IIT Madras Ph.D: Fees 2025, Course Duration, Dates, Eligibility

IIT Madras PhD Admissions 2024 (January session) are ongoing now. IIT Madras PhD registrations are over and the date of written test and PI will be released soon. IIT Madras PhD Admission will be granted based on a written exam and a personal interview performed by the relevant department The program is generally a 5-year long, full-time residential/nonresidential course.

IIT Madras Ph.D. Important Dates

IIT Madras Ph.D. Course Description 

The Ph.D. is typically a 5-year full-time residential/non-residential program. Students must go to the official website and look for the admission announcement. Students will be chosen based on merit, entrance exam assessments such as GATE and NET, and interviews conducted by the different departments.

• Candidates can apply to pursue Direct Ph.D. programs in Engineering/Sciences/Management/Humanities & Social Sciences stream after their Bachelor’s Degree.
• Half-Time Research Assistantship (HTRA) funded by MHRD as well as fellowships from other funding agencies like CSIR, UGC, DST, ICMR, AICTE, etc. are available for those who have qualified for these schemes.

Check: IIT Madras Scholarships

Research Areas:

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IIT Madras Ph.D. Eligibility Criteria 

Ph.D. in Engineering

• Master’s degree in Engineering/Technology with a good academic record.
• Master’s degree in Research in Engineering/Technology with a good academic record
• 5 Year Dual Degree in Engineering or 5 Year BS+MS Dual degree from Centrally Funded Technical Institute with a good academic record
• Students with 2 Year M.Sc. from IITs (entry through JAM) with 8.0 and above do not need to qualify in any National Level Examination
•  Students must have a valid GATE score or UGC-JRF/NET/CSIR-JRF or equivalent qualification in the relevant area tenable for the year of registration.
• For Students with Bachelor’s degree in Engineering / Technology AND possess more than 5 years of relevant work experience after the Master’s degree in Engineering/Technology, the requirement of a test score may be waived by the Selection Committee.

Ph.D. in Sciences

• Master’s degree in Sciences with a good academic record and having a valid GATE score or UGC-JRF/NET/CSIR-JRF/NBHM/INSPIRE 
• Master’s degree in Engineering/Technology or 5 Year BS+MS Dual degree/ 5 Year Integrated degree from Centrally Funded Technical Institute with a good academic record.
• Students with a 2 Year M.Sc. from IITs (entry through JAM) with 8.0 and above do not need to qualify for any National Level Examination.
• Students who get more than 8.0 CGPA in M.Sc. in Science Departments of IIT Madras are admitted directly to their Ph.D. program in Sciences with interviews at the departmental level.

Ph.D. in Humanities and Social Sciences

•  Master’s degree / dual degree or equivalent in relevant discipline AND Qualifying UGC – NET or JRF / CSIR-JRF / GATE Score or equivalent qualification tenable for the current year in the relevant area or international level postgraduate admission examination such as GRE (Non-HTRA)
• Master’s degree in Engineering/Technology or 5 Year BS+MS Dual degree/ 5 Year Integrated degree from Centrally Funded Technical Institute with a good academic record. 

Ph.D. in Management

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in any professional discipline of minimum four years duration or Master's degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline, with a good academic record.
• Qualifying in national level examinations such as GATE/CAT/UGC-JRF/NET/CSIR-JRF or equivalent or international level postgraduate admission examinations such as GMAT/GRE (Non-HTRA). 
• At least 5 years of managerial experience instead of the above examination. (This clause is applicable for Non-HTRA candidates only)
• Master’s degree in Engineering / Technology with a good academic record or a Master’s degree in Research in Engineering / Technology in a relevant discipline are exempted from qualifying in National level examinations.
• Candidates with an MBA or 2-year PG diploma from Centrally Funded Technical Institute (CFTI) with a CGPA of 8 and above are exempted from qualifying in National level examinations.

