NIT Calicut PhD Admission 2026-27: Apply by 27 October

The National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC) has opened PhD admission for the Winter Semester (December) 2026-27 in its departments and centres. The online application portal opened on 6 October 2026 and the last date to submit a completed application is 27 October 2026 at 10:00 AM.

NITC admits PhD candidates under six schemes – full-time with the Institute Fellowship or another government fellowship, project staff, sponsored candidates, internal staff and external part-time registrants – and the brochure publishes the full eligibility table, the seat matrix and the fee payable at admission. Selection is offline, at the NITC campus, between 23 and 27 November 2026.

NIT Calicut PhD admission for the Winter Semester December 2026-27 with a last date to apply of 27 October 2026

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NIT Calicut PhD admission 2026-27: quick facts

Quick facts2026-27

Scholarship from	National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC), Kozhikode, Kerala – an Institute of National Importance. PhD admission with the Institute Fellowship or a government fellowship under Scheme I, plus five other admission schemes
Last date to apply	27 October 2026, 10:00 AM (online application through the NITC research portal)
Official website	NIT Calicut PhD admissions page (official website)

Go to official website

NIT Calicut PhD admission 2026-27: important dates

Website activated for online applications: 6 October 2026, 10:00 AM.
Last date for submission of the completed application form: 27 October 2026, 10:00 AM.
Shortlisted candidates published on the website: 10 November 2026 (tentative).
Selection process for shortlisted candidates (offline mode): 23-27 November 2026 (tentative).
Date of admission and reporting: 17 December 2026 (tentative).

Departments and centres offering PhD admission

NITC offers the PhD programme in these departments and centres:

Architecture and Planning, Bioscience and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Education, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, Management Studies, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering and Physics.
Centres and schools such as the Centre for Clean Energy and Circular Economy, the Centre for Climate Resilience and Disaster Management, the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, the Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems and the Centre for Industry Institutional Relations.

The Institute Fellowship is not available for PhD aspirants in several of the centres – candidates with UGC-JRF or CSIR fellowships apply there under Scheme I as other-government-fellowship candidates. The brochure names each such centre, so read the department entry before choosing a scheme.

NIT Calicut PhD eligibility: Scheme I (full-time with Institute Fellowship)

Scheme I is the full-time route that carries the Institute Fellowship or a government fellowship such as CSIR-UGC JRF, KSCSTE, DST-INSPIRE, NBHM or DBT. The minimum academic requirement is:

M.Tech / M.E. / M.Arch / M.Plan / M.S. / M.S. (by research) or an equivalent postgraduate degree in Engineering, Technology, Architecture or Planning with 6.0 CGPA or 60% marks for General, OBC and EWS candidates, and 5.5 CGPA or 55% marks for SC, ST and PwD candidates.
M.Sc / M.Com / MBA / MA / M.Ed / MCA or an equivalent postgraduate degree in Science, Commerce, Arts or Management with a valid GATE score, or a valid UGC CSIR-NET (a valid JEST score is accepted for Physics only) – at the same 6.0 CGPA or 60% (5.5 CGPA or 55% for SC/ST/PwD) level.
A master’s degree in Medicine, Surgery, Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture or Pharmacy at the same CGPA or percentage level.

On top of the degree requirement, every Scheme I applicant must also satisfy one of three additional mandatory conditions: be qualified in UGC-NET, or hold a government fellowship such as DST-INSPIRE, CSIR-UGC JRF, KSCSTE, NBHM or DBT that is tenable from the current year, or be selected through the national-level PhD entrance examination conducted by NIT Calicut at its own campus.

Direct PhD after a four-year bachelor’s degree

Candidates with a B.E. / B.Tech / B.Arch / B.Plan / B.Des / B.S. (four-year degree programme) or equivalent with 7.5 CGPA on a 10-point scale or 75% marks – 7.0 CGPA or 70% for SC, ST and PwD candidates – can apply for direct PhD admission within five years of obtaining the qualifying degree. Direct PhD is offered by all departments and centres of NIT Calicut.

Other NITC PhD admission schemes (II to VI)

Scheme III – sponsored: the candidate is sponsored and financed by the employer, must be a regular employee of a recognised institution, organisation or company with at least two years of continuous service, and is not entitled to the Institute Fellowship. A sponsorship certificate must be uploaded with the application.
Scheme IV – NITC staff and project staff: regular NITC staff or research staff of funded projects at NITC, with a recommendation letter from the HoD or Principal Investigator. Fellowship follows the terms of the funded project.
Scheme V – external part-time: candidates working in R&D organisations, national laboratories, industry or academic institutions with at least one year of experience and a postgraduate degree in the relevant discipline, with a No-Objection-cum-Experience certificate. There is no mandatory residential requirement and course work can be completed through approved SWAYAM, MOOC or NPTEL courses.
Scheme VI – external direct PhD for industry: for candidates in industry, R&D labs or medical institutions who do not hold a postgraduate degree but have two years of total experience, with a minimum of 50% marks (CGPA 5.0/10) in a B.E./B.Tech/B.S./B.Plan/MBBS/BDS degree. Candidates working in engineering or science colleges are not eligible under this scheme.

