IIT Kanpur PG Admission 2027: Apply by 3 November

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has opened applications for postgraduate admission to the January 2027 semester (the 2026-27-II semester) in its PhD and MS (By Research) programmes. The online portal opens on 16 October 2026 at 2:00 PM and the last date to apply is 3 November 2026 at 2:00 PM.

The call covers more than twenty departments and interdisciplinary programmes, from Aerospace Engineering and Chemistry to the Kotak School of Sustainability and Space, Planetary and Astronomical Sciences. Institute Assistantship is provided to non-sponsored PhD and MS (By Research) students, and the session begins with registration on 4 January 2027.

IIT Kanpur PG admission January 2027 for PhD and MS by Research, last date to apply 3 November 2026

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IIT Kanpur PG admission January 2027: quick facts

Quick facts2026-27

Scholarship from	Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur – PG admission (PhD and MS by Research) for the January 2027 semester, with Institute Assistantship for non-sponsored PhD and MS (By Research) students
Last date to apply	3 November 2026 at 2:00 PM (the online portal opens on 16 October 2026 at 2:00 PM)
Official website	IIT Kanpur PG Admissions (official website)

Go to official website

IIT Kanpur PG admission 2027: important dates

Online application portal opens	16 October 2026, 2:00 PM
Last date to apply online	3 November 2026, 2:00 PM
Last date for sponsored, external and part-time categories	3 November 2026
Withdrawal with a deduction of Rs 2,500	on or before 13 December 2026
Date of registration at IIT Kanpur	4 January 2027
Refund processing begins	after 18 January 2027

Applications for the sponsored, external and part-time categories also close on 3 November 2026. Candidates whose qualifying examination result is awaited may apply, provided the degree requirements are completed before the date of registration, that is 4 January 2027 – such admission stays provisional until the final result is submitted.

Programmes offered in the January 2027 semester

MS (By Research) is offered in Civil Engineering (Environmental Engineering and Geotechnical Engineering), Computer Science and Engineering, Intelligent Systems, Mechanical Engineering, and Photonics Science and Engineering. MS (By Research) in Cybersecurity is open only to sponsored, part-time and external candidates and carries no financial assistantship.

PhD is offered in Aerospace Engineering; Biological Science and Bio-Engineering; Civil Engineering (Environmental Engineering, Geoinformatics, Geotechnical Engineering, Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering and Management, and Structural Engineering); Chemistry; Computer Science and Engineering; Design; Economics; Electrical Engineering; Earth Sciences; Humanities and Social Sciences (English, Fine Arts, Philosophy and Sociology); Intelligent Systems; the Kotak School of Sustainability; Mechanical Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering; the Materials Science Programme; Mathematics; Physics; Photonics Science and Engineering; Statistics and Data Science; Sustainable Energy Engineering; and Space, Planetary and Astronomical Sciences and Engineering.

IIT Kanpur PG eligibility for PhD and MS (By Research)

The eligibility conditions below are the absolute minimum. Departments may prescribe requirements over and above them, and the specified minimum marks or CPI means a minimum of 55 percent marks or 5.5 on a 10-point scale wherever a higher pass mark is not prescribed.

PhD in Engineering	A master’s degree in Engineering, Pharmacy, Medicine or Veterinary Science with marks or CPI not below the specified minimum. Also considered: a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Pharmacy, Medicine or Veterinary Science, or a four-year bachelor’s degree in Science, with at least 75 percent marks or 7.5 CPI; or a master’s degree in Science, Computer Applications or an allied area with at least 65 percent marks or 6.5 CPI, first division in the bachelor’s degree, and a JRF or a GATE AIR within the top 5 percent (where the master’s is not from an IIT, IISER or NIT with a minimum CPI of 8.0)
PhD in Sciences	A master’s degree in the relevant subject, Science or an allied area, or a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a four-year bachelor’s degree in Science, with marks or CPI not below the specified minimum
PhD in Cognitive Science	A master’s degree in the relevant subject, Arts, Engineering, Medical or Science with at least 60 percent marks or 6.0 CPI. Also considered: a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Pharmacy, Medicine or Veterinary Science, or a four-year bachelor’s degree in Science, with at least 75 percent marks or 7.5 CPI
PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences	A master’s degree in the relevant subject, or a master’s degree in Engineering, with marks or CPI not below the specified minimum. Also considered: a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a four-year bachelor’s degree in Science with at least 75 percent marks or 7.5 CPI; or a master’s degree in Science, Fine Arts, Commerce or an allied HSS area with at least 55 percent marks or 5.5 CPI, first division in the bachelor’s degree, and a JRF or NET in the relevant discipline or a GATE AIR within the top 5 percent of the Humanities and Social Sciences paper

Candidates holding a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Design or Architecture, or a four-year bachelor’s degree in Science, must have a valid GATE, CEED, CAT, GMAT or COGJET score or must have qualified JRF or NET – except for degrees from the MoE Funded Technical Institutes (MOEFTIs).
Candidates with a master’s degree in Science, Arts or Commerce must also have a valid GATE, CEED, CAT, GMAT or COGJET score or must have qualified JRF or NET, except for degrees from IITs, IISERs or NITs with a minimum CPI of 8.0.
Admission to the PhD programmes is based on written tests and/or interviews of the candidates shortlisted by the departmental postgraduate committee (DPGC).
Final-year students can apply if they complete all requirements for the award of the degree before registration on 4 January 2027.

