Apply as an i-student

Step 1: Find a project

To apply to the UQ-IITD PhD program, you will need to apply for an available project.

Available projects for commencing in January 2024 intake are advertised on our website now. You can apply for up to two projects in your Expression of interest form.

You cannot propose your own or apply directly to a school or department.

Each available project includes a project title and description, details of the supervision team, expected student background and other key project information.

Step 2: Check your eligibility

All i-student applicants must meet the following requirements for consideration for entry into the joint PhD program. As this is a competitive program, the standards for admission may be higher than the minimum qualifications set out below:

Academic entry requirements

Qualifying degree	General/OBC/General-EWS students	SC/ST/PH students	Scores in public examinations
Master’s Degree in Engineering/Technology	• CGPA of 6.50 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 65% • First Class (wherever awarded)	• CGPA of 6.00 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 60% • Minimum 55% in other academic examinations	No requirement. However, a high score in GATE, UGC-NET,CSIR,ICAR, ICMR, DST-INSPIRE will be given due consideration.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology	• CGPA of 8.00 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 80% • First Class (wherever awarded)	• CGPA of 7.50 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 75% • Minimum 55% in other academic examinations	No requirement for candidates from CFTI’s. For others a High score in GATE, UGC-NET, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, DST-INSPIRE.
Master’s Degree in Sciences	• CGPA of 6.50 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 65% • First Class (wherever awarded)	• CGPA of 6.00 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 60% • Minimum 55% in other academic examinations	High score in GATE, UGC-NET, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, DST-INSPIRE.
M.B.B.S./B.D.S/M.D.S./B.H.M.S	• CGPA of 6.00 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 60%	• CGPA of 5.50 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 55%	High score in GATE, UGC-NET, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, DST-INSPIRE, Any national level examination for graduate studies.
Master’s Degree in Arts or Humanities	• CGPA of 6.50 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 65% • First Class (wherever awarded)	• CGPA of 6.00 on a 10.00 point scale • Aggregate percentage of 60% • Minimum 55% in other academic examinations	High score in UGC-NET, CSIR.

Additional notes:

While it is not a requirement that all candidates possess a valid GATE, GRE, NET, CSIR score (or scores of any competitive entrance test), it is expected that successful applicants will have a good score in any of these exams in order to be competitive.
Candidates without a valid GATE score or CSIR/UGC/DBT award can be considered for admission to the joint PhD program if they have a minimum of two years of professional work experience in lieu of a GATE score and if they meet all other eligibility requirements.
For purposes of comparison, it is understood that a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology is an 8-semester program with course components including basic sciences, engineering fundamentals, and specialisation in a chosen discipline.
For purposes of comparison, it is understood that a Master’s degree in Engineering/Technology is a 4-semester program with specialisation in a chosen discipline, and a significant research component.
For purposes of comparison, a four-year Bachelor’s degree in Sciences, Arts or Humanities will be considered on par with a four-year Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology.
For Arts and Humanities disciplines, an MPhil degree will be considered on par with a Master’s degree in Engineering/Technology (and hence will have only a minimum marks/grades requirement with no additional requirement for public examinations.
The applicant’s degree and/or professional experience must demonstrate that the applicant’s knowledge of the discipline in which they plan to undertake their PhD is current. It is therefore expected that an applicant will have completed their tertiary studies and/or any relevant professional experience in the ten years immediately prior to their intended entry to the PhD.

International i-students:

For i-students applying from countries other than India, a high score in any national examination (in the candidate’s home country) or international examination (such as GRE) will be given due weightage, in lieu of the required public examinations listed in the table above.
Candidates who have been awarded a CSIR/UGC/DBT Research fellowship (government fellowships) are encouraged to apply.

English language proficiency requirements

All applicants are required to meet the Academy’s English language proficiency requirements for consideration for entry into the UQIDAR Joint PhD program.

Deeming based on prior studies

Applicants may be considered to meet the Academy’s English language proficiency requirements if they have completed a bachelor or master’s degree program, or have evidence of at least two years of full-time study from an institution that is recognised by the Academy where:

English was the medium of instruction; and
English was the medium of assessment; and
the final year of study has been undertaken within the last five years.

To be deemed for English language proficiency on the basis of prior studies, applicants will need to provide evidence that the medium of instruction and assessment was in English, by providing an academic transcript or an official letter (on letterhead with the date) from the institution that confirms this.

