Apply as an i-student

Interested applicants are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) by 26 February 2021.

If your EoI is of interest, you will be invited to apply via the online application portal, which will be open from 1–28 March 2021 (from 1 March, the application portal will be open on this page).

To apply to the UQIDAR PhD program, you will need to apply for an available project.

Projects are advertised on our website when applications open. You can apply for up to two projects in each application round. 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.

Find out the deadlines for when you need to apply and when you can expect to start studying with UQIDAR.

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:

Qualifying degree	Minimum marks/grades for eligibility (primary method of evaluation to be considered)	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)	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)	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)	High score in GATE, UGC-NET, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, DST-INSPIRE
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)	High score in UGC-NET

 

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.

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.

Other documentation

Originals or certified copies may be required depending on your individual circumstances.

Applications will open from 1–28 March 2021. 

From 1 March, the application portal will be open on this page.

Only one application form can be submitted per applicant. Applicants can apply for up to two projects in their application form.  

We are not able to consider applications submitted after the deadline and will only consider complete applications.  

Once applications close, your application will be shortlisted based on your eligibility, background and motivations and aptitude for your nominated project.

• Stage 1: Supervisor shortlisting
  Your application will be sent to supervisors for review. If you are shortlisted for their project, the supervisory team will ask you to participate in a skype or telephone interview with supervisors from both UQ and IITD.
• Stage 2: Committee shortlisting
  The committee will then further shortlist applicants. If you are shortlisted by the committee, you will be asked to submit a formal application via UQ’s online application system. You will then be invited to participate in an interview with the Academy Joint Admissions Sub-committee (AJAS) and undertake a written test, which will include an assessment of your ability to critically assess a research paper.

You can expect to hear the outcome of your application within the application timelines.

If your application is successful, you will receive a formal offer letter. Make sure you read your offer letter carefully for specific information about how to accept your offer. You will need to login to the UQ Online application portal to accept your offer.