Ph.D
20 November 2024 : The list of applicants shortlisted for round 1 interviews in all categories (direct, regular, and external) for Jan 2025 PhD admission is here. Shortlisted candidates will be emailed details regarding the interview shortly.
Admissions schedule update : Shortlisted applicants will be informed by 20th Nov. The first round of interviews will be held on 21st and 22nd Nov, and the next round on 25th Nov.
Admissions schedule: : Shortlisted applicants will have to appear for two or more rounds of online interviews in the period 19th-22nd November. The schedule will be communicated to shortlisted candidates by the 18th of Nov, and they are expected to be available on all the above dates for interviews
1 November 2024 : The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at IIT Hyderabad invites applications for admissions to Ph.D. programme for the December 2024 intake. Application link can be found here.
Application deadline: 15th November 2024 (05:00pm)
Candidates are requested to note the following points about PhD admission.
- After applying at the application portal, candidates must note down their application-ID and also save the pdf of their application.
- Note that any candidate who has applied for PhD and paid the fee is eligible to appear for the written-test.
- Shortlisting based on eligibility criterion will be done after the written-test.
- It is the responsibility of the candidate himself/herself to go through the eligibility criterion mentioned on this page below and ensure that he/she meets the criterion. He/she should apply for PhD admission only if he/she meets the criterion.
- No relaxation in eligibility criterion will be given in any case. A student found not meeting eligibility criterion will not be interviewed/selected or given any travelling allowance, regardless of his/her score in the written-test.
PERCENTAGE TO GPA CONVERSION RULE
As for the percentage to GPA conversion, the following rule applies.
- If candidate’s university has provided GPA corresponding to the percentage on the transcript, or if his/her university prescribes some formula for conversion, then, that will apply. This formula should be mentioned clearly on University website and/or candidate’s transcript.
- Otherwise, the following formula, will apply: GPA = percentage/10 If the GPA of the candidate is not in the scale of 10 but in the scale of K (e.g., 4 or 8), then: GPA = GPAOnScaleK*10/(K) Here, GPAOnScaleK is candidate’s GPA on the scale of K. For GPA, rounding-off will not be done. For example, if a candidate’s GPA is 6.98 and the GPA criterion is 7.00, then, the candidate will not be considered as eligible.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Computer Science and Engineering department invites applications from motivated and research-oriented students for the Ph.D. program. IIT Hyderabad, one of the IITs established by the Govt of India in 2008, has quickly grown to be one of the best institutions for education and research in the country in a very short period. IIT Hyderabad has consistently ranked among top ten engineering institutes in India as per the NIRF ranking in last three years. Aided by visionary administration and world-class faculty, IIT Hyderabad is gradually carving out a name for itself among the other IITs, and is an exciting place to study and carry out research today. It has been operating from its permanent campus since October 2015, and has 13 departments with 210 faculty and more than 2500 students, with almost half of them being post-graduate students.
The CSE department at IITH comprises more than 80 PhD students and 25 young and dynamic faculty members. The department has already graduated more than 15 PhD students and some of them secured Post-Doc positions at prestigious places such as University of Chicago, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and University of Quebec. Before joining IITH, the faculty members were affiliated with world class universities and industry such as University of Oxford, UCSD, Iowa State University, University of Melbourne, INRIA, Samsung, and Georgia Tech. Their research spans a wide variety of areas including algorithms, computational complexity, formal methods, constraint solving, program analysis, graph theory, networks and mobile systems, Internet of Things, big data, databases, parallel/distributed systems, compilers, VLSI, computer architecture, machine learning, and image/video processing. The faculty have received substantial sponsored research projects in the application domains of converged cloud radio access networks, big data analytics and visual intelligence, and have active research collaborations with various academic and industry partners such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Microsoft Research, IBM Research, Intel, AMD, INRIA, Eurecom, DRDO as well as University of Oxford, IISc and other IITs. IIT-H is offering a joint PhD program with Swineburne University, Australia (see here). Our faculty also have strong publication records in tier-1 venues such as STOC, SODA, VLDB, SIGMOD, POPL, KDD, CVPR, ACL, IEEE TPAMI, PR, IEEE TNNLS, etc.
Why join CSE@ IITH for PhD?
- A student joining as direct PhD has the option to get both MTech and PhD degrees, upon meeting the requirements and fulfilling required number of course credits.
- The faculty members and students of the department have several awards and honours to their credit.
- The department has a strong collaboration with Japanese universities/industries. Many of our research scholars have spent time in Japan as part of academic/cultural exchange programs.
- The department has state-of-the-art computational infrastructure for research.
- The department frequently hosts experts from academia and industry to deliver seminars on state-of-the-art research topics.
- Hyderabad city offers a huge locational advantage in terms connectivity. A lot of technology companies are situated in Hyderabad which makes it easier to have a strong collaboration with software industry.
- For more details about the Ph.D. program check out our brochure here !
Financial Assistance
Full time PhD students are eligible to receive financial assistance through various avenues.
