IISER Pune PhD Admission January 2027: Apply by 18 October

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune has opened PhD admission for the January 2027 batch. The institute admits doctoral students in Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Climate Science, Humanities and Social Sciences and Science Education, and each department runs its own call with its own deadline and interview window.

The first deadline is 18 October 2026 at 5:00 PM IST for Biology. Chemistry and Earth and Climate Science close on 21 October 2026, Humanities and Social Sciences on 23 October 2026 and Science Education on 25 October 2026. Selection is through shortlisting and an interview, and selected candidates either hold their own national fellowship or may be recommended for the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF).

IISER Pune PhD admission 2027: quick facts

Department-wise deadlines for the January 2027 batch

• Biology: applications opened 5 October 2026 and close on 18 October 2026 at 5:00 PM IST; online interviews between 26 October and 6 November 2026.
• Chemistry: applications opened 5 October 2026 and close on 21 October 2026 at 5:00 PM; in-person interviews between 17 November and 11 December 2026.
• Earth and Climate Science: applications opened 5 October 2026 and close on 21 October 2026 at 5:00 PM; interviews tentatively in late October or early November 2026, for the session starting January 2027.
• Humanities and Social Sciences: the last date to apply is 23 October 2026 at 5:00 PM; interviews tentatively between 10 and 15 November 2026.
• Science Education: online applications opened 12 October 2026 and close on 25 October 2026; a written exam is held on 2 November 2026, the shortlist is published on 13 November 2026 and in-person interviews follow on 3-4 December 2026.

IISER Pune PhD eligibility: qualifying degree

An applicant needs a master’s degree, or a B.E., B.Tech., M.Tech. or MBBS degree, in any branch of science – including physics, chemistry, mathematics, biological sciences, ecology and environmental sciences, biodiversity, psychology or an equivalent subject. The minimum is 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage, and not just in the majoring subject) or an equivalent CGPA; for SC, ST and PwD candidates the bar is 55% marks in aggregate or an equivalent CGPA.

Students whose final master’s results are yet to be declared can also apply, but a selected candidate’s offer stays provisional until the qualifying conditions are met. Applicants should also check the faculty list published for their department – only the faculty named in the current round will accept students.

National eligibility exam needed for the PhD fellowship

Besides the degree requirement, an applicant must hold one of the following. This is what makes the PhD funded:

• A national eligibility exam that carries a five-year PhD fellowship – CSIR JRF, UGC JRF, DBT JRF A, ICMR JRF, DBT BINC JRF, Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship, Maulana Azad National Fellowship, National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students by CSIR-UGC, National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Students, National Fellowship for OBC Candidates or the National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities (NFPWD). The fellowship must be valid on 1 January 2027.
• A JEST, GPAT or NBHM qualification from the last two years.
• An INSPIRE-PhD fellowship – the provisional selection letter must be in hand at the time of the interview.
• GATE in Life Sciences, Chemistry, Eco-Evo, Biotechnology or Mathematics, with the score valid on 1 January 2027.
• JGEEBILS, on which IISER Pune shortlists candidates by rank.
• IISER BS-MS dual degree students with a CGPA of 8.0.

For national exams that give a common rank or score, the cut-off for shortlisting reserved-category candidates is lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank or score.

Selection process and the PMRF route

Meeting the eligibility conditions only makes a candidate eligible to apply – IISER Pune reserves the right to use stricter criteria for shortlisting, and only shortlisted candidates are informed. The Biology form asks for a specific research question and a short study design, and the answers are checked for plagiarism, so the application should be started well before the deadline. Chemistry interviews are held in person at the Pune campus.

IISER Pune is one of the institutes that can award the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship. To be considered, a candidate must first be selected in the regular PhD programme; the institute then recommends a small number of candidates, and the final decision rests with the National Level Discipline-Specific Selection Committee.

Application fee and how to apply

A standard non-refundable application fee applies to every IISER Pune programme application. The PhD page does not publish the amount, so check it on the application portal before you pay.

1. Open the IISER Pune admission applications portal and register with your email ID.
2. Choose your department and start the application – the Science Education form needs a statement of purpose of up to two pages and a CV of up to four pages.
3. Fill in your academic details, national exam scores and the research question or research plan asked for by the department.
4. Pay the application fee online and submit before the department’s deadline – 18 October 2026 for Biology, up to 25 October 2026 for the other departments.
5. Watch the department page for shortlisting and interview updates. Candidates who hold non-Indian passports but are Overseas Citizens of India and studied in India can apply through the departmental portals.

Frequently asked questions

Official links

Related reading: IISER Pune PhD programme and January 2027 department calls
IISER Pune admission applications portal

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