A. Regular and Full Time : A student in this category works full-time for her/his Ph.D. degree. They can be classified as:
a) Institute Fellows: S/he receives assistantship from the Institute. The qualifying Degree for Financial Support is BE/ BTech/ BS / MSc/ MA/ MBA/ MCA /equivalent degree with valid GATE above the prescribed cut off level. However, minimum GATE cut-off doesn’t guarantee shortlisting for test / interview. The requirement of GATE score is waived for candidates with Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) with CGPA > 8.0 and above (out of 10) in line with MHRD (now MoE) letter no. 17-2/2014-TS.I dated February 18, 2015 and other IITs. Such candidates are required to appear in the interview for selection.
ME/ MTech/ MPhil /equivalent degree with GATE qualification.
b) Research Fellows (JRF/SRF with external financial support)
S/he receives fellowship from any government recognized funding agencies, such as CSIR, UGC,
DBT, NBHM, DST (INSPIRE programme), etc. Institute encourages candidates with external fellowship to apply round the year. However, admission to Ph.D. would be considered during regular cycle in Jan / July each year.
c) Project Staff
This category refers to a student who, as a project staff, is working on a sponsored project (registered in R&D Unit, IIT Patna). The said project staff is eligible to be admitted in the Ph.D. Program (of this Institute) to work on a full-time basis. The minimum remaining duration of the project at the time of admission as well as tenure of the project employee should be at least 2 years from the date of joining the Ph.D. program. She/he must have qualified GATE / NET (LS). If the project gets completed before the student completes her/his Ph.D., her/his category will no longer be that of Project Staff and her/his category will be converted to that of SELF-FINANCED unless she/he is granted an assistantship/fellowship from the Institute or any other funding agency.
A project staff intending to join the Ph.D. program of IIT Patna must produce NOC on the day of interview in the prescribed format: Form II, available on the website, link https://academics.iitp.ac.in/academic_forms.php admission through Principal Investigator, Head of the Department and Dean/ Associate Dean R&D with suitable endorsement.
b. Sponsored : A candidate in this category is sponsored by a reputed industry, R&D organization, academic institution (universities/colleges), government organization, PSUs and autonomous bodies (central /state) for research and career advancement. The Institute does not provide any assistantship/fellowship to such a candidate. Candidate in Sponsored category must be a regular employee of the sponsoring organization (of
repute) with a minimum of two-year job experience in the respective field. A student in this category is therefore a professionally employed person, who pursues Ph.D. while continuing her/his services. The candidate has to work full time in institute to obtain the degree for a period of 3 years. An intending sponsored candidate must produce NOC on the day of interview in the prescribed format: Form I, available on the website, link https://academics.iitp.ac.in/academic_forms.php
c. Employed & Part Time : A candidate in this category is a regularly employed person (including the staff of IIT Patna), who pursues the Ph.D. program, while continuing the duties of her/his service. The institute does not provide any assistantship/ fellowship to such a student. The minimum residential requirement is one or two semester(s) depending on the completion of mandatory course work required for Ph.D. students. Candidate in Employed and Part-time category must be a regular employee of his/her organization with at least two years of professional experience in the respective field. The work-experience of minimum two years is essential with current employer. NOC must be produced on the day of interview in the prescribed format: Form III, available on the website, link https://academics.iitp.ac.in/academic_forms.php
Candidate having experience for more than 10 years may be given relaxation up to 5% in qualifying
degree.d. Self-financed : A student in this category may work full-time towards the Ph.D. Programme. The Institute does not provide any assistantship/fellowship to such a student. The applicant should have qualified a national level exam (NET/GATE).