- MHRD Fellowships: As per current norms, MHRD fellowships provide monthly stipend of ₹37000 for the first two years (at JRF level) and ₹42000 for the next three years (at SRF level). There is a provision of 30% HRA in case IITH can not provide campus accommodation to the student.
- IDRBT Fellowship: Candidate completes course-work at IITH. For rest of his/her PhD, candidate spends most of the time at IDRBT Hyd campus. Academic rules and the award of degree are as per the IITH norms. Candidate is allotted one adviser each from IITH and IDRBT. Stipend and other facilities are as per IDRBT norms https://www.idrbt.ac.in/ph-d-programme/.
- PM Fellowships: PM fellowships are very prestigious fellowships which pays double the amount as compared to MHRD fellowship. These fellowships are quite competitive and require an industry partner, where the student will be working on research problems that is of mutual interest to a faculty member and the industry partner. Please see https://primeministerfellowshipscheme.in/ for more details.
- Visvesvaraya Fellowships: PhD students of CSE department can also apply for Visvesvaraya Fellowship which pays ₹31500 per month for the first two years of the program and ₹35000 per month. Additional 30% HRA is provided if applicable. It also has provision for some contingency funds. At present, 16 of our research scholars are Visvesvaraya fellows. Please see https://phd.digitalindiacorporation.in/home for more details about Visvesvaraya Fellowship.
- Industry fellowships: Companies such as Intel, Infosys, TCS, Google often provides fellowships for full time PhD students. Some of our PhD students have got TCS and Intel Fellowships. Getting such fellowships also adds a plus point in your CV. These fellowship amounts vary but usually provides similar monthly stipend as MHRD fellowships.
- Project funded fellowships: Faculty members of the department work on various research projects and students can be hired for doing research in a particular project. The fellowship amount remains the same as MHRD fellowship but an added advantage is that the research problems are clear from the beginning.
- The institute provides financial assistance to present their research papers in international and national venues during their PhD program. The Dept. brochure is available here . To know more about the department and research interests of the faculty, please visit here
The department invites applications under both full-time (MHRD/Sponsored Project) and part-time categories in this admission round.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Full-Time PhD
- Candidates with a B.Tech/B.E/B.S./M.Sc./MCA degree in any discipline and having a M.Tech/M.E/M.S. degree in in CSE/IT/ECE/EE can apply if they meet the following eligibility criteria:
| General/OBC (Cream Layer) | * B.Tech/B.E/B.S/M.Sc/MCA: 6.0 CGPA or above and * M.Tech/M.E./M.S. in CSE/IT/ECE/EE: 6.0 CGPA or above |
| Reservation - OBC non-creamy layer Category | * B.Tech/B.E/B.S/M.Sc/MCA: 5.4 CGPA or above and * M.Tech/M.E./M.S. in CSE/IT/ECE/EE: 5.4 CGPA or above |
| Reservation - SC, ST Category | * B.Tech/B.E/B.S/M.Sc/MCA: 5.1 CGPA or above and * M.Tech/M.E./M.S. in CSE/IT/ECE/EE: 5.1 CGPA or above |
- Direct-Ph.D – Candidates with a B.Tech/B.E/B.S./M.Sc/MCA in CSE/EE/IT/ECE/MATH/Math & Computing (without having M.Tech/M.E/M.S. degree in CSE/IT/ECE/EE) can also apply, provided they have a valid GATE CSE/EE/IT/ECE/MATH score AND
| General/OBC(creamy layer) | 6.5 CGPA |
| OBC non-creamy layer | 5.85 CGPA |
| SC, ST | 5.4 CGPA |
- B.Tech. in CSE/IT/EE/ECE from
IITsCFTIs (Centrally Funded Technical Institutes) with CGPA 8 or above can apply without a valid GATE score. List of CFTI is available here.
Part-time Ph.D
- Candidates with a B.Tech/B.E/B.S./M.Sc./MCA degree in any discipline and having a M.Tech/M.E/M.S. degree in in CSE/IT/ECE/EE can apply if they meet the following eligibility criteria:
| General/OBC(Cream Layer) | * B.Tech/B.E/B.S/M.Sc/MCA: 6.0 CGPA or above and * M.Tech/M.E./M.S. in CSE/IT/ECE/EE: 6.0 CGPA or above |
| Reservation - OBC non-creamy layer Category | * B.Tech/B.E/B.S/M.Sc/MCA: 5.4 CGPA or above and * M.Tech/M.E./M.S. in CSE/IT/ECE/EE: 5.4 CGPA or above |
| Reservation - SC, ST Category | * B.Tech/B.E/B.S/M.Sc/MCA: 5.1 CGPA or above and * M.Tech/M.E./M.S. in CSE/IT/ECE/EE: 5.1 CGPA or above |
- Direct-Ph.D – Candidates with a B.Tech/B.E/B.S./M.Sc/MCA in CSE/IT/ECE/EE (without having M.Tech/M.E/M.S. degree in in CSE/IT/ECE/EE) can apply if they satisfy the following requirement in their B.Tech/B.E/B.S./M.Sc/MCA program:
| General/OBC(creamy layer) | 6.5 CGPA or above |
| OBC non-creamy layer | 5.85 CGPA or above |
| SC, ST | 5.4 CGPA or above |
AND at least one of the following - They must have at least 5 years of work experience in field of CSE/IT/ECE/EE - They have completed Executive M.Tech Program in Data Sciences from IIT Hyderabad with a GPA of 8.0 or above. - They have qualified GATE exam in CSE/IT/ECE/EE in the past 5 years* B.Tech. in CSE/IT/EE/ECE from one of the IITs with a GPA of 8.0 or above
Notes:
- All the CGPA mentioned above are out of 10. CGPA received on any other point scale (such as 8) and marks/percentages will accordingly be converted to 10 CGPA scale.
