FAQ for PhD Admission at IISER, General Queries Discussed
Lakhs of students try for PhD Admission at IISER every year. Getting admission for a PhD at IISER is a great deal. One can get admission in either of the IISER institutes at different locations in India
- IISER Pune
- IISER Mohali
- IISER Kolkata
- IISER Bhopal
- IISER Berhampur
- IISER Thiruvananthapuram
- IISER Tirupati.
Most of the students are unaware of the procedure of PhD Admission at IISER. Here in this article, we have tried to answer most commonly asked questions related to PhD admission at IISER. FAQ for PhD Admission at IISER and General Queries are Discussed below.
IISER is known to provide modern R&D amenities as well as comfortable housing for students selected into a PhD. program at the institute. For enrollment, it is very important to have knowledge regarding the sequence of steps to be followed. A candidate who has qualified National Level Examinations like CSIR NET / GATE / DBT are eligible to apply for PhD at IISER. The online form has to filled and submitted. Once shortlisted, the candidate has to appear for the interview with the hard copy of the submitted form and relevant documents. After the selection in the
interview Guide will be decided followed by project write-up. Few common queries that candidates face with the admission procedure are answered below.Q 1: Who all are expected to submit a NOC (No Objection Certificate)?
Answer: The candidate who is in a job has to produce NOC.
Q 2: In the PhD entrance test, what subject will I be tested in and what is the difficulty level?
Answer: In IISERs Ph.D. admission program, an online Ph. D form has to be submitted. The applicant should have qualified a National Level Examination; such as CSIR-JRF / GATE / UGC-JRF/ / ICMR-JRF (category A) / DBT-JRF (category I)/ CSIR-UGC-LS / INSPIRE-JRF for PhD / JGEEBILS/ Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship / or some recognized score is mandatory. The candidates shortlisted after submission of online Ph.D. forms will be called for an interview. The final selection will be based on the performance in the interview. The interview will have two rounds (Round I and Round II).
Q 3: I have completed M. Phil. Will I be exempted from the Entrance Test?
Answer: IISER Institutes do not conduct Departmental Ph.D. Entrance exam. The applicant should have qualified a National Level Examination; such as CSIR-JRF / GATE / UGC-JRF/ / ICMR-JRF (category A) / DBT-JRF (category I)/ CSIR-UGC-LS / INSPIRE-JRF for PhD / JGEEBILS/ Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship / or some recognized score is mandatory.
Q 4: How is a research topic/ preliminary research idea decided?
Answer: After the first round of interview candidates are given chance to interact with the faculty members in the Department along with lab visits. After final selection, the students can make a synopsis or proposed research work which can be modified by appointed the Guide and co-guide after selection. Mostly the proposed research work is based on the area of specialization of the Lab selected.
Q 5: Does University provide any Hostel facility to a PhD scholar?
Answer: IISERs have residential institute provides the hostel facilities to the students registered for a degree programme in the institute. Along with the mess other necessary facilities are also provided while residing in the hostel campus. Separate hostel facilities is provided for both girls and boys.
Q 6: How is a Guide and Co-Guide decided?
Answer: After all the steps of shortlisting and interviews, the guide and co-guide are decided by the members of the Board of Studies under the UGC-Guidelines.
Q 7: How many Guides am I allowed to work with?
Answer: The PhD Supervisor(s) can be any full-time faculty member(s) of the IISER Institute. In case of joint supervision, one supervisor will be from the parent department where the admission is taken whereas the co-guides may be taken from within the Institute or outside, as decided by the Guide of the parent department under which the candidate has taken admission.
Q 8: Do I need to approach the potential supervisor myself?
Answer: The potential supervisor can also be approached after the final selection and lab visits, but the allotment of the Supervisor is not solely left on the student or the faculty.
Q 9: What are the criteria for Exemption from the Course work?
Answer: After successful admission to Ph.D in the Institute, the student shall be required to undertake the course work for a minimum period of one semester. Hence, there is no exemption from the course work as it is mandatory. The exemption from the course work is provided only to the M.phil Degree holders.
Q10: Is a transfer to/ from another University possible during the course of PhD program?
Answer: Transfers are not possible during the course of PhD program. In such case, a candidate has to start afresh.
PhD Admissions at IISER 2018-19
Q 11: Am I expected to teach while pursuing PhD at this Institute/University?
Answer: It is not permitted to teach while pursuing PhD at the Institute/University.
Q 12: Is it mandatory to publish a research paper before submitting the thesis for award of PhD degree from this Institute/University?
Answer: A Ph. D. student should have published at least one research paper in a recognized refereed journal based on his/her Ph.D. research work before submitting the thesis for the award of PhD degree from the Institute/University.
Q13: Will I be selected for the written test/interview if I meet the eligibility criteria?
Answer: A candidate fulfilling the eligibility criteria can appear for the written test/interview. The minimum eligibility criteria for appearing in interview at IISER is that the candidate should have qualified a National Level Examination; such as CSIR-JRF / GATE / UGC-JRF/ / ICMR-JRF (category A) / DBT-JRF (category I)/ CSIR-UGC-LS / INSPIRE-JRF for PhD / JGEEBILS/ Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship / or some recognized score is mandatory.
Q14: How many seats are there for PhD admission this year?
Answer: The number of seats depends upon the number of vacancies available at the Institutes. The number of seats are decided well in advance and notified at the Universities/Institutes website or advertisement.
Q 15: What do I need to do other than filling up the online form? Do I need to post a print out of the application form? Do I need to post copy of my certificates, mark sheets, etc.?
Answer: After the online form is submitted successfully, the candidate has to download the PDF of the application form. The printed copy of the form, duly signed along with marksheets and certificates should be submitted at the time of interview.
Question 16: I have done my M.Sc in botany, but I have a research project proposal in Microbiology, will I be eligible?
Answer: After final selection, the students can make a synopsis or proposed research work which can be modified by appointed the Guide and co-guide after selection. Therefore, research project designing depends on the student as well as the Guide and co-guide. The topic of research is not related to eligibility criteria and it has to be passed by the Board of Studies of the Institutes.
At IISER, PhD Scholars are admitted in 2 sessions each academic year. The preliminary steps before PhD admission such as online form submission, relevant document submission during the interview should be done with proper knowledge. The research proposal designed for the interview should be innovative and productive. The candidate should be confident during the two rounds of interviews and should communicate with the approved guide. Following these procedures, roughly 20 students get admitted for each subject specialization, each session, in individual IISER institutes.
