IIT Dharwad PhD Admission Spring 2027: Apply by 16 November

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad has opened online applications for Ph.D. admission for the Spring 2026-27 semester (January 2027 intake). The application window runs from 13 October 2026 to 16 November 2026, and the last date to submit the online form is 16 November 2026. Applications are made only through the Institute’s admission portal – no postal application is required.

Selected full-time scholars can receive the Teaching Assistantship (TA) of Rs 37,000 per month for the first two years and Rs 42,000 per month for the remaining three years, plus HRA as per rules. The Visvesvaraya Ph.D. Fellowship route pays even more – Rs 38,750 per month in years 1 and 2 and Rs 43,750 per month in years 3, 4 and 5.

IIT Dharwad PhD admission Spring 2027: quick facts

IIT Dharwad Ph.D. admission 2027: important dates

Ph.D. applications window	13 October 2026 to 16 November 2026
Exams and interviews	18 November 2026 to 2 December 2026
Declaration of final results on the website	10 December 2026 to 12 December 2026
Arrival on campus and original document verification	30 December 2026
General orientation and departmental interaction	31 December 2026
Online course registration	1 January 2027
Instructions begin	4 January 2027

The Institute has advised all candidates to check the email address given in the application regularly for updates about the interview process, and to watch the admissions section of the official website for any change in the schedule. IIT Dharwad has also warned that it does not offer any management quota or special admission seats, does not authorise any agent, and issues offer letters only through official channels.

Assistantships and financial support at IIT Dharwad

• Teaching Assistantship (TA) – funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The assistantship is payable for a maximum of 5 years or up to the thesis defence, whichever is earlier. At present the rate is Rs 37,000 per month for the first 2 years and Rs 42,000 per month for the remaining 3 years, plus HRA as per rules.
• TA scholars have to assist in teaching, research and administrative work for up to 8 hours per week, and continuation depends on satisfactory academic and research performance and on the duties assigned by the department.
• Employees on the rolls of any organisation, with or without pay, are not eligible for the TA category unless they resign and submit a relieving letter before joining.
• Fellowship Awardee (FA) – for candidates who hold a valid Junior Research Fellowship award letter from CSIR, UGC, DAE, DST, DBT, NBHM, PMRF, Visvesvaraya or a confirmed DST INSPIRE award. The amount, duration and HRA follow the awarding agency’s norms.
• Visvesvaraya Ph.D. Fellowship – Rs 38,750 per month in the 1st and 2nd year and Rs 43,750 per month in the 3rd, 4th and 5th year, with a research contingency grant of Rs 1,20,000 per year for a full-time candidate, support for attending an international conference and visiting a laboratory abroad, and HRA if hostel accommodation is not available.
• Project Assistantship (PA) – funded from sponsored projects of industries or government funding agencies; the fellowship follows the rules of the governing project.
• Other fellowships – UGC-NET JRF, CSIR-NET JRF, DST-INSPIRE, PMRF and similar national fellowships are accepted as per the awarding agency’s norms.

Admission categories available

• TA – full-time scholar with the MoE Teaching Assistantship.
• FA – full-time scholar with a government or semi-government fellowship.
• PA / PS-TAP – project staff supported by a sponsored project.
• EX (Externally Sponsored) – candidates employed in a recognised R&D organisation with at least 2 years of work experience in the relevant area. A sponsorship certificate is required, the candidate must stay at the Institute for the coursework of 1-2 semesters, and the tuition fee for this category is Rs 25,000. People working in colleges or universities are not eligible under EX.
• IS (Institute Staff), CT (College Teacher) and QIP (Quality Improvement Programme) categories, and the VF (Visvesvaraya Ph.D. Fellowship) category.
• Students admitted as full-time or part-time research scholars – part-time scholars must be available full-time until the coursework is completed and can then carry out research at their parent organisation.
• Candidates who are in the final phase of the qualifying degree may apply; if selected, admission is provisional until the degree completion documents are produced on the joining date.

