🎉 Amazing Opportunity! NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26 Notification Out
Table of Contents
- Introduction to NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26
- Important Dates for NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26
- Eligibility Criteria for NIT Rourkela PhD Programme
- Departments & Indicative Broad Area of Research Available
- Financial Support and Fellowship
- Fee Structure
- Application Fee and Procedure
- Important Notes
Introduction to NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26
The National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) has issued a notice (No. NITR/AC/Res/2025/M/2076 dated 28th October, 2025) for admission to its Ph.D. Programme commencing in the Spring (January) Semester of the Academic Year 2025-26. Applications are invited online from interested and eligible candidates for the Ph.D. Programme.
Admission will be given preferably to the applicants who are eligible for Institute Fellowship or have qualified for External Fellowship. However, admission may also be considered without fellowship. Students with external fellowships like JRF-NET are especially encouraged to apply for the NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26.
See Ongoing PhD 2025-26 AdmissionImportant Dates for NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26
| Sl. No. | Event | Tentative Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Last date of submission of Online form | 17th November, 2025 (Monday) |
| 2 | Publication of result of scrutiny in the website | 21st November, 2025 (Friday) |
| 3 | Test and/ Interview (Venue – NIT, Rourkela) (OFFLINE) | 1st December, 2025 (Monday) |
| 4 | Publication of result of Interview in the website | 8th December, 2025 (Monday) |
| 5 | Admission | 15th December, 2025 (Monday) |
| 6 | Semester Registration / Starting of Class / Research work | 1st January, 2026 (Thursday) |
Eligibility Criteria for NIT Rourkela PhD Programme
The minimum qualification required for admission to the PhD programs in Engineering, Science, Planning & Architecture, Management, and Humanities & Social Sciences is one of the following. Additionally, a candidate must score a minimum of 6.5 CGPA or 60% marks or 1st class throughout their career to be eligible for NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26:
- ME/M.Tech/M.Sc Engg./M.Pharm/M.Arch/M.Plan/M.Des in relevant discipline with at least 6.5 CGPA or 60% marks or 1st class in both qualifying degree and the preceding degree.
- BE/BTech/BScEngg/MSc/BPharm/MCA/BArch/BDes or equivalent in relevant discipline with CGPA of 7.0 or 65% marks.
- M.Sc. in Basic Sciences with CGPA 7.0 or 65% marks in relevant disciplines. For applicants with valid GATE/NET/GPAT or equivalent score, requirement may be relaxed by maximum 0.5 CGPA or 5% marks.
- MBBS/BVSc with CGPA 6.5 or 60% marks or 1st class.
- For PhD in Management and Humanities & Social Sciences only: M.Com/MBA/M.Sc/MA in Humanities and Social Sciences / Management / B.Tech with 6.5 CGPA or 60% marks or 1st class.
Relaxation of Marks: Candidates belonging to Reserved Category (PWD/SC/ST) may be relaxed 0.5 CGPA or 5% in the +2 level.
Additional Criteria for NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26
Specific subject requirements are applicable for certain disciplines:
- For admission to Engineering and Science disciplines (except Life Science), a candidate should have passed Mathematics in +2 Science or Diploma.
- Science students admitted to PhD in Engineering/Physics/Mathematics must have passed Mathematics at the +3 level.
- For admission to PhD in Life Science, a student should have passed Life Science or Biological Science either at +2 or +3 level.
