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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Contents

Table of Contents 1

List of Abbreviations 2

List of Tables 4

1 Introduction 5

2 A Brief History of the Institute 7

3 Current Academic Programmes 11

4 Admission Channels 13

5 Number of Seats 14

6 Procedure of Selection and Admission 16

7 Academic Programmes: Scope, Eligibility and Selection Procedure 17

8 Doctoral Degrees 38

9 Other Information for Prospective Students 39

10 Application Procedure 42

IMPORTANT DATES 49

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

List of Abbreviations
Agri Science Agricultural Science
BE Bachelor of Engineering
B Math Bachelor of Mathematics
B Sc Bachelor of Science
B Stat Bachelor of Statistics
B SDS Bachelor of Statistical Data Science
B Tech Bachelor of Technology
Comp Sc Computer Science
CrS Cryptology and Security
CS Computer Science
CSIR Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
D Sc Doctor of Science
Eco Economics
Elect Engg Electrical Engineering
Electro Electronics
Engg Engineering
Env Science Environmental science
EWS Economically Weaker Section
GATE Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
ISEC International Statistical Education Centre
ISI Indian Statistical Institute
JRF Junior Research Fellowships
LIS Library and Information Science
MA Master of Arts
Math Mathematics
MCA Master of Computer Applications
MCQ Multiple-Choice Question
M Math Master of Mathematics
M Stat Master of Statistics
M Tech Master of Technology
NE Centre North-East Centre
NISCAIR/INSDOC National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources/
Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre
OBC-NCL Other Backward Classes-Non Creamy Layer
OR Operations Research
PGD Postgraduate Diploma
Ph D Doctor of Philosophy

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Phys Physics
Prob Probability
PGDARSMA Postgraduate Diploma in Agricultural and Rural Management
with Statistical Methods and Analytics
PGDAS Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics
PGDBA Postgraduate Diploma in Business Analytics
PG Diploma Postgraduate Diploma
PGDSMA Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Methods and Analytics
PwD Persons with Disabilities
QE Quantitative Economics
QMS Quality Management Science
QROR Quality, Reliability & Operations Research
RCBCCS R.C. Bose Centre for Cryptology and Security
SC Scheduled Caste
SQC Statistical Quality Control
SRF Senior Research Fellowships
SSFC Supernumerary seats for female candidates
ST Scheduled Tribes
Stat Statistics
UGC University Grants Commission

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

List of Tables

1 Academic Programmes being offered in 2025-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2 Locations of Research Programmes I: 2025-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3 Locations of Research Programmes II: 2025-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4 Programmes with Parallel Test Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5 Number of seats: Non-JRF programmes (2025-26) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

6 Number of seats: Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) programmes (2025-26) . . . . . . . 15
7 Stipends, Fellowships and Allowances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
8 Eligibility and selection criteria for the Regular seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

9 Eligibility and selection criteria for the Supernumerary seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

10 Application Fee for the year 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
11 List of Cities for Admission Test in 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

12 Information about Admission Tests for non-JRF Programmes being offered in 2025-26 . 47
13 Information about Admission Test for Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs) programmes
being offered in 2025-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
IMPORTANT DATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

1 Introduction

The Indian Statistical Institute, known widely as ISI, was founded in 1931 by Professor Prasanta Chandra
Mahalanobis. Growing out of a small Statistical Laboratory set up by Professor Mahalanobis in the
Presidency College in Kolkata, the Institute soon moved into its present campus at Baranagar on the
northern outskirts of Kolkata. Ever since that humble beginning, over the past nine decades, the Institute
has undergone phenomenal growth and is now widely regarded as one of the leading institutions in the
world as a centre for research and training in Statistics and related sciences.

In recognition of the importance of the Institute in the development and application of Statistics, the
Parliament of India, in 1959, enacted the Indian Statistical Institute Act, declaring it an Institution
of National Importance and empowering it to grant degrees and diplomas in Statistics. In 1995, this
Act was further amended, empowering the Institute to grant degrees and diplomas also in Mathematics,
Quantitative Economics, Computer Science and other subjects related to Statistics as may be determined
by the Institute from time to time.

The headquarters of the Institute is located in Kolkata. However, centres of the Institute have come
up over the years in other major cities. At present, the Institute has four centres operating at Delhi,
Bengaluru, Chennai and Tezpur. In addition, the Institute has a branch at Giridih devoted to agricultural
and sociological research and also a network of units at Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, that are involved
in activities related to Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research.