Minimum achievements in English language proficiency tests

If an applicant’s qualifying degree was in a language other than English, the student must demonstrate English proficiency as follows:

Test name	Minimum overall score	Minimum sub-band score
IELTS*	6.5*	6 in each sub-band of Writing, Reading, Speaking and Listening*
TOEFL (Internet-Based-iBT)	87	21 in Writing, Reading, Speaking 19 in Listening
TOEFL (Paper-based)	570	5.0 in the Test of Written English (TWE) 54 in Listening and Reading
PTE	64	60 in each communicative skills section
CAE/CPE	176 Overall Cambridge English Scale (CES) score	169 in each skill
BEP	4	C in all four macro skills

English language tests must have been taken within two years of commencing study at UQIDAR to be considered valid. We verify all test results with the relevant test authority.

*Higher Degrees by Research in the Health Sciences where research is undertaken in a clinical placement setting: IELTS only, with an overall band score of 7, with a score of 7 in each sub-band of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Research preparedness criteria

All candidates applying for the UQ-IITD joint PhD program needs to meet the requirements for ‘research preparedness’. The candidates must provide evidence that they have planned and executed project work and/or a body of research with some independence. To demonstrate this, we’ll ask the candidate to provide at least one of the following:

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with completed courses that aim to develop research skills;
Completed a supervised research project that includes an individually graded written report;
Scholarly papers involving a substantial contribution as an author, appearing in recognised academic journals or in volumes published by recognised academic publishers;
Research or technical reports prepared for industry, government or business, which adhere to the broad conventions of academic publishing (i.e. contain an up-to-date review of relevant literature, a description of relevant research methods and an evaluation of results, etc.) and which identify you as a significant contributor;
Demonstrable industry or work experience where you can demonstrate that you have planned and executed a project, working with a high level of independence.

Step 3: Prepare your documents

You must upload the following compulsory supporting documents when you submit your online application including your:

academic CV
award/degree certificates from graduation/convocation
academic transcript or consolidated mark sheets
evidence for meeting English language proficiency requirements
contact details for at least two referees
scanned copies of all competitive entrance tests
other documentation

If any of your documentation is in a language other than English, UQIDAR will require a copy of the original language document and an officially certified and translated copy. Internationally, one of UQ’s approved agents may be able to help you organise document translation and certification.

Scanned documentation should meet the following criteria:

All pages of the document have been scanned before they are submitted. If the original has information on both sides, ensure you scan back and front. Many academic transcripts have information on the reverse side including grading scales, which we may need to see.
Scanned documents can be uploaded in the following formats: doc, docx, jpg, png, txt and pdf.
All pages (back and front) of your academic transcript and your award certificate must be certified.

Academic CV

Your academic CV should include the following headings:

Personal details
Include your full name and contact details.
Educational qualifications and professional affiliations
Include the full title of the qualification, the institution attended and the year awarded.
Employment history
In chronological order, starting with your current position and specifying dates of employment. Include the title of each position, name of employer, main duties or responsibilities, and achievements relevant to your proposed field of research. Make sure you include details of any research-related positions or projects.
Research publications
Include articles published or accepted for publication. Mark the three most significant publications with an asterisk. Specify the publication details, your contribution as an author to multi-authored publications, plus the standing of the journal or conference.
Description of most significant publications
Include a short description for each of the three asterisked publications (max. 200 words each). Explain their significance in the field and why they have made an important contribution. All publications should use an official referencing style (such as Chicago, APA or Harvard).
Research grants
Only include awarded grants.
Academic referees
Include the name and contact details (address, telephone and email) of two referees. If possible, include a senior person (preferably your supervisor or the head of organisational unit) closely associated with your current research work.
Information not required
Marital status, photographs, driver’s license, hobbies and interests.

Award/Degree certificates from graduation/convocation

For all completed post-secondary study, including the institution logo and date awarded. If you have not received a copy of your certificate at the time of application, please provide an official letter from your institution stating that you have met award requirements.

Academic transcript or consolidated mark sheets

For all post-secondary study undertaken, complete or incomplete, including the institution, program, results for every course studied, grading scale, institution logo and date.

Your academic transcript is an official legal record of all the courses you have completed at your higher education institution.

Evidence for meeting English language proficiency requirements

If you have completed an English language test within two years of the commencement date of the UQIDAR PhD Program, please upload your test results.

If you have completed a degree that was taught and assessed in English within five years of the commencement date of the UQIDAR PhD program, please upload an academic transcript or an official letter (on letterhead with the date) from the institution that states that your degree was taught and assessed in English.

Contact details for at least two referees

From persons who can best comment on your prior research experience. UQ will contact your referees directly, but you will need to enter their details into the application form.

Scanned copies of all competitive entrance tests

Competitive entrance tests include JEE, GATE, UGC-NET, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, DST-INSPIRE, and GRE.

Follow these steps to apply as an Indian/international student (i-student)