Reservation policy

The Government of India reservation policy is followed for GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories for admission to the PhD programme under Scheme I. If there are no applications from PwD candidates, the seat reserved for the PwD category is filled by candidates from the same category without the PwD requirement, and de-reservation does not apply to any other category.

How to apply for NIT Calicut PhD admission 2026-27

Register on the NITC research admission portal at research.nitc.ac.in/login using your email ID and create a password of at least eight characters with letters, numbers and special characters.
Read the general instructions, then fill in your personal details, address details and educational qualifications.
Select the department and the scheme you are applying under. One candidate can apply to a maximum of two departments with a single application fee – a third department needs a fresh application and a fresh fee.
Upload the required documents, review everything in the Preview section (no edits are allowed after final submission) and pay the application fee online.
The application fee is Rs 1,000 for GEN, EWS, OBC and OBC-NCL candidates and Rs 500 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. It is non-refundable.

Documents required for the NITC PhD application

Degree certificates and the consolidated mark list (or a certificate from the head of your institution if you are appearing for the final semester examination).
Recent photograph, signature and the first page of your journal and conference publications.
Valid community certificate for SC/ST candidates, and a medical board certificate for candidates with disabilities.
Proof of your NET or GATE score, or of your fellowship (UGC, CSIR, NBHM, JEST, KSCSTE and similar).
For OBC-NCL and OPEN-EWS candidates applying for the Institute Fellowship, a certificate issued on or after 1 April 2026 based on the financial year ending 31 March 2026.
Sponsorship certificate (Scheme III), NOC from the head of department or centre (Scheme IV), or a No-Objection-cum-Experience certificate (Schemes V and VI).

Fee payable at the time of admission

For full-time candidates admitted with the Institute Fellowship or a government fellowship such as JRF, UGC-NET, CSIR, KSCSTE, or as internal registrants and QIP candidates, the total payable at admission is Rs 89,600 – tuition fee Rs 7,500, other fees Rs 21,100 and one-time fees Rs 61,000. Tuition fee is exempt for SC and ST students. A thesis evaluation fee of Rs 25,000 is paid later, at the time of registration for the fifth semester. Full-time self-sponsored and other sponsored or external candidates pay a higher tuition fee of Rs 35,000 for the semester.

NIT Calicut PhD admission 2026-27: frequently asked questions

What is the last date to apply for NIT Calicut PhD admission 2026-27?

The last date for submission of the completed online application form for the Winter Semester (December) 2026-27 is 27 October 2026 at 10:00 AM. The portal opened on 6 October 2026 at 10:00 AM.

Is there a PhD entrance exam at NIT Calicut?

Yes, one of the three ways to qualify under Scheme I is to be selected through the national-level PhD entrance examination conducted by NIT Calicut at its own campus. The other two routes are a valid UGC-NET qualification, or holding a government fellowship such as DST-INSPIRE, CSIR-UGC JRF, KSCSTE, NBHM or DBT that is tenable from the current year.

What is the minimum CGPA for NIT Calicut PhD admission?

For M.Tech, M.E., M.Arch, M.Plan, M.S. and M.S. (by research) holders the minimum is 6.0 CGPA or 60% marks for General, OBC and EWS candidates and 5.5 CGPA or 55% marks for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Direct PhD applicants after a four-year bachelor’s degree need 7.5 CGPA or 75% marks (7.0 CGPA or 70% for SC/ST/PwD).

Can I apply for NIT Calicut PhD without GATE or NET?

Not under Scheme I unless you hold a government fellowship such as DST-INSPIRE, CSIR-UGC JRF, KSCSTE, NBHM or DBT that is tenable from the current year, or you are selected in the NITC national-level PhD entrance examination. Candidates with an M.Tech, M.E., M.Arch, M.Plan or M.S. degree do not need a GATE score, but they still need one of those three conditions.

What is the NIT Calicut PhD application fee?

The application fee is Rs 1,000 for GEN, EWS, OBC and OBC-NCL candidates and Rs 500 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. It is non-refundable, and one fee covers applications to a maximum of two departments.

How many PhD seats are available at NIT Calicut for the December 2026 semester?

The seat matrix for the full-time Institute Fellowship scheme shows 24 Open, 12 OBC, 14 SC, 10 ST and 14 EWS seats across departments, with two additional PwD seats, one in the Open-PwD column and one in the OBC-PwD column. PwD seats that cannot be filled are converted to the corresponding parent category.

Are PhD classes at NIT Calicut held online?

No. The selection process for shortlisted candidates is held in offline mode at NIT Calicut between 23 and 27 November 2026 (tentative), and admission and reporting are on 17 December 2026 (tentative). Only external part-time candidates admitted under Scheme V are allowed to complete course work through approved SWAYAM, MOOC or NPTEL courses.