• Applicants with Master’s Degree in Engineering/Technology
  Applicants with Master’s Degree in Engineering / Technology must have secured first class or equivalent in the Master’s degree. They must have pursued their Master’s degree on the basis of qualified GATE score. Applicants with MS in Engineering or equivalent from leading foreign Universities with outstanding academic record (or) MS by Research with outstanding academic record can be considered without GATE. Applicants with Integrated Masters degree (or Dual Degree) in Engg/Tech from IITs and IISc with minimum CGPA 9.0/10 can be considered without GATE.
• Applicants with Master’s Degree in Science
  Applicants must have Master’s Degree in the relevant area with first class or equivalent in their Master’s degree. They must have qualified UGC/CSIR NET/JEST (or) GATE in the relevant disciplines.
• Applicants with Master’s Degree in Humanities
  Applicants must have Master’s Degree in the relevant area with first class or equivalent in their Master’s degrees. They must have qualified UGC NET -JRF in the relevant disciplines.
• Applicants with Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering/Technology
  Outstanding applicants with Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with an excellent academic record and aptitude for research may be considered for direct admission to the Ph.D. Programme. Such applicants must have secured CGPA of 9.0/10 or better and a valid GATE score of 675 or better. B. Tech students from IITs with CGPA better than 9.0/10 do not require GATE.

• Applicant should be below 28 years as on 30th November 2015. Age relaxation applicable as per Government Rules.

• Applicant should be an Indian citizen

Result awaited applicants in the final year/semester are also eligible to apply, if they have qualified for GATE/NET as required. Such applicants may be screened in for Test/Interview based on the marks obtained by them until the current year/semester. Based on their Test/Interview performance, these applicants may be provisionally selected subject to the condition that they have to produce the provisional certificate of obtaining the qualifying degree with required percentage of marks by the date stipulated in their provisional admission letter. If they fail to produce the provisional/ degree certificate by this date their admission offer will be withdrawn and the offer may be given to next eligible applicant in the waiting list.

In exceptional cases, a provisionally selected applicant may be allowed to join IIST without submitting the provisional/degree certificate on the stipulated date of joining, subject to the conditions that (a) At the time of joining the applicant should have completed all the requirements for the award of the qualifying degree including all examinations, project works and viva voce (b) The applicant should produce at the time of joining, a Course Completion Certificate issued by the competent authority in the University/Institute specifically confirming that all examinations, project works and viva voce for the qualifying degree are completed (c) If the above condition is satisfied, the applicant can be given provisional admission with the undertaking that all pending certificates, mark sheets, degree certificates (Original or Provisional) will be submitted to IIST latest by 30th April 2016, failing which the admission stands cancelled. For such applicants who are provisionally admitted to the IIST Ph.D. Programme as per (c) above, no fellowship is paid during the period before the required certificates are submitted. However, on regularization of admission following the submission of all required documents before the stipulated date, the applicant will be paid fellowship with retrospective effect from the date of joining.

Applicants who are employed in Government / Semi Government / PSUs / Autonomous Bodies need to produce a "No Objection Certificate (NOC)" from the current employer at the time of Interview.

• Applications shall be submitted online at the IIST website www.iist.ac.in. Applications received online only will be considered.
• The applicants will not be allowed to make any changes in the profile registration once submitted. Hence utmost care should be taken by the applicant while filling the profile.
• Application fee is to the extent of Rs. 250/- per Department code (for SC/ST/PWD and Women applicants - Rs.125/- per Department code). If the applicant is eligible and wishes to apply for more than one Department code, he/she has to submit the application and application fee for the respective Department codes separately. The application fee is non-refundable.
• All the applicants have to bring the Bank challan copy of the respective Department code at the time of the interview as proof.
• Applicants who are employed in Government / Semi Government / PSUs / Autonomous Bodies need to produce a "No Objection Certificate (NOC)" from the current employer at the time of Interview.
• SC/ST/OBC/Persons with Disabilities (PWD) applicants shall upload in the website, the relevant certificate before the prescribed date.

• Applications will be received until December 04, 2015 only through on-line.
• From the eligible applicants, a short-listing will be done, taking into account their applicable GATE/NET scores. Therefore applicants are advised to enter :
  • GATE score through which Master’s Degree has been pursued;
  • Best GATE score if the applicant possesses more than one GATE score.
• List of short-listed applicants for written test or interview will be displayed in IIST website by December 15, 2015.
• Depending on the number of applicants who have applied, the final selection is based on an interview, which will be conducted at IIST, Thiruvananthapuram during First week of January 2016. In case of very large number of applicants being shortlisted for Ph.D. admission, a written test will be conducted for shortlisting applicants for the interview.
• Selected applicants will be intimated within a week after the final interview. Results will also be displayed in the IIST website on 11th of January 2016.
• Outstation applicants will be reimbursed to and fro sleeper class train fare/bus fare by shortest route from the place mentioned in the application to Thiruvananthapuram, or actual fare paid (whichever is less) for attending the interview. The applicants are advised to make their own arrangements for their stay at Thiruvananthapuram, at their cost.

Research Plan for January 2016 PhD Admission

• Research Fellowships are as per Government of India norms
• The scholars will be required to assist the Departments in tutorials / practicals or related academic activities normally limited to 6 hours per week.
• The scholars will have to pay fees and charges for the services provided by the Institute like boarding / lodging / medical facilities etc., as per IIST rules.