Submission of Online Application Form	21 March 2025
Submission of Online Application Form closes on	20 May 2025
Entrance Examination for Candidates not called for direct interview	15 June 2025
Announcement of list of candidates called for interview	TBD
Date of Interview	TBD
Announcement of Result	TBD
Registration and Document Verification	TBD
Commencement of classes	TBD

DA-IICT invites applications from bright scholars interested in pursuing research in ICT and other allied domains. The doctoral program at DA-IICT is an intense program geared towards preparing students for careers both in academia and industry. Research at DA-IICT is conducted in

• ICT & allied Engineering disciplines,
• Mathematical, Physical & Computational Sciences,
• Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences & Design.

Candidates interested in any of these disciplines, or in interdisciplinary areas, are encouraged to apply. The details of the members of faculty and their research interests can be found here

• AI, ML and Data Science
• Algorithms and Theory of Computation
• Communications and Signal Processing
• Humanities, Social Sciences and Design
• Physics and Mathematical Sciences
• Software Systems and Networking
• VLSI & Embedded Systems

The details of the faculty members with their research interests can be found here. Candidates are advised to interact and discuss their prospective research supervision with faculty members over email and/or in person.

To learn about some research problems of immediate interest to the members of faculty see here

Candidates may seek admission to one of the following categories:

• Full-time
• Sponsored Part-time
• External Part-time

The PhD program comprises of both course and research work. The amount of coursework one has to undergo depends on the candidates' educational qualification and the research one is engaged in. The research work to be undertaken for PhD must include original contributions to the knowledge reserve culminating in a thesis to be submitted for the doctoral degree. The detailed program structure and graduation requirements can be found here.

Click Here for details of Sponsored Projects

Institute reserves the right to admit as many as candidates depending on their credentials and potential.

For Ph.D. (Regular):

Discipline	Educational qualification
ICT and allied Engineering disciplines	M.Tech./M.E./M.C.A./M.Sc./M.Phil./B.Tech/B.E. or equivalent degree in ICT / CS / EC / IT / EE / IN / Mathematics / Statistics / Physics / Bioinformatics / Electronics or other appropriate disciplines with 60% marks or its equivalent in the qualifying degree as per the norms set by degree awarding Institute / University.
Mathematical, Physical, and Computational Sciences	M.Sc./M.Tech./M.Phil./B.Tech./B.E. or equivalent degree in Engineering Physics / Computational Science / Computer Science / Scientific Computing / Physics / Mathematics / Electronics / Bioinformatics or other appropriate disciplines with 60% marks or its equivalent as per the norms set by the degree awarding Institute / University.
Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Design (English, Modern History, Social & Cultural Anthropology, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Cultural & Media Studies and Design)	M.A./M.Phil. or an equivalent degree in the desired discipline with at least 55% marks or equivalent as per the norms set by the degree awarding Institute / University.

For Ph.D. (Part-Time):

Category	Work experience
Sponsored Part-time	A candidate who intends to apply in the Sponsored Part-time category must be currently employed at an Organisation with which DA-IICT has established MoU. The work experience required will be as mentioned in the MoU. The candidate should forward his/her application through the proper channel; i.e., through a sponsorship certificate / letter issued by the head of the department / organisation. A template for the sponsorship letter is available here
External Part-time	A candidate who intends to apply in the External Part-time category must be currently employed at an R&D Organisation or University / Institution and must have at least two years of relevant experience. The candidate should submit a ‘no objection certificate’ (NOC) issued by the head of the organisation / institution. A template for the NOC is available here

A candidate applying under the Sponsored/External Part-time category has to submit a letter of recommendation (LoR) from a prospective PhD supervisor at DA-IICT. The LoR should clearly state the scope and a broad definition of the research problem the candidate would work on. [A template for the LoR is available here.] Note: Obtaining an LoR from a member of faculty at DA-IICT does not mean that the applicant is admitted to the PhD program.

Note: The decision of the Competent Authorities of DA-IICT regarding eligibility of any candidate shall be final.

Selection Criteria for Ph.D. (Regular & Part-Time) Admissions:

Candidates have to qualify for an interview based on an entrance test.

Entrance Test:

A pen-paper test will be conducted at DAIICT Gandhinagar, followed by personal interview at DA-IICT.

