PhD Admissions: January 2026 Admission Cycle

(Last updated on 23 October 2025. Please refresh your browser window to see the most recent updates.)

Announcements

• (23 Oct 2025) The deadline for submitting applications (for PhD program in the EE department) is being extended to 31 Oct 2025. This change in deadline will be reflected in the admissions portal shortly.

• (23 Oct 2025) Candidates with BTech/B.E./B.S./MSc from centrally funded technical institutes (CFTIs) with CGPA 9.0 or more (on a scale of 10) are eligible to apply for a special funding program called Direct PhD (High CGPA). We encourage these candidates to simultaneously apply under the Regular funding category as well. Please see the Eligibility section below for further details.

• (15 Oct 2025) Admissions portal for submitting applications to the PhD program is now open. The eligibility criteria are available here.

The Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad has PhD positions open under funding from the Ministry of Education, other funding agencies such as INSPIRE and CSIR, as well as through several high-impact research projects carried out at the EE department. IIT Hyderabad is one of the top-ranked institutes for conducting research in India. The EE department is one of the largest departments in IIT Hyderabad with its own newly inaugurated building, 38 regular faculty members, and a research funding in excess of Rs 200 crores since its inception.

We are actively seeking PhD candidates with a strong academic background and an interest to pursue high quality research in all areas of Electrical Engineering.

The current admission cycle for the PhD program is for the semester beginning in January 2026.

Application Process

Candidates must apply online via https://iith.ac.in/phdadmissions Each candidate must choose from the five specialization streams while specifying their ‘Areas of Interest’ during online application. This is important for the application to be considered for further processing. The five specialization streams available at the EE department of IIT Hyderabad are

• Communications, Signal Processing and Learning (CSPL)
• Microelectronics and VLSI: Nanodevices and Technology (NDT)
• Microelectronics and VLSI: Integrated Circuits and Systems (IC)
• Power Electronics and Power Systems (PEPS)
• Systems and Control (SysCon)

Eligibility

Given the wide variety of research conducted at the EE department, the eligibility criteria for the applications vary across the five specialization streams. Please carefully read the Information Brochure to know the eligibility criteria.

Some specialization streams consider candidates from streams in addition to traditional EE and ECE related areas (like Power Electronics, Power Systems, VLSI Design, Microelectronics etc.), such as: AI, Math and Computing, MSc in Maths/Statistics/Physics, Engineering Science, Engineering Physics, Nanotechology, Material Science and Engineering, Automation Engineering, etc. Please see the Information Brochure for details.

Apart from GATE qualification, some specialization streams allow qualification through JEST, CSIR/UGC JRF and DST-INSPIRE scheme; please see the information brochure.

BTech/B.E./B.S./M.Sc. students from centrally funded technical institutes (CFTIs), such as IITs, NITs, IISERs, do not need GATE qualification to apply for the PhD program (direct PhD) if their CGPA is 8.0 or more on a scale of 10. These candidates must submit their applications under the Regular category in the applications portal.

Direct PhD (High CGPA) Funding Program

BTech/B.E./B.S./M.Sc. students from centrally funded technical institutes (CFTIs), such as IITs, NITs, IISERs, with CGPA 9.0 or more are eligible to apply through a special call for Direct PhD (High CGPA) admissions, please see https://iith.ac.in/phdadmissions. Admissions under this special call provide high institute fellowships. Please note that the number of seats available under this special call is limited, and the applications received under this special call will not be automatically considered for selection under the Regular funding category (such as MoE funding or from research projects). We encourage candidates to apply under both Regular and Direct (High CGPA) funding categories for better chances of successful admission.

External/Sponsored Category

Candidates employed in well-resourced scientific institutions, research and development establishments, and industry laboratories, engaged in research based activities can opt for applying in the External (or Sponsored) category. The candidate should be working in an organization closely related to the proposed Ph.D. research topic. The minimum educational qualification is the same as mentioned in the previous specialization-specific eligibility in the Information Brochure (minus the requirement of GATE qualification). In case the candidate is shortlisted for further selection process, the candidate should furnish a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by his/her organization for verification. The candidates given admission under this program are not eligible for any financial assistantship from the institute.

Selection Process

Candidates shortlisted for written test and interview will be intimated via email communication. If you have shown interest in more than one specialization stream in your online application, you could (potentially) be invited to participate in the written test and interview of more than one stream.

The written test and interview are typically (but not always) conducted on the same day in offline mode in IIT Hyderabad campus—the test in the morning session and the interview of the shortlisted candidates in the afternoon session. However, depending on logistical constraints, the interviews may extend to the next day. Please be prepared to spend two days for the admission process at IIT Hyderabad. The final selection will be based on the performance in the interview.

It is advisable that shortlisted candidates bring the call-letter, a valid and original Government-issued photo identification, and photocopies of educational degree certificates, GATE score cards (if applicable) and any other certificates relevant for the selection process.

Please note that the intimation of selection for admission test/interviews will be via email communication. The decision of the selection committee will be final.

Syllabus for Written Test/Interview

The syllabus differs across the specialization streams. Please see the Information Brochure for details.

Faculty Members and Research Groups

Information about the faculty members associated with the EE department (along with their research interests and information about their research groups) is available at https://ee.iith.ac.in/faculty.html

Reaching IIT Hyderabad Campus

Hyderabad is well connected to all major Indian cities by air, rail and road networks. The closest airport to IIT Hyderabad is the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. The closest major railway stations are Lingampalli, Secunderabad, Hyderabad (Nampally), and Kacheguda.

Popular online taxi hailing services can be used to reach IIT Hyderabad campus from railway stations and the airport. Public transport can also be used (such as by MMTS train or Metro train followed by a bus service and/or auto-rickshaw). Auto-rickshaws can be hailed from either Patancheru or Isnapur (closer to IIT Hyderabad than Patancheru). The bus service with number 219 connects Secunderabad to Isnapur (via Patancheru). You can also take a bus service from Patancheru/Isnapur to reach IIT Hyderabad. Please see this page for more details.

Please register at the security office while entering IIT Hyderabad campus; you might have to produce the call letter and a photo identification during entry. Shuttle buses are available from the main gate of IIT Hyderabad to the hostel zone.

Fee Structure

For details of the fee structure for the PhD program please click here.