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IITM Ph.D. Admission Procedure 

• The application form for Ph.D. at IIT Madras is available on the official website. Students who are willing to apply for the Ph.D. will have to check the official website and fill up the application form.
• Applicants who qualify for the minimum eligibility in the various courses of Ph.D. would be called for an interview by the Selection Committees of the respective departments.
• For students who have obtained a PG degree 10 years earlier as on the last date prescribed for receipt of the completed application, a departmental test will be conducted.

International Students 

Students from outside India can also apply for the Ph.D. program. There are many categories such as - 

1. Self-Finance: Students applying under this category require the following - 
   • Master's degree in Engineering/Technology or a Master's degree by Research in Engineering/Technology or a Master's degree in Sciences / Humanities and Social Sciences / Management Studies with a good academic record.
   • Valid GRE/GMAT score, and they must clear either IELTS or TOEFL with a minimum score of 6.5 (overall) and 80(overall) respectively. 
   • Candidates must submit their application through the Indian High Commission/Embassy.
2. Scholarship: There is a range of scholarships through which interested students (international) can apply for the Ph.D. program. They are as follows - 

• ICCR: The candidates require the following criteria - 
  • Master's degree in Engineering/Technology or a Master's degree by Research in Engineering/Technology or a Master's degree in Sciences / Humanities and Social Sciences / Management Studies with a good academic record.
  • Valid GRE/GMAT score, and they must clear either IELTS or TOEFL with a minimum score of 6.5 (overall) and 80(overall) respectively. 
  • Candidates must submit their application through the Indian High Commission/Embassy.
• Through Embassies /Foreign Government Scholarships
• ASEAN Scholarship: The funding covers the entire cost of study and living expenses for up to 5 years of their Ph.D. program. 

1. Under MoU and FIP (Faculty Improvement Programme). 

Steps to Apply for Ph.D. at IIT Madras

The Ph.D. application form is available on the official website of IIT Madras. Students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. can visit the official website and complete the application form. To complete the application form, students must first check in to the official website. It should be noted that the application form will not be sent unless the application fee is paid. Students must bring a printout of the application form to their interviews. The following are the procedures you should take to complete the Ph.D. admission form:

• Sign-up / Register at https://research.iitm.ac.in/user.
• use the “Apply to Department” menu to fill in the application ( Maximum 3 applications allowed per user).
• Upon registering, an email will be sent to the email ID which will contain a link to activate the account.
• Update profile information under the “My Profile” menu.
• An application number is generated after finishing the payment process.
• A mail containing an application will be sent to the mail ID.

Check More: IIT Madras Admission

IITM Ph.D. Application Fees 

Note- The OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) certificate and Income & Assets certificate [for EWS category] issued after 01.04.2020 (for the financial year 2020- 2021) in the prescribed format must be uploaded in the ONLINE application and submitted at the time of interview/admission

IIT Madras Ph.D. Required Documents 

Documents required during the time of the interview are as follows - 

• A printed copy of the application was mailed to the candidates after online registration.
• Copies of all Mark sheets/grade cards/provisional/degree certificates beginning from a first degree towards proof of qualification.
• Copy of Community Certificate in the case of SC/ST/OBC-NCL candidates issued by the respective State Government. The candidates claiming for EWS (Economically Weaker sections) reservation should submit a valid certificate issued by the concerned authority.
• Authorized Doctor’s Certificate of disability descriptions in the case of Person with Disabled (PwD) candidates.
• Copy of GATE score or NET (UGC-JRF/NEt/CSIR-JRF/ DAE-JEST) or other fellowship awards.
• Project Coordinator's certificate in the prescribed format and a copy of the project appointment letter from Dean IC & SR of IITM in the case of Project Associate if already appointed.

IIT Madras Ph.D. Financial Assistance 

Students who are admitted to Ph.D. programs at IIT Madras under Regular Scheme are eligible for a Half-Time Research Assistantship (HTRA). The conditions which students need to fulfill to get selected for the assistantship are:

• They should work for 8 hours per week in the Departments to earn this assistantship.
• The assistantship is renewed every semester. Students should show good performance in the research and the preceding semester to continue with the assistantship.