• Candidates intending to pursue research in ICT and Allied Engineering disciplines need to attempt a two parts exam. Part-I of the exam will be on Engineering Mathematics. For Part-II, the candidate has to attempt any one of the following subject papers: (a) Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), (b) Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE). The guidelines and syllabus for these can be found here. For sample questions, see CSE | ECE.
• Candidates intending to pursue research in Mathematical, Physical, and Computational Sciences disciplines need to attempt any one of the following subject papers: (a) Mathematics (MA), (b) Physics (PH). The question paper for Physics will comprise of two part; viz., Part-I with questions on basic topics in Mathematics for Physicists, and Part-II will be for topics in Physics. The guidelines and syllabus for these can be found here. For sample questions, see Mathematics (MA), Physics (PH)
• Candidates intending to pursue research in Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Design disciplines will have a common question paper. In line with DA-IICT's emphasis on interdisciplinary pedagogy and research, the question paper is prepared keeping in mind the full range of the HASSD disciplines. All competent candidates from any of these disciplines will be able to attempt the question paper. The answers should be clear and cogent, and should at the same time reflect the candidate's critical thinking skills. A sample question paper is available here.

Entrance Test waiver: Candidates meeting any of the following conditions can avail a waiver for the entrance test:

• Valid GATE score
• Valid NET qualification
• Awarded with an MS by Research degree of an IIT or IISc or IIIT
• Awarded with an MTech degree of DA-IICT along with a CPI > 8.0
• Selected for DST Inspire / NBHM / JEST / UGC / CSIR PhD fellowship
• Applying under the Sponsored Part-time Category
• Applying under the External Part-time Category

Interview:

Candidates short-listed on the basis of the Entrance Test or who have availed a waiver for the entrance Test should appear for an interview to be held at DA-IICT on the date mentioned in the ‘Important Dates’ webpage of the Admissions webportal. During the interview, the candidates will be evaluated on foundational as well as specialized topics of their educational background and research interests. For this purpose, the candidates have to submit a one-page statement of purpose (SoP) as a part of their application. A set of guidelines for preparing a SoP is available here

The Ph.D. interview will be held physically at DA-IICT, Gandhinagar. The shortlisted Ph.D. (Regular) candidates for entrance test / interview will be provided to and fro sleeper class train fare from the nearest railway station as per the communication address mentioned in their application. The lodging will be provided at DA-IICT.

Merit list:

Final merit list for admissions into the program will be prepared on the basis of the performance in the Entrance Test, wherever applicable and/or the performance in the Interview.

Candidates with M.Sc./M.C.A., unless they have a subsequent M. Phil. degree will be considered equivalent to candidate with a B.Tech./B.E. degree and are required to fulfil (additional) course and research requirements.

DA-IICT reserves right to relax eligibility criteria for the sponsored category for deserving candidates based on candidate’s research profile and experience.

The decision of the Competent Authorities of DA-IICT regarding eligibility of any candidate shall be final.

Age

There is no age limit applicable to this program.

At the time of admission an amount of Rs. 50,000/- (Rs. 25,000/- towards tuition fee for the first Semester and Rs. 25,000/- towards caution deposit) is to be paid. Mode of payment will be informed. The registration fee is payable at the time of registration and hostel rent on allotment of the hostel room.

Tuition fee	Rs. 25,000 per Semester, applicable from academic year 2024-2025.
Registration Fee	Rs. 2,500 per Semester
Caution Deposit	Rs. 25,000 (Refundable at the end of the Program)
Hostel Rent	Rs. 35,000 per semester
Food	On actuals. There are multiple food options available in the campus (The expense will be approximately Rs. 5,500 per month)

Subject to revision every Academic Year from 8 to 10%.

Refund Policy

The refund policy for the withdrawing candidates will be in accordance with the UGC rules.

Financial assistance:

The following is a summary of financial assistance provided by the institute to the non-sponsored category students.

DA-IICT fellowship:

With effect from July 2024-25 session, all those admitted as full-time PhD students will be eligible for financial support (fellowship) in the form of Teaching Assistantship (TA)/Research Assistantships (RAs). The fellowship is for a maximum duration of five years. The responsibilities associated with the teaching / research assistantship includes conducting laboratory courses and tutorials for undergraduate students, assisting in teaching, research projects, and academic administration.

• For the first two years the fellowship would be Rs. 35,000 per month. From the third year the fellowship will be revised to Rs. 40,000/- per month upto the fifth year.