The research and teaching activities of the Institute take place in its headquarters in Kolkata and in the
other six locations. In Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad and Tezpur, the Institute has its own
campus and they are equipped with hostel facility for students, residential quarters for the faculty, guest
houses, and also recreational and medical facilities. The campus at Giridih has a small guest house and
rudimentary hostel facilities. The centre at Chennai is still operating at temporary locations. ISI scientists
working in the areas of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics,
Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research are located mainly in the Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru,
Tezpur, Chennai and Hyderabad campuses. In addition, scientists from other branches of natural and
social sciences are posted at Kolkata and Bengaluru, Tezpur and Giridih.

A sizeable proportion of the students passing out of the Institute go on to build remarkably successful
careers in research and academics. Some of the most eminent and leading researchers and academics in
the fields of Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics are alumni of the Institute. At
the same time, students of the Institute who have gone into industry have also been extremely successful.
Several top and well-accomplished leaders in industry are also alumni of the Institute.
For many years now, the Institute has been running a very proactive on-campus placement programme.
Under the supervision of a member of the teaching faculty, this programme has been very successful in
providing the aspiring students, in the final years of their respective programmes, excellent placement op-
portunities in some of the leading organisations in various sectors of the industry. Some of the companies

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

that have visited the Institute campus for recruitment in the past few years are: AIG, Amazon, American
Express, ANZ, Axis Bank, AB InVeb, AXA Life Insurance, BARC India, BCS Technology, BlackRock,
Barclays Shared Services, Capital One, Citibank, Credit Suisse, Crisil, CIBIL, Citi Corp., Cummins India,
Deloitte, Dr. Reddy’s Lab, Dunia Finance LLC, Ernst & Young, Envestnet-Yodlee, FICO, Goldman Sachs,
HSBC Technology & Services, IBM, ICICI, JP Morgan, KPMG, Mahindra Comviva, Mckinsey, Media.net,
Metro, Microsoft, Narayana Hrudayalaya, Novartis, Nielsen, Petrabytes Corporation, RedBus, Reliance,
Samsung, Standard Chartered, TCS Analytics, TCS Innovation Lab, United Health Group, Walmart Lab,
Wells Fargo, ZS, Zendrive, etc.

Over the last several years, the Institute has been very actively pursuing institution-level collaboration
that has led to Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with numerous universities/academic institutions
as well as industrial organisations. These MOUs range from collaborative research to research grants for
students/faculty as well as student/faculty exchange programmes. At present, the Institute has MOUs
signed with, among others, the following institutions/organisations: National Highway Authority of
India, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., EfD Secretariat at UGOT, Silicon Valley Com Foundation, Airport
Authority of India, Networks Specified, Ericsson India, American Society for Quality India, IIT Madras,
Szechenyi Istvan University, Hitachi India Pvt. Ltd., Bridge and Roof Company Ltd., Infosys Ltd.,
National Research University, Eastern Africa Statistical Training, State University of New York, London
School of Economics, BRAC-University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong,
University of Warwick, Yokohama National University.

The Central Library of the Institute, located at Kolkata (with a network extending to two major libraries
at Delhi and Bengaluru Centres and other locations of the Institute), has one of the richest collec-
tions in the country, particularly in the fields of Statistics and allied disciplines, namely, Mathematics,
Economics, Computer Science, Earth Science, Life Science, Physics and Applied Mathematics, Quality
Control, etc. In addition to a total volume of more than three lakhs, comprising books, bound journals,
official reports/data-books, dissertations and theses, reprints, non-print materials such as CDs/floppies,
microfilms and microfiches, it maintains online access to journals and all the major scientific publication
databases. It has also a separate NBHM collection funded by National Board for Higher Mathematics,
Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. It is making endeavours to create institutional
repositories using open-source software, facilitating access to indigenous resources across regions and
increasing the visibility of such resources. As a part of the Central Library, the renovated Amrapali build-
ing which was the residence of the founder of the Institute, now houses the P C Mahalanobis Memorial
Museum and Archives.
The Institute also runs the International Statistical Education Centre (ISEC), established in 1950, under
the auspices of the Government of India. This Centre has been providing training in Statistics to sponsored
students mainly from the developing countries of the Middle-East, South and South East Asia and the
Far East and from the Commonwealth countries of Africa. The Centre also offers various short-term
courses in Statistics and related subjects.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

2 A Brief History of the Institute

The Indian Statistical Institute had its beginning in a small statistical laboratory set up by Professor
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the Presidency College at Kolkata, where he was then a professor of
Physics. In a meeting held on 17th December 1931 and presided over by Sir R. N. Mookerjee, the first
President of the Institute, the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) was formally established and Prasanta
Chandra Mahalanobis was appointed the Honorary Secretary. The Institute was registered on 28th April,
1932, as a non-government and non-profit learned society under the Societies’ Registration Act No. XXI
of 1860. The Institute is now registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act XXVI of 1961,
amended in 1964. The major objectives of the Institute, as stated in its Memorandum of Association,
are:

(i) to promote the study and dissemination of knowledge of Statistics, to develop statistical theory
and methods, and their use in research and practical applications generally, with special reference
to problems of planning for national development and social welfare;

(ii) to undertake research in various fields of natural and social sciences with a view to the mutual
development of Statistics and these sciences;

(iii) to provide for, and undertake, the collection of information, investigations, projects, and operational
research for purposes of planning and the improvement of efficiency of management and production.

