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| MS/PhD Admissions

| M.S./Ph.D Admission [May 2026] (Coming Up)

 The following dates refer to the previous admission cycle. Follow this space for updates related to the upcoming summer admissions.
Step MS & Direct PhD Admissions PhD Admissions Status
Submission of online application
(at the IITM research portal) 		Anytime Admissions Mode.(*)
 Open (*)
Announcement of Shortlist
(for interview) 		Shortlists for MS (HTRA/NHTRA), Direct PhD (HTRA), PhD (HTRA/NHTRA) Interview Dates

24th Nov Forenoon: MS written test
24th Nov Afternoon: Direct PhD interviews
25th Nov: MS interviews (Continue on 26th Nov forenoon, if required)
26th Nov Forenoon: PhD written test
26th Nov Afternoon: PhD interviews
27th Nov: PhD Interviews
28th Nov Forenoon: Interviews for External/Part-Time/Project
Final Interview 24/11/25 and 25/11/25 | MS (HTRA) candidates to be considered for Round 2 interviews.
26/11/25 and 27/11/25 | PhD (HTRA) candidates to be considered for Round 2 interviews.
 26th Nov Afternoon: PhD interviews
27th Nov: PhD Interviews
Recommended candidates Candidate List

| Interview Process

The written test will cover core areas of Computer Science and Engineering, including C programming, digital logic, discrete mathematics, data structures, algorithms, computer organization / architecture, theory of computation, operating systems, database management systems, compiler design, computer networks, In addition, there will be analytical thinking questions. The details of the interview procedure for: MS, PhD, Direct PhD and Ext/PT/Project admissions are now updated.

Queries related to MS and PhD admissions may be sent to admissions@cse.iitm.ac.in

| Shortlisting Criteria

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| MS (HTRA) Shortlisting Criteria
  • UG marks refer to marks scored in the eligible UG degree (Engineering).
    • CGPA of x/10 is converted to (x*10 - 5)% (as per IITM policy).
    • For BSc+MSc or BCA+MCA applicants, UG marks = 0.6*(BSc/BCA) + 0.4*(MSc/MCA).
  • For Dual Degree applicants, the final score is considered.
Category IIT (No GATE) Non-IIT with valid GATE / UGC-NET
UG Marks UG Marks GATE UGC-NET (CS) UGC-NET (Math)
General 75 70 600 200 140
OBC-NCL / EWS 75 63 540 180 126
SC / ST / PwD 75 56 300 100 70

| PhD (HTRA) Shortlisting Criteria
  • Cutoff = 0.6*UG + 0.4*PG Marks.
Category Marks GATE UGC-NET (CS) UGC-NET (Math)
General 67 600 200 140
OBC/EWS 60.3 540 180 126
SC/ST/PwD 53.6 300 100 70

| Direct PhD Shortlisting Criteria
Category CFTI (No GATE) Non-CFTI UG GATE
General 75 70 600
OBC/EWS 75 70 540
SC/ST/PwD 75 70 300

| Eligibility Criteria

| HTRA MS/PhD/DirectPhD

| MS

Degree Requirement (any one of the following):
  1. A 4-year B.E/B.Tech (or in the final year) in any area of engineering.
  2. A 4-year B.Sc./BS (or in their final year) Computer Science, Computer Applications,Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics (or other such related areas).
  3. MCA or M.Sc./MS in Computer Science, Computer Applications, Data Science,Mathematics, Statistics (or other such related areas)
Additional Requirement:
  1. Valid GATE (CS/MA/DA/EC) score.
    2. OR
  2. For candidates with BSc (CS/Maths/Stats) +MSc (CS/Maths/Stats), validJEST/UGC-NET (JRF/Lectureship)/CSIR-NET (JRF/Lectureship)/NBHM/Inspire
The above requirement(s) is waived for applicants with a 4-yr B.E./B.Tech. inCSE/EE/ECE/IT/DS/AI or 4-yr B.S./B.Sc. in CS/Math/DS/AI (or closely related areas) from a Centrally Funded Technical Institute (CFTI) with CGPA ≥ 8.

NOTE: For other degrees, the admissions committee will decide on a case-by-case basis.

| PhD

Engineering Areas:
Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics&Communication Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Applications, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or other such related areas.