Eligibility for IIT Dharwad Ph.D. admission

Eligibility is decided department by department in the official Information Brochure. The common academic bar for General, EWS and OBC-NCL candidates in the qualifying degree is a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate without rounding off, or a CGPA / CPI of 6.0 on a 10-point scale. SC, ST and PwD candidates get a relaxation of 5% marks or 0.5 CGPA.

• Chemical Engineering – a B.Tech/B.E. degree with a valid GATE score for direct Ph.D. entry (GATE waived for CFTI students with CGPA 8.0 or above), or an M.Tech/ME/MS(Engg)/M.Sc in Chemical Engineering or a related stream. M.Tech holders are exempt from GATE for the TA category; M.Sc candidates need a valid GATE or CSIR/UGC-NET-LS; a JRF is mandatory for the FA category.
• Chemistry – a valid GATE score, a CSIR/UGC-NET-LS score, or the prescribed master’s degree, with the 60% / 6.0 CGPA minimum.
• Civil and Infrastructure Engineering – the qualifying degree with 60% / 6.0 CGPA, plus having appeared in GATE at least once (a currently valid GATE score is not mandatory) or a CGPA of 7.0 or above.
• Computer Science and Engineering – the qualifying degree with the minimum score, plus a valid GATE score or a valid UGC/CSIR NET JRF or LS scorecard.
• Electrical, Electronics and Communication Engineering – the qualifying degree with the minimum score, plus a valid GATE score or a valid UGC/CSIR NET JRF or LS scorecard; the GATE paper must be EE, EC, IN, DA or CS.
• Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering – the qualifying degree with the minimum score and a valid GATE score in AE, ME, MT, PI or XE. GATE is essential for the TA and PA categories, and is waived for CFTI B.Tech graduates with CGPA 8.0 or above.
• Physics – a valid GATE score, a valid CSIR/UGC-NET (LS) score or a valid JEST score, with the 60% / 6.0 CGPA minimum; the FA category additionally needs a JRF.

IIT Dharwad Ph.D. fees for the first semester

Academic components – General / EWS / OBC-NCL	Rs 19,000
Academic components – SC / ST / PwD	Rs 16,500 (tuition fee of Rs 2,500 per semester is waived)
Non-academic components (hostel, mess, medical, deposits)	Rs 47,000 for all categories
Total payable at admission – General / EWS / OBC-NCL	Rs 66,000
Total payable at admission – SC / ST / PwD	Rs 63,500
Tuition fee for the EX (externally sponsored) category	Rs 25,000

The academic component of Rs 19,000 includes a one-time fee of Rs 6,500 (admission, academic service charges, convocation fee and alumni lifetime membership), a refundable deposit of Rs 6,000 and per-semester charges of Rs 6,500 (registration, tuition, examination and library). The non-academic component of Rs 47,000 covers gymkhana, medical and wellness, student benevolent fund, hostel and mess establishment charges, students’ activity charges, hostel room rent, electricity and water charges, a mess advance of Rs 24,500, an annual medical insurance premium of Rs 1,500 and a refundable hostel deposit of Rs 5,000. All SC, ST and Divyangjan students are exempt from tuition fees, and the Institute reserves the right to revise fees.

How to apply for IIT Dharwad Ph.D. admission 2027

1. Open the IIT Dharwad admission portal at admissions.iitdh.ac.in and register to create an account.
2. Fill the online application form with your personal details, qualification details and the GATE/NET/JEST score, and choose the admission category and the research area in order of preference.
3. Upload the required documents and certificates in the prescribed format and submit the application before 16 November 2026.
4. Watch your email for the shortlist and the interview link – the department-wise selection process is explained in the brochure, and shortlisted candidates may be interviewed online.

For any admission query, write to [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

Official links

• IIT Dharwad Ph.D. admissions (official page)
• Information Brochure, Ph.D. Admissions Spring 2026-27 (official PDF)
• Various Fellowships at IIT Dharwad (official PDF)
• IIT Dharwad admission portal (apply online)

Related reading: National scholarships | Fellowships | Post graduation scholarships

Related scholarship posts: IISER Pune PhD admission January 2027 | IIT Madras PhD and MS admission January 2027 | IIT Bhubaneswar MS by Research 2027