- Candidates having degrees with specialization in various sub-disciplines of CSE/EE/IT/ECE such as MTech/ME in Artificial Intelligence, Information Security, Data Sciences, Signal Processing & Digital Design, Communication Systems etc., can also apply. They will be considered as having MTech/ME in CSE/EE/IT/ECE and the eligibility criteria will be applied accordingly.
- The department reserves the right to set a suitable cutoff criteria for shortlisting the candidates for interview. The department also reserves the right to NOT select any candidate.
ADMISSION PROCEDURE
- The admission process typically consists of a written test followed by an interview.
- All candidates who have applied and have paid the fee are eligible to appear in the written-test. Of them, the candidates who meet the eligibility criterion and are shortlisted based on the score in the written-test appear for the interview. The department reserves the right to set a procedure for shortlisting based on the written-test score.
- The majority of the written test questions (60%) will cover data structures, algorithms and discrete mathematics. However, the remaining questions will be based on the GATE CS syllabus.
- The list of candidates who are finally selected after interview will be announced on the CSE website approximately within two weeks of the interview date. Selected candidates will also be intimated by email.
WAIVER FOR THE WRITTEN TEST
- Among the candidates shortlisted for the interview, candidates meeting one of the following criteria may apply for a waiver of the written test:
- B.Tech. from the IITs who have graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering/Information Technology within the last five years and with a CPI/CGPA of 8/10 and above.
- Masters from the IITs/IISc who have graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering/ Information Technology within the last five years and with a CPI/CGPA of 8.5/10 and above.
- Bachelors/Masters who have passed the GATE exam in the discipline of Computer Science within the last five years and with a GATE score of 800/1000 and above.
- Candidates who are eligible for the waiver from the written test should send an email to phd.admissions@cse.iith.ac.in, requesting for a waiver for the written-test. Their emails must contain proof of one of the criteria mentioned above. These candidates must still appear for the written-test. Their request for waiver will be reviewed after the written-test and if they are found eligible, they will be shortlisted for interview regardless of their score in the written-test.
DOCUMENTS AND CERTIFICATES FOR VERIFICATION DURING INTERVIEW
The candidates who have been called for the written-test are required to bring the following documents:
- Each candidate must bring a statement of purpose (Maximum 1-page A4 size with 11 point font size) describing the reason for pursuing PhD, which research problems/areas the candidate finds interesting and why.
- The following certificates are to be produced by the candidates in original at the time of interview for verification:
- Degree / Diploma Certificates or provisional certificates from the competent authority of the University or Institute concerned. (In case of candidates whose result are awaited, producing the mark sheets / grade card will be sufficient. However, if selected, they have to produce the certificate mentioned, for verification, at the time of admission);
- All Mark sheets / Grade Cards of your qualifying examinations;
- OBC/SC/ST Certificate, if applicable;
- Sponsorship Letter, if applicable;
- Publications, if applicable; and
- No objection certificate from the present employer, if applicable
TA REIMBURSEMENT DETAILS
Candidates who appear for the interview (either after having cleared the written test or being eligible for waiver of the written test) for the full-time Ph.D. program are eligible for reimbursement of single second class (reserved sleeper) train fare by the shortest route from their city/town of residence to IIT Hyderabad and back for attending the interview on submission of the claim in the prescribed format with all relevant particulars (Train No., Coach No, Ticket No., Fare Paid, Date of Journey, Station from and to, etc). Only one claim is admissible though you may attend more than one interview at this institute in the same trip.
Candidates traveling by airplane should preserve their boarding pass issued at the airport (boarding-pass from web check-in is not acceptable). Then, the reimbursed travel-expense will be minimum of (1) airfare and (2) train-fare between same cities. Reimbursement will be done as per the norms of the institute.
- For any clarifications, contact us at phd.admissions@cse.iith.ac.in.
- Candidates traveling by airplane should preserve their boarding pass issued at the airport (boarding-pass from web check-in is not acceptable). Then, the reimbursed travel-expense will be minimum of (1) airfare and (2) train-fare between same cities. Reimbursement will be done as per the norms of the institute.