Sciences Areas:
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Machine Learning,Mathematics, Statistics, or other such related areas. Requirement (any one of the following):
  1. M.E/M.Tech/M.S. by Research or /5-year integrated Masters/Dual degree in any of theabove listed areas of engineering.
  2. 2 year M.Sc (in the above listed areas of sciences) from IITs (entry through JAM) with IIT CGPA ≥ 8.
  3. B.S+M.S (5-year integrated) in the above listed areas of engineering or sciences from CFTI with CGPA ≥ 8.
  4. BSc (CS/Maths/Stats) + MSc (CS/Maths/Stats) holders with a valid score in GATE(CS/DA/MA) or JEST/UGCNET (JRF/Lectureship)/CSIR NET(JRF/Lectureship)/NBHM/Inspire.
For other degrees, the admissions committee will decide on a case-by-case basis.

| Direct PhD

Areas: Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Applications, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Statistics, or other such related areas.

One of the following degrees in the areas listed above (and stated requirement):
Requirements (any ONE of the following):
  1. B.S/B.E/B.Tech in the above listed areas from a Centrally Funded Technical Institute(CFTI) with CGPA ≥ 8.
  2. B.S/B.E/B.Tech in the above listed areas from a CFTI (with CGPA < 8) with a validGATE (CS/DA/MA/EC) score.
  3. BE/BTech in the above listed areas from any other institute/university with CGPA ≥ 8(or equivalent) and a valid GATE (CS/DA/MA/EC) score.
  4. M.Sc.(CS/Maths) from a CFTI, or a highly-recognized institute such as the IndianStatistical Institute or the Chennai Mathematical Institute with CGPA ≥ 8 and a validGATE (CS/DA/MA) score.
NOTE: For other degrees, the admissions committee will decide on a case-by-case basis.

| Project/Part-time/External candidates

Candidates who wish to apply for the MS/PhD programmes in the Project/Part-time/External categories must submit a research proposal signed by the potential guide before April 9th via this form. Only those candidates who have submitted the signed proposal will be considered for shortlisting.
  • Candidates employed with companies outside IITM including in RP companies must have a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Employer at the time of application closing date.
    • Prior degrees
    • For BTech / MTech, as per the HTRA criteria for MS and PhD respectively.
    • For other degrees, the admissions committee decides on a case-by-case basis.
  • Shortlisting of eligible candidates for the written test will be based on the same cutoffs as per the HTRA norms.
  • Minimum Experience (as of application closing date for the current interview round):
    • External or Part-time (MS and PhD): At least two years experience in relevant industry. The two years experience may be relaxed to 6 months for Part-time candidates working in IITM-RP, on a case-by-case basis. External Candidates need to be from an industry, organization, or institution having R&D facilities and recognized by DST (DSIR) or IITM. Part-time candidates must be employed in a reputed industry, organization, or institution located within commutable distance (within 50kms) of IITM.
    • For Project-NHTRA-MS: At least six months experience in IITM Project under the proposed guide.
    • For Project-NHTRA-PhD: At least twelve months experience in IITM Project under the proposed guide.
  • A detailed Research Proposal, duly signed by the potential guide MUST be submitted during the time of the application.The deadline for submission of the research proposal and the link to submit the same is available on the admissions page. Without this signed proposal, the candidate will NOT be shortlisted.
Written test and interview process
  • Written test (same as HTRA candidates) is mandatory for all Part-time/External/Project candidates and will be taken along with the HTRA candidates. Waiver for written test will be permitted if the following holds:
    • The candidate has completed at least two “eligible” courses with a certain minimum performance as explained below:
      • First, a course is declared “eligible” if it is a 5000 level and above course in the CSE Department of IIT Madras. Allied Department (e.g. DA/MA/EE) courses that are relevant to CSE topics can also be considered eligible, provided the Admissions Committee approves it on a case-by-case basis.
      • obtained a minimum grade of ‘C’ in each eligible course;
      • a minimum CGPA of 7.5.
  • Interview Process: As mentioned above, the interview will be conducted only if there is a proposal signed by the potential guide.
    • A separate panel will be convened by the Head of the Dept. to interview NHTRA candidates.
    • Interview questions will be on:
      • Technical aspects of the research proposal and necessary background material for the proposed research and on basic subject(s) in computer science that are relevant to the proposed research.