Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics – IUCAA PhD Admission 2027 (INAT 2027)

14 September, 2026

Full details for Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics – IUCAA PhD Admission 2027 (INAT 2027).

The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune invites application for IUCAA National Admission Test (INAT-2027).

The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune (an autonomous institution set up by the University Grants Commission), is a leading centre of research in a wide range of areas in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Physics.
IUCAA is a participant in major national and international mega-science projects such as the currently operating 10-m Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the multi-wavelength AstroSat mission, the Aditya-L1 mission; the next generation optical observatory – the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT); the planned advanced gravitational-wave observatory – the LIGO-India; the Vera Rubin Observatory (Rubin LSST). I
UCAA has a high-performance computational facility and an excellent library.
IUCAA is located in the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus.

The IUCAA National Admission Test (INAT-2027) is being conducted to select candidates for the following academic programmes at IUCAA:

Ph.D. in the areas of Astronomy / Astrophysics and Physics, selection to which will be through the INAT-2027 written test followed by two rounds of interviews at IUCAA, Pune
SPPU-IUCAA Joint M.Sc. (Physics with Astrophysics) programme, selection to which will be based solely on the score of the INAT-2027 written test

The written test will be held in various cities across the country on Sunday, January 17, 2027, at 10:00 a.m.

There are TWO steps in the application procedure.
Candidates must first register by entering their name and valid e-mail address in the appropriate registration boxes below. An application password will then be automatically sent to the candidates email address; the e-mail address and the password must be entered in order to fill out the Online Application Form.
Candidates must submit the Online Application Form by November 30, 2026. When the form is submitted, the candidate will receive an email containing his/her Online ID, an account password, and confirmation that s/he has applied for INAT-2027. Please e-mail the Coordinator at inat@iucaa.in in case of any problems with the online forms.

Based on the applications, a subset of the candidates will be shortlisted and invited to take the written test, to be held in various cities across the country on Sunday, January 17, 2027.
You should report at the assigned test centre with the necessary documents for verification (Passport-size Photo, one of the Photo IDs (in original) like Aadhaar/ PAN/ Voter ID/ Driving License/ College ID/ Passport AND the Admit letter).
Registration for the test will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 9:45 a.m. A seat in the test is not guaranteed unless registration is completed by the candidate during this period.
For Ph.D. selections, based on the marks in the written test, a further subset of the candidates will be invited to attend two interviews, by two different committees.
The final selection for Ph.D. scholarships will be based on a combination of the marks obtained in the written test and the interviews.