IIT Roorkee PhD admission 2026-27 spring semester registration open: apply by October 20

The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has announced the opening of PhD admissions for the Spring Semester 2026-27 academic session. Prospective candidates can submit their applications online via the official portal, iitr.ac.in, until October 20, 2026.

The application process, which began on September 21, 2026, aims to provide doctoral research opportunities across various disciplines at its Roorkee, Saharanpur, and Greater Noida campuses. The institute, with a legacy spanning 178 years, was formally designated an IIT on September 21, 2001, and is recognized for its contributions to national science and engineering missions.

Application Process and Key Dates

Candidates interested in pursuing PhD programmes at IIT Roorkee must complete their online applications by 11:59 PM on October 20, 2026. Following the application period, shortlisted candidates will undergo a written test and interviews, tentatively scheduled between November 16 and 21, 2026. The institute has specified that hard copies of the application form are not required, and physical applications will not be considered.

Academic registration for successful applicants is slated for January 7–8, 2027, with classes for the new semester commencing on January 11, 2027. The selection process will be based on merit, and departments, centres, or schools will inform shortlisted candidates about their interview and/or written test schedules.

Eligibility Criteria and Application Fees

IIT Roorkee offers PhD programmes across four broad streams: Engineering, Science, Architecture and Planning, and Management. The application fee is Rs 300 for candidates belonging to the General, OBC, and EWS categories. For SC, ST, PwD, and female candidates, the application fee is Rs 150. This fee is non-refundable once the transaction is completed.

Eligibility requirements vary based on the candidate’s prior academic qualifications. Applicants with a Master’s degree are generally required to have a minimum CGPA of 6.0 on a 10-point scale or 60% marks for General, GEN-EWS, and OBC categories. SC, ST, and PwD candidates with a Master’s degree need a minimum CGPA of 5.50 or 55% marks. Also, Master’s degree applicants must have qualified a national-level test such as GATE, CEED, JEST, UGC-NET, or CSIR-NET, or hold a national-level fellowship.

Exemptions and Special Schemes

Certain candidates are exempt from the national-level test requirement. These include candidates with a B.Tech. degree or M.Sc. with a CGPA of 8.0 and above from Ministry of Education-funded Technical Institutions, as well as those with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from IITs with a CGPA of 8.0 and above. Candidates holding a four-year Bachelor’s degree from other institutions need a minimum CGPA of 7.50 or 75% marks and must have qualified a national-level test or fellowship.

IIT Roorkee also provides Institute Assistantships for eligible full-time research scholars, which can extend for up to five years. Scholars receiving these assistantships are expected to dedicate up to 10 hours per week to teaching or research-related work. In addition, the institute has introduced special admission schemes for women candidates, including the Golden Girl Scheme and the SAKUNTALA Fellowship. Under the Golden Girl Scheme, first-rank holder female candidates from an IIT or a top 50 NIRF institute/university can apply for direct admission. The SAKUNTALA Fellowship considers female candidates with a B.Tech, B.E., B.Arch, or B.Des degree from Ministry of Education-funded technical institutions with a CGPA of at least 8.5.

International Collaborations and Programme Scope

The institute maintains Joint Doctoral Degree Programme agreements with universities in Canada (University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, Queen’s University), France (University of Strasbourg), Japan (Niigata University), Thailand (Asian Institute of Technology), Nepal (Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University), Taiwan (National Tsing Hua University), and the UK (Loughborough University). These collaborations aim to enhance the global research exposure of its scholars.

IIT Roorkee’s PhD programme is designed to foster a deep understanding of subjects, encourage creativity and innovation, and enable independent research. The institute is recognized as a center for PhD programmes under the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) by the Government of India’s Ministry of Education.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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