Departments & Indicative Broad Area of Research Available
The NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26 is open across 20 departments, with a wide range of indicative research areas.
| Code | Department | Indicative Broad Area of Research Available |
|---|---|---|
| BM | Biotechnology and Medical Engineering | Biomechanics and Bio-transport, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Medical Electronics and Instrumentation, Cell and Molecular Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering, AI/ML in Biomedical Engineering, etc. |
| CE | Civil Engineering | Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Construction Technology & Management, Transportation Engineering. |
| CH | Chemical Engineering | Catalysis and Reaction Engineering, Energy Storage, Process Systems Engineering, Environment Engineering and Pollution Control, AI/ML in Chemical Engineering, Hydrogen Energy, Carbon Capture & Utilization, Machine Learning. |
| CR | Ceramic Engineering | Advanced materials for energy storage, Nanomaterials for hydrogen production and storage, Environmental Ceramics, Luminescent Nanomaterials, Advanced refractories for green steel, Structural Ceramics, Electroceramics, Glass, Bio-glass. |
| CS | Computer Science & Engineering | Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IoT) and Computer Network, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Computer Vision, Signal and Image Processing, Cryptography, Quantum Computing, Hardware Security, Deep-Fake, NLP, Deep Learning. |
| CY | Chemistry | Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Material Chemistry (Nanomaterials, Catalysis), Physical Chemistry (Biophysical, Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, Protein Chemistry, Spectroscopy). |
| EC | Electronics & Communication Engineering | Communication, AI/ML, Computer Vision, Instrumentation, RF & MW System, VLSI, IoT, Signal and Image Processing, Deep Learning, Semiconductor Device, Nano Electronics, Opto Electronics. |
| EE | Electrical Engineering | Power Systems, High Voltage Engineering, Microgrid Control, Power Electronics and Drives, Renewable Energy & EV, Digital Signal/Image/Video Processing, Control & Automation, ML based Control Applications. |
| ER | Earth and Atmospheric Science | Geology, Applied Geology, Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Sciences, Physical Oceanography, Geophysics, Remote Sensing & GIS, Environmental Sciences. |
| FP | Food Process Engineering | Post-Harvest Operations, Food Quality and Safety, Computer-aided and IoT-based Food Processing, AI and ML in Food Processing, Non-thermal Processing, Food Equipment and Process Design, Food Packaging & Storage Engineering, Health and Functional Food. |
| HS | Humanities & Social Sciences | Economics, English, Sociology, Anthropology, Population Studies, Psychology. |
| ID | Industrial Design | Human-Computer-Interaction, Virtual Reality, Safety by Design, Human Factors & Ergonomics, Acoustics, Underwater Glider, Computer-Aided Design, User-Countered Design, Design Innovation, New product Development, Emerging Technologies (AI, AR, VR etc). |
| LS | Life Science | Microbiology, Biofilm, Antimicrobial Resistance, Marine Biotechnology, Plant Microbe Interaction, Mangrove Ecology, Bioremediation, Blue Economy, Immunology, Nanobiotechnology, Cancer Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, Plant Biology, Drug Delivery, Bioinformatics. |
| MA | Mathematics | Numerical Analysis, Differential Equation, Function & Analysis, Computational Finance, Cryptography, Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Algebraic graph Theory. |
| ME | Mechanical Engineering | Manufacturing, Machine Design, Thermal Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Robotics, Dynamics & Control of UAV, Additive Manufacturing, Composites. |
| MM | Metallurgical & Materials Engineering | AI-ML, Extractive, Welding, Computational and Process Metallurgy, Steel Metallurgy, Structure-Property Relationship, Tribological Studies, High-entropy alloys, Nanomaterials, Corrosion, Smart Materials. |
| MN | Mining Engineering | Rock Mechanics, Underground Coal Mining, Mine Environment & Safety, Mine Ventilation, Mine Planning, CBM, CO2 Storage, Mine Automation, Ergonomics. |
| PA | Planning & Architecture | Vernacular Architecture, Climate responsive building design, Urban heat Island, Urban Climate, Sustainable development, Urban morphology, Green Infrastructure, Environmental Planning, Landscape Design, Construction Management, Urban Planning. |
| PH | Physics and Astronomy | Experimental Physics, Condensed matter Physics, Computational Soft matter Physics/Biophysics, Astrophysics, High Energy and string theory, Gravitational waves, Cosmology. |
| SM | School of Management | Marketing Management, General Management, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, Sustainability, Operations Management. |
Financial Support and Fellowship
Institute Fellowships are available for Ph.D. students of all departments. The prevailing rate of fellowship is:
| Program | Eligibility | Duration | Rate of Fellowship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | M. Tech./M. Pharm / M. Arch. / M. Des./MD/MS/MDS/M. V. Sc. | 1st & 2nd year | Rs. 37,000/- p.m. |
| Ph.D. | B. Tech. / B. Arch. / B. Des. / B. Pharm./MBBS/B. V. Sc. / BDS / M.Sc./MA/M.Com/MBA/MCA with a valid GATE/NET/GPAT score | 3rd, 4th & 5th year* | Rs. 42,000/-* p.m. |
*The higher rate of fellowship is subject to clearing the Progress Seminar. The Institute fellowship will NOT be awarded to candidates above 32 years of age (35 years for SC/ST, and women candidates with at least one child) on the closing date of application.
