IIT PhD Admission 2026: Dates, Application Form, Eligibility Criteria, Selection Process

The PhD Admission process across the IITs is conducted twice every year. The registration process for PhD admission is usually held in January and July sessions. The timeline of the registration period may vary from one institute to another. It is important to note that several institutes have announced their official dates for the IIT PhD Admission 2026. To give you an example, IIT Bombay is currently conducting the registration process till October 21, 2025. Similarly, the last date to apply for PhD Admissions 2026 at IIT Roorkee is October 31, 2025.
The application form for IIT PhD Admission 2026 has been released in online mode on the respective college websites. The general guidelines for IIT PhD Admission 2026 are usually set by the respective Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The final selection of candidates will be done through an interview process and/or a written test.

IIT PhD Admission 2026 Dates

The individual dates for IIT PhD Admission 2026 for all campuses have been provided here for reference:

IIT PhD Admission 2026 Application Form

Here are the steps that you can refer to for IIT PhD Admission 2026 Application Form fill-up:

1. You have to check the particular IIT campus website that you want to apply to.

2. Once you visit the official website, you have to check the “Admissions” or “Academics” tab and select the “PhD Admissions” option.

3. The PhD programme portal will open on your screen, and you’ll find the information brochure, application dates, and the direct application link on it.

4. By clicking on the direct application link, you will be directed to the registration portal.

5. You can now start your registration by creating an account first and then filling out the application form details.

6. It is important to note that all applicants will have to pay the specified application fee to confirm their registration.

Eligibility Criteria for IIT PhD Admission 2026

The minimum requirements to fulfill for admission eligibility are provided here for your reference:

• All those who are preparing to apply for an IIT PhD programme must have a Master’s Degree in the relevant discipline.
• It is important to have a valid Bachelor’s Degree in the same or related field of study to be eligible for admission.
• Applicants will have to appear for a written exam conducted by the institutes to prove their eligibility. This criterion varies from one IIT to another, and may not be mandatory for all.
• Some IITs also offer direct admissions based on national-level entrance test qualifications like the GATE, UGC-NET, etc.
• All applicants need to have some work experience in the field of teaching before applying for a PhD Degree.

IIT PhD Admission 2026 Selection Process

The selection process of students for the IIT PhD Admission 2026 is conducted in two steps. This process is followed uniformly by all IITs and is usually considered the standardised process of admission. The detailed explanation of these two steps is mentioned below:

Step 1: Online Registration and Shortlisting

It is mandatory to complete the online registration process as the first step towards the selection process. Now, based on the applications, students are shortlisted by the authorities to participate in the next rounds of the admission process. The few factors that are analysed during this process are the educational background of the applicants, their overall work experience, their academic performances, and scores in national-level entrance tests.

Step 2: Written Exam or Interview

The second step is the final round of the selection process, which includes a personal interview round. Students who are shortlisted from the application process are invited to take part in an informal interview with one of the authorities. Based on their interactions, students are either accepted or rejected for their PhD admission. Now, many IITs often swap this interview round with a written test as the final selection process. Students are then shortlisted based on how well they score in the exam. The mode of the final selection process is notified by the individual IIT authorities via their official website.

In a gist, the IIT PhD Admission 2026 dates are out for some of the institutes. The registration process for the Spring semester is ongoing, and the classes are likely to commence in January 2026. For more information on IIT PhD Admission 2026, do follow CollegeDekho!