With its humble start in a laboratory in the Presidency College, the Institute soon embarked upon a
remarkable journey with enduring support from a number of distinguished personalities and devoted
scholars in Kolkata. In the first two decades of its existence, which was a glorious chapter in the annals
of Indian science and institution building, the ISI undertook a series of pioneering programmes involving
application of Statistics in search of solutions to some of the urgent and live problems of the country.
Such programmes included innovative projects on sample surveys of yield and land utilisation of crops,
socio-economic after-effects of Bengal famine (1943-44) and problems of flood research, to name a few.
Simultaneously, led by Professor Mahalanobis, path-breaking theoretical research was carried out by a
very able group of young statisticians including R C Bose, S N Roy and C R Rao. These innovations and
methodological research have since become classics in Statistics. All these activities brought laurels for
the Institute in India as well as abroad.

Over a period of several decades since its inception, the Institute made steady strides to establish its iden-
tity as a pioneering organisation nationally as well as internationally. Some of the principal achievements
of this period include

(i) the establishment of a full-fledged research and training school in Statistics and Probability with
applications in natural and social sciences,

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

(ii) the publication of Sankhyā, the first international journal of Statistics in India,

(iii) the inception of a National Sample Survey wing, engaging in comprehensive socio-economic data
collection for the nation,

(iv) the creation of a string of Statistical Quality Control units for promoting the quality movement at
various industrial centres in the country, and

(v) collaboration with the International Statistical Institute to train Government statisticians from Asia
and Africa.

One of the most significant contributions of the institute in India’s nation-building came when, in 1954,
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, entrusted Professor Mahalanobis and ISI with
the responsibility of preparing the draft Second Five-Year Plan for the country. The institute established
a planning wing dedicated to the formulation of the Second Five-Year Plan of India. The draft submitted
by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and the planning models formulated by him and his colleagues have
since been regarded as major contributions to economic planning in India.

As another remarkable achievement, the Institute, in 1956, installed the first electronic computer in the
country. In 1961, the ISI, in collaboration with Jadavpur University, undertook the design, development
and fabrication of a fully transistorised digital computer, called ISI-JU-1, which was commissioned in 1966.
The institute had established an Electronic Computer Laboratory that was responsible for developing

(a) the first mechanical hand computing machine,

(b) the first Analog computer,

(c) the first Punched Card storing machine, and

(d) the first Solid State Computer in India.

The Institute, from its formative period till the recent time, received as guests many eminent scientists,
including Nobel Laureates. Besides Sir Ronald A Fisher, JBS Haldane and Walter A Shewhart, the
luminaries included Frederic and Irene Curie, Neils Bohr, AN Kolmogorov, PMS Blackett, JD Bernal,
Joan Robinson and Genechi Taguchi. In recent times, the visit of Joseph E Stiglitz, James A Mirrlees,
Eric S Maskin, Ei-Ichi Negishi, Leslie G Valiant, David J Gross, Cédric Villani, Abhijit V Banerjee and
SRS Varadhan (the 2007 Abel Prize winner for his contributions to probability theory and an alumnus of
the institute) may especially be mentioned.

The Institute has always had its headquarters in Kolkata since its inception. Later, the Delhi Centre,
initially housed within the Planning Commission premises, was started in 1974, and shifted to its present
campus in 1975. The Bengaluru Centre was conceived by Professor P C Mahalanobis during 1960s. With

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

the Statistical Quality Control unit functioning in Bengaluru from 1956, and Documentation Research
and Training Centre from 1962, Professor Mahalanobis thought of starting a centre of ISI at Bengaluru
around the mid-1960s. However, the process got delayed after Professor Mahalanobis’ death in 1972
and the activities of the Bengaluru Centre started in September 1978 in a rented building under the
Directorship of Professor G Kallianpur. The Bengaluru Centre was formally declared as a centre of ISI
in September 1996. The newly created Chennai Centre of the Institute, which came into being on July
26, 2008, and the North-East Centre at Tezpur, Assam, which was inaugurated on July 23, 2011, are
expected to carry out research in theory and applications of Statistics in the new areas of natural and
social sciences. The NE Centre is also committed to cater to the statistical needs of the North-Eastern
states, including training statistical personnel.

