Eligibility: Candidates with B.Tech degrees will be considered for the 6-year Integrated PhD stream (I-PhD). Candidates with MSc degrees in Chemistry/Physics/Maths/Computer Sciences will be considered for the 5-year PhD stream. MSc degree holders who wish to obtain both an MSc in Biology as well as a PhD have the option, at the time of joining, to enrol in the I-PhD programme with a relaxation of credit requirements.

https://www.tifr.res.in/academics/eligibility.php

Application process: Candidates in the TIFR-PoL Programme must attempt the TIFR Nationwide Graduate School Entrance Examination in any discipline (Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science & Learning, Information and Data Science). We will also consider candidates who have attempted the JEST/GATE/UGC-CSIR NET examination. Candidates attempting the biology and biology-allied subjects can apply to the TIFR graduate program in biology <phd@ncbs.res.in>; they are not eligible for the TIFR-PoL program.  Based on their examination scores, candidates will be invited to submit a full online application, in which they must indicate they wish to be considered for the TIFR-PoL Programme. Details of these admission procedures, including cutoffs and application dates, will be available on this website at appropriate times.

Interviews: Candidates will be shortlisted for interviews for the TIFR-PoL Programme based on their examination scores and full application details. Candidates with prior research experience in theoretical/computational/experimental projects will be given preference. Shortlisting decisions are made independently for the TIFR-PoL Programme and other TIFR Graduate Programmes. Interviews will be conducted in Bengaluru (for NCBS-Bengaluru and ICTS-Bengaluru).

Programme structure: Students admitted to the TIFR PoL Programme are enrolled in the TIFR Subject Board of Biology. In the second semester, students must work on three supervised research projects / rotations which will help them identify potential host research groups. At the end of the first year, students must join a group and start developing a thesis problem. At the end of the second year, students must clear a comprehensive exam which will evaluate their overall skills as well as their specific thesis proposal. After successfully completing the comprehensive exam, students will register for the PhD/I-PhD programme.

Coursework: PhD students must accrue 70 credits (30 coursework credits, 20 research credits, 20 thesis credits). I-PhD students with a B.Tech degree or a non-biology MSc degree must accrue 78 credits (38 coursework credits, 20 research credits, 20 thesis credits). Students must complete their coursework credit requirements within four semesters. Coursework counting toward credits must include at least one Foundational or Advanced course each semester from a list of approved courses. Students will be able to continue taking courses after completing their credit requirements, throughout the tenure of the Programme. Once a student has registered for the PhD/I-PhD, they will also be eligible to take courses at institutions other than TIFR by following appropriate procedures; such courses will reflect in their final transcript.

See the list of courses for more details.