ICMR, DBT and other recognized funding agencies may be considered under the applicable externally funded research scholar category.

Other Research Opportunities

The brochure also describes opportunities such as Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF), TCS Research Scholar Program, Visvesvaraya Ph.D. Scheme and continuation of fellowship during research visits, subject to the applicable scheme rules.

The Visvesvaraya Ph.D. Scheme is not part of the regular Ph.D. admission and depends on a specific announcement and availability of fellowship.

Candidates should keep the following documents ready before starting the online application.

• Recent colour photograph in JPEG format
• Signature in JPEG format
• GEN-EWS/OBC-NCL/SC/ST/UDID Card, where applicable
• 10th Certificate/Marksheet
• 12th Certificate/Diploma and Marksheet
• Bachelor's Degree or Provisional/Consolidated Marksheet
• Master's Degree or Provisional/Consolidated Marksheet, where applicable
• Experience Certificate(s), where applicable
• No Objection Certificate for in-service candidates
• GATE Scorecard / NET Scorecard / Fellowship Award Letter, where applicable
• First Rank / Gold Medal certificate for candidates applying under the Golden Girl Scheme
• Undertaking in the prescribed format if any required certificate is not available

The brochure states that if any submitted document is password protected, the application will not be considered for admission.

Candidates must submit the application online only. Physical/hard-copy applications will not be considered.

1. Visit the official IIT Roorkee PhD admission portal.
2. Click on Apply Online.
3. Register or sign in to the application portal.
4. Complete the online application form carefully.
5. Select the required Department/Centre/School and research area.
6. Enter academic qualifications exactly as issued by your Institute/University.
7. Upload the required documents in the prescribed format and size.
8. Pay the applicable application fee through Net Banking or Debit/Credit Card.
9. Review all information and submit the application online.
10. Download and keep the completed application form for future reference.
11. Keep the application sequence number safely, as it may be required for future correspondence.

The last date for completing the online application is 20 October 2026. Candidates are advised not to wait until the last date because IIT Roorkee will not be responsible for technical problems during application or fee payment.

• The application must be submitted online only.
• The last date for application submission is 20 October 2026.
• The application fee is non-refundable.
• Separate application fee is applicable according to the number of Departments/Centres/Schools selected.
• Candidates must enter their CGPA or percentage exactly as issued by their educational institution.
• Candidates should not convert CGPA into percentage or percentage into CGPA.
• The application submitted online is considered final and binding.
• Requests for correction in the online application will not be entertained.
• The last date for submission will not be extended.
• Merely satisfying the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee shortlisting or an interview.
• Departments/Centres/Schools may prescribe requirements above the common minimum eligibility criteria.
• Admission is subject to availability of seats, faculty in the specialization and Institute Assistantship.
• OBC-NCL and EWS candidates must submit certificates issued after 31 March 2026.
• Shortlisted candidates should follow the written-test/interview information published by the concerned Department/Centre/School.
• Candidates should complete the application well before the deadline to avoid technical or payment-related issues.

Selected candidates are required to complete the prescribed academic registration process in person.

Academic registration and document-verification arrangements may differ according to the Department/Centre/School. Selected candidates should follow the instructions issued by IIT Roorkee.

Candidates interested in IIT Roorkee PhD Admission 2026-27 Spring Semester should carefully check the Common Minimum Eligibility Criteria, Department/Centre/School-specific qualification, research area, admission category and applicable fellowship requirements before submitting the application.

The online application process starts on 21 September 2026 and the last date for submitting the application is 20 October 2026.

Candidates are advised to submit the application well before the deadline and retain the downloaded application form and application sequence number for future correspondence.

Use the following official IIT Roorkee links for the Ph.D. Spring Semester 2026-27 admission process, application and latest updates.