The formal empowerment of the Institute for awarding of degrees came in December 1959, when Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru piloted in the Parliament the enactment of the Indian Statistical Institute Act of 1959,
which designated ISI as an Institution of National Importance. Its activities steadily grew, existing
interests became more broad-based and a number of science units were created in the interest of live
interaction between Statistics and natural and social sciences. Empowered by the Act to award degrees,
the Institute introduced the Bachelor of Statistics (Honours) and Master of Statistics courses in 1960
under the guidance of Professor Mahalanobis and stalwarts like JBS Haldane and Satyendra Nath Bose
who was the President of the Institute for a long period of time, with the philosophy that the academic
training of a statistician should encompass the basic principles of Statistics along with its theoretical and
methodological development, not merely in abstract formulation, but also in relation to concrete problems
arising from natural and social sciences. The Institute also introduced research programmes leading to
the Ph D degree from the Institute. After the subsequent amendment of the Indian Statistical Institute
Act in 1995, broadening its scope of degree-awarding, the institute introduced other degree programmes,
namely, Master of Science (Quantitative Economics) (in 1996-97), Bachelor of Mathematics (Honours)
(in 2000-01), Master of Mathematics (in 2003-04).

A one-year Diploma in Computer Science was started in the Institute in 1966. This was upgraded to a
two-year Diploma in 1978, which evolved into the current M Tech programme in Computer Science in
1981, the first such programme in the country.

The Institute initiated the use of Statistical Quality Control & Operations Research in India in the early
fifties and started developing these fields through theoretical and applied research, practical training in
industry and consultancy assignments. To meet the growing needs from the industry, the institute offered
a PG Diploma course in SQC & OR and also offered SQC & OR (later ISOR) as a specialization in the M
Stat programme. The increased awareness since late eighties, that SQC & OR techniques are of immense
help in the development of the industrial sector, has led to the introduction of a two-year full-time M
Tech programme in Quality, Reliability & Operations Research in Kolkata in 1989.

The Institute has also been offering a course leading to Associateship in Documentation & Information

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Science at the Bengaluru Centre since 1965-66. This course has been upgraded to a Master’s level
programme, called the Master of Science in Library & Information Science [MS (LIS)], since 2008-09.

The R.C. Bose Centre for Cryptology and Security (RCBCCS) was established in ISI in the year 2012
with the aim of promoting interdisciplinary research in Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics
towards furtherance of teaching, research as well as training and development in Cryptology and Cyber
Security. Following a request from the National Security Council Secretariat, an M Tech programme in
Cryptology and Security was started at this Centre in 2018.

In addition, the programmes Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Methods and Analytics [PGDSMA],
Master of Science in Quality Management Science [MS (QMS)], Postgraduate Diploma in Business Ana-
lytics [PGDBA], Postgraduate Diploma in Agricultural and Rural Management with Statistical Methods
and Analytics [PGDARSMA] and Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics [PGDAS] are offered by the
Institute.
In an effort to teach and train students in statistical data science, the institute has launched a four-
year undergraduate course programme called Bachelor of Statistical Data Science [B SDS] from the
2024-25 academic year. The non-residential programme, which is offered at multiple locations in order
to be accessible to a wider group of students, focuses on applications of statistics in the industry and
different branches of the sciences, while imparting a solid knowledge and understanding on statistics and
probability.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

3 Current Academic Programmes

Table 1: Academic Programmes being offered in 2025-26

Programme Duration Location

B Stat (Hons) 3 years Kolkata
Bachelors
Degree

B Math (Hons) 3 years Bengaluru

B SDS (Hons) 4 years Kolkata, Delhi & Bengaluru

M Stat1 2 years Delhi - Kolkata

M Math 2 years Kolkata & Bengaluru
MS (QE) 2 years Delhi & Kolkata
Masters
Degree

MS (LIS) 2 years Bengaluru

MS (QMS)2 2 years Bengaluru - Hyderabad
M Tech (CS) 2 years Kolkata
M Tech (CrS) 2 years Kolkata
M Tech (QROR) 2 years Kolkata
Post-graduate Diploma in
1 year Chennai & Tezpur
Statistical Methods & Analytics
Postgraduate Diploma in
Diploma/Certificate

Agriculture & Rural Management 1 year Giridih

with Statistical Methods and Analytics
Postgraduate Diploma in Business Analytics3 2 years Kolkata
Part-time Course in SQC4 6 months Bengaluru, Chennai & Hyderabad
