NISER Bhubaneswar PhD Admission 2027 (Jan)

National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) Bhubaneswar invites application for PhD admission for 2026-27 (Winter Session) commence from January 2027.

Eligibility Criteria

Minimum Educational Qualifications

• Biological Sciences
  • 55% or equivalent GPA* in Masters or M. Tech or M. Pharm in any branches of Agricultural Sciences, Biology, Life Sciences, Pharmacy (any specialization), Veterinary Sciences, Computer Sciences, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology. Students with Master’s degree in Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics having interest in pursuing a career in Biology are also encouraged to apply. Candidates with a 4 year / 8 semester Bachelor’s degree programme with a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade are also eligible to apply for the programme.
• Chemical Sciences
  • 55% or equivalent GPA in Master’s in Chemistry or allied Chemistry fields. Students with Master’s degree in any branches of Basic Sciences with undergraduate degree in Chemistry (or Chemistry as one of the subjects) or M.Tech in applied Chemistry or Computer Sciences with interest in pursuing a career in Chemistry are also encouraged to apply. Candidates with a 4-year / 8-semester Bachelor’s degree programme with chemistry as major subject with a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade are also eligible to apply for the programme.
• Computer Sciences
  • 55% or equivalent GPA in Masters in Mathematics or Masters in Computer Science, or M.Tech or M.E. in Computer Science/Electronics/Electrical Engineering or related fields. Candidates with a 4 year / 8 semester Bachelor’s degree programme with a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade are also eligible to apply for the programme.
• Earth & Planetary Sciences
  • 55% or equivalent GPA in M.Sc./M.Tech/M.E in Physics/ Astronomy and Astrophysics/ Space Science/ Geology/ Applied Geology/ Geoscience/ Geological Sciences/ Geophysics/ Earth Science(s)/Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences/ Mathematics/ Chemistry/ Engineering Physics/ Electrical/ Electronics/ Mechanical/ Civil/ Computer/ Data Science and related. Candidates with a minimum 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a 4 year / 8 semester Bachelor’s degree science programme with physics/chemistry/geology as one of the subjects or in a 4 year B.E/B.Tech degree programme are also eligible to apply for the programme.
• Physical Sciences
  • 55% or equivalent GPA in Masters in Physics or M.E / M.Tech in Applied Physics, Quantum Technology / Photonics / Optical Engineering or any other relevant fields. Candidates with a minimum 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a 4 year / 8 semester Bachelor’s degree science programme with physics as one of the subjects or in a 4 year B.E/B.Tech degree programmes are also eligible to apply for the programme.
• Humanities and Social Sciences
  • A Master’s or an equivalent degree from a University or Institution recognized by UGC with 55% or equivalent GPA in Master’s degree examination in Humanities and Social Sciences or Candidates with a minimum 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a 4 year / 8 semester Bachelor’s degree programme with Philosophy/ Sociology/ Psychology/ History/ Tourism as one of the subjects.

* Candidates with GPA in a qualifying degree may need to produce the conversion note (in case it is not mentioned in their mark sheet) from their institution towards the calculation of percentage.

Candidates who are appearing for their final examination for the qualifying Degree can also apply, provided they submit an undertaking that they will submit the qualifying degree certificates by the time of admission into the program

Requirement of Qualifying in National Level Examinations for pursuing Ph.D program

• School of Biological Sciences – Candidates should have qualified at least one of the National Level Examinations i.e. CSIR-UGC-NET/GATE /GPAT/DBT-BET/ ICMR/JGEEBILS-2025, valid for the academic year 2026-2027.
• School of Chemical Sciences – Candidates should have qualified at least one of these National Level Examinations: CSIR-UGC NET/GATE, valid for the academic year 2026-2027.
• School of Computer Sciences – Candidates should have qualified at least one of these National Level Examinations i.e. CSIR-UGC-NET (LS or JRF) /GATE in MATHS/CS /IT/EE/STATS or NBHM/ JEST/ TIFR-GS (Maths or CS or LIDS) or related areas valid for the academic year 2026- 2027.
• School of Earth and Planetary Sciences – Candidates should have qualified at least one of these National Level Examinations i.e. CSIR-UGC-NET /GATE/JEST, valid for the academic year 2026- 2027.
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences – Candidates should have qualified at least one of the National Level Examinations as described below, valid for the academic year 2026-2027. Philosophy: JRF or NET in Philosophy from UGC/CSIR/ICSSR/GATE or any such credible funding agency. Sociology: JRF in Sociology / Psychology / History / Tourism from UGC / CSIR / ICSSR / GATE or any such credible funding agency.
• School of Physical Sciences – Candidates should have qualified at least one of these National Level Examinations i.e. CSIR-UGC-NET/GATE/JEST, valid for the academic year 2026-2027.