Candidates with Individual External Fellowships (CSIR-NET/UGC-NET/DST-INSPIRE, etc.) are also encouraged to apply. The rate and mode of payment for external fellowships are governed by the rules of the Sponsor / Funding Agency.
Fee Structure for NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26
The following is the detailed fee structure to be paid at the time of admission for the NIT Rourkela PhD Admission 2025-26:
| Sl. No. | Fee Particulars | 1st Semester (Rs.) | 2nd Semester (Rs.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Admission fee (one time) | 2500/- | |
| 2 | Tuition fee | 7500/- (Nil for SC/ST students) | 7500/- (Nil for SC/ST students) |
| 3 | Other fees (Exam., Library, Electricity etc) | 3000/- | 3000/- |
| 4 | Student Activity fee | 2000/- | 2000/- |
| 5 | Medical fee | 2000/- | 2000/- |
| 6 | Hostel seat Rent* | 5000/- | 5000/- |
| 7 | Caution money (one time Refundable) | 10000/- | |
| 8 | Hall Establishment fee | 5000/- | 5000/- |
| 9 | Mess Advance | 30000/- | 30000/- |
| Total | 67,000/- (59,500/- for SC/ST) | 54,500/- (47,000/- for SC/ST) | |
*Note: Hostel Seat Rent & Hall Establishment fee will be applicable as per hostel type. The fees for remaining semesters will be the same as the 2nd semester fees unless modified.
Application Fee and Procedure
Interested candidates must satisfy the eligibility criteria and submit their online application.
- Pay a non-refundable Application Fee of Rs. 500/- through SBI Collect only.
- The path for payment is: SB COLLECT -> EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS -> ODISHA -> DIRECTOR NIT ROURKELA -> APPLICATION FEE PHD and EPTP SELECT PHD SELECT 500/-.
- Note down the SB Collect Reference Number.
- Fill up the online application form at http://eapplication.nitrkl.ac.in and enter the SB Collect Reference Number.
- Sponsored candidates are required to submit the scanned copy of the sponsorship certificate while submitting online application.
Important: Applicants are NOT required to send a hard copy of the application form or any documents to NIT Rourkela. Candidates called for an interview must submit a signed copy of the application form, photocopies of all certificates, and the original Sponsorship Certificate (for Sponsored/Local Sponsored candidates only) at the time of the interview.
Important Notes
Mode of Education: Degrees/Qualifications obtained through modes other than regular mode (Distance Learning, Correspondence Course, etc.) will NOT be considered for admission.
Refund Policy: If a student leaves the Institute after admission without completing the entire program, all fees paid including the caution money deposit will be forfeited. Mess advance may be refunded after deduction of dues.
Fellowship Refund: Students with Institute fellowship who leave the Institute mid-session without completing the program must return the entire amount paid towards the fellowship before leaving.
Academic Work: All students, with or without fellowship, are required to assist faculty members in teaching and research activity, including taking tutorial and laboratory classes.