TCS Research Fellowship:

The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has recognized DA-IICT as one of the Institutions to administer the TCS Research Scholar Program. This prestigious program provides attractive doctoral fellowships to full-time students pursuing PhD programs in selected areas. The eligibility and other details are as follows:

• Registered for a full-time PhD program.
• Within 28 years of age as on admission into fellowship
• Completed 2 semesters and should be in 2nd year of Ph.D having a brilliant academic background.
• Research involving computing.
• Scholars need to declare other PhD scholarships applied for at the time of applying and if selected by TCS, at the time of announcement.

Period: For a maximum of four years or submission of thesis, whichever is earlier.

Fellowship: Rs. 70,000 per month for the first year, Rs. 91,000 per month for the second year, Rs. 97,500 per month for the third year and fourth year. Additional Stipend of a total of Rs. 90,000 for sabbatical to foreign university to eligible scholar for up to six months.

Other Incentives are:

• Assignment of TCS Mentor from TCS Research and innovation team (R&I) soon after selection to TCS Research Scholar Program.
• Benefits worth INR 8,60,000 over 4 years for supporting actual expenses for (a) Laptops and Books up to INR 1.7 Lakhs (b) National Conference for Scholar up to INR 0.5 lakhs (c) International Conference for Scholar up to INR 2.2 Lakhs (d) 1-time International Conference for Guide up to INR 1.5 lakhs (e) Travel and settling cost for sabbatical to foreign university to eligible scholar up to INR 2.2 Lakhs (f) Visit to TCS Innovation Labs up to INR 0.5 Lakhs

Selection: Institute will invite applications from students who are offered PhD admission in the applicable format, and recommend suitable candidates to TCS. TCS reserves the right of final selection for the award of the fellowship. Further, TCS reserves the right to conduct an interview of a scholar(s) if it deems necessary for the selection for the scheme. In such cases, interviews will be conducted in one of the TCS Innovation Labs and candidates may have to travel to the designated lab for the interview. TCS will reimburse the travel.

Other Fellowships:

Candidates who have been selected for DST Inspire / PM Scholarship / Visweshvaraya PhD scheme and other appropriate fellowships and admitted to the program can avail their fellowship.

• Submit online application form by clicking on the link given below. Application fee (non-refundable) is Rs. 300/- (including GST@ 18%).

  Click here to apply online

• Submit a statement of purpose. [A set of guidelines for preparing a SoP is available here.]
• A candidate applying under the Full-time category and availing a waiver for the entrance test has to submit relevant documents which validate that (s)he fulfils the condition(s).
• A candidate applying under the Sponsored Part-time category has to submit a sponsorship certificate/letter issued by the head of the department/organisation. [A template for the sponsorship letter is available here.]
• A candidate applying under the External Part-time category has to submit a no objection certificate issued by the head of the organisation/institution. [A template for the NOC is available here.]
• A candidate applying under the Sponsored/External Part-time category has to submit a letter of recommendation (LoR) from a prospective PhD supervisor at DA-IICT. The LoR should clearly state the scope and a broad definition of the research problem the candidate would work on. [A template for the LoR is available here.]
  Note: Obtaining an LoR from a member of faculty at DA-IICT does not mean that the applicant is admitted to the PhD program.
• The Candidate has to satisfy the eligibility criteria in order for her/his application to be considered for admission into the PhD. program.
• Applicants who have not been invited directly for the interview are required to appear for DAIICT’s PhD Entrance Test.
• The candidates shortlisted based on either their performance in the DA-IICT PhD entrance test OR invited directly for interview, have to appear for personal interview. In the interview, the candidates will be evaluated by a panel of expert faculty on foundational as well as specialized topics of their background and research interests. For this purpose, the candidates have to submit a one page statement of purpose as a part of their application. Final merit list for admission into the program will be prepared based on the written test (wherever applicable) and/or the interview.
• The candidates who have accepted admission offers will be notified to appear for registration, followed by document verification, payment of fees and on confirmation of admission, the orientation program.

Interview and Admission Offer

List of candidates selected for admission to the Ph.D. Program will be posted on the website of DA-IICT, and the candidates will be intimated accordingly through post and/or email.

The frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the Ph.D. (Regular & Part-Time) program can be found here

Voice Call: 079 69 08 08 08

Email: pg_admissions[at]daiict[dot]ac[dot]in