Important Note

• The cut-off marks for national examinations such as GATE/JEST/ JGEEBILS/ CSIR-UGC-NET etc. will be further decided by each School for the relevant subject area.
• Students having INSPIRE Doctoral Fellowship ONLY, without qualifying any of the above mentioned national level written examinations, will NOT be considered for admission to PhD program in NISER.
• Candidates with GPA/CGPA in qualifying degree will be required to produce supporting documents from their respective University/Institute specifying the conversion into percentage if it is not mentioned in their mark sheet.

Fellowship

• ₹37,000/- as Junior Research Fellowship for the first two years, and subsequently ₹42,000/- for a maximum period up to another three years as Senior Research Fellowship, subject to fulfilment of all the academic requirements stipulated by the Institute from time to time.
• Students with external fellowship from agencies viz. CSIR, UGC, etc. will be eligible to draw fellowship as per the extant rules of the respective funding agencies. Such students will NOT be considered for NISER/DAE fellowship.

Selection Procedure

• The selection committee of the respective schools will shortlist the candidates from the applications received by the deadline. Merely satisfying the minimum qualifications does not guarantee shortlisting. The schools may set additional criteria as deemed necessary.
• The short-listed candidates will be called for an interview, supplemented by a written test, if necessary, for the admission.
• Based on the academic record and the performance of the candidates in the selection process, the selection committee will recommend candidates for admission to the Ph.D. program.
• All eligible candidates called for the Test / Interview will be reimbursed return travel fare equivalent to second-sleeper class railway fare by the shortest route from their place of residence to the Institute upon production of valid documents.

How to Apply

• The applicant must apply online through the NISER website (Online Portal) following the stepwise instructions mentioned therein to complete the application submission process. Successful submission of the online application is entirely the candidate’s responsibility. NISER will not bear any liability of an incomplete application or non-submission of any required supporting document.
• Candidates intending to apply for more than one school must fill up separate online application forms for each school with appropriate supporting documents.
• NISER does not demand any application fee from the candidates for the PhD program.

Checklist for application submission:

During online submission, you will need to have the following ready with you for uploading:

• JPEG file of your passport size photo.
• JPEG file of your valid signatures.
• Birth Certificate/10th pass certificate in support of date of birth.
• Certificate in support of category (SC/ST), only if applicable.
• Certificate and mark sheets in support of passing qualifying examination i.e. Master’s degree OR 4 Years / 8 Semester Bachelor’s degree, whichever is applicable. In case the original pass certificate is not issued by University then a provisional certificate from the University/college certifying the completion of degree should be submitted.
• Certificate/document in support of qualifying national level examination(s) viz. CSIR-UGC NET JRF/ DBT-BET JRF/ JEST/ NBHM/ GATE or any other as applicable.

• Online application portal will be activated on: 1 October, 2026
• Last date for filling up online application (all schools): 1 November, 2026
• Short-listed candidates will be uploaded on NISER website by (all schools): 10 November, 2026
• School of Chemical Sciences test/interview: 19 November, 2026 to 20 November, 2026
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences test/interview: 26 November, 2026 to 27 November, 2026
• School of Computer Sciences test/interview: 1 December, 2026 to 2 December, 2026
• School of Earth & Planetary Sciences test/interview: 1 December, 2026 to 2 December, 2026
• School of Physical Sciences test/interview: 1 December, 2026 to 2 December, 2026
• School of Biological Sciences test/interview: 14 December, 2026 to 15 December, 2026

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