Financial assistance: Institute Assistantship

The Institute provides teaching or research assistantships (Institute Assistantship) awarded on a semester-to-semester basis for up to 22 months for M.Tech, M.Des and MS (By Research) students and up to five years for PhD students.
The stipend is paid at the approved rates – the official pages do not publish a monthly amount, so treat the assistantship as payable as per the prevailing norms.
A student is expected to devote up to eight hours a week to assigned work, and renewal depends on satisfactory academic performance and discharge of assistantship duties.
For M.Tech, M.Des and MS (By Research), a valid GATE score or JRF is required for the assistantship; the requirement is waived for MBBS degree holders and for four-year B.Tech or BS graduates of IITs with a minimum CPI of 8.0.
For PhD in Engineering, a valid GATE score is required from bachelor’s-degree holders, and the GATE requirement is waived for engineering graduates of centrally funded technical institutes with 75 percent marks or more, or a CPI of 7.5 or more.
For PhD in Sciences, a valid GATE score or JRF is required, and a valid JEST score is an additional criterion for Physics. For PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences, a valid GATE score or JRF or NET is required.
Financial support may also come from sponsored research projects, or from organisations such as CSIR and the Department of Atomic Energy. Candidates interested in the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) must first get admitted to the PhD programme and then apply through the parent department.

How to apply for IIT Kanpur PG admission 2027

Open the online admission portal from the PG admissions page at iitk.ac.in/doaa/pgadmission.
Pay the non-refundable application fee – Rs 500 for General and OBC candidates and Rs 250 for SC, ST and DAP candidates. A separate fee applies to each application, so applying to two programmes means paying twice.
Upload a photograph (JPG or PNG), date-of-birth proof (PDF), the GATE score card or the score card of any other national-level test where applicable (PDF), the qualifying examination scoresheet, marksheet or grade sheet (PDF), and the category certificate where applicable (PDF).
Submit the form before 3 November 2026, 2:00 PM. An application is treated as incomplete and is rejected if the fee is not paid.
Note that the form cannot be revised once submitted – verify every entry before final submission.
An OBC-NCL application without a valid OBC-NCL certificate is treated as a General category application.

Documents and certificate rules

An OBC-NCL certificate is valid for applying if it was issued on or after 1 April 2025, but a fresh certificate issued on or after 1 April 2026 must be submitted at the time of registration on 4 January 2027 – until then the admission offer stays provisional.
An EWS certificate is considered valid for applying if it was issued on or after 1 April 2025, and a certificate issued on or after 1 April 2026 must be submitted at registration on 4 January 2027.
SC, ST, OBC (Non-Creamy Layer), DAP and EWS certificates must be in the prescribed proforma published on the PG admissions website.
Candidates applying under the external, sponsored or part-time categories must submit a no-objection certificate in the prescribed proforma.

Frequently asked questions

What is the last date to apply for IIT Kanpur PG admission January 2027?

The online portal opens on 16 October 2026 at 2:00 PM and the last date to apply is 3 November 2026 at 2:00 PM.

Which programmes are open at IIT Kanpur for the January 2027 semester?

MS (By Research) and PhD programmes. MS (By Research) is offered in Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Intelligent Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Photonics Science and Engineering, and in Cybersecurity for sponsored, part-time and external candidates only. PhD is offered in more than twenty departments and interdisciplinary programmes.

What is the application fee for IIT Kanpur PG admission?

Rs 500 per application for General and OBC candidates and Rs 250 per application for SC, ST and DAP candidates. A separate fee is charged for each application, so applying to two programmes means paying the fee twice.

Does IIT Kanpur pay a stipend for PhD and MS (By Research)?

Yes. The Institute Assistantship is provided to non-sponsored PhD students for up to five years and to M.Tech, M.Des and MS (By Research) students for up to 22 months, with a commitment of up to eight hours a week. The stipend is paid at the approved rates; no monthly amount is published.

Is GATE compulsory for IIT Kanpur PhD admission?

A valid GATE, CEED, CAT, GMAT or COGJET score, or a qualified JRF or NET, is required for candidates holding a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Design or Architecture or a four-year bachelor’s degree in Science – except for degrees from MoE Funded Technical Institutes. Master’s degree holders in Science, Arts or Commerce also need one of these, except from IITs, IISERs or NITs with a minimum CPI of 8.0.

Can final-year students apply for IIT Kanpur PG admission 2027?

Yes. Final-year students may apply provided they complete all requirements for the award of their degree before the date of registration on 4 January 2027. The admission stays provisional until the final result is submitted.

When does the IIT Kanpur January 2027 session begin?

Registration is on 4 January 2027. Withdrawal from admission with a deduction of Rs 2,500 is allowed up to 13 December 2026, and refund processing begins after 18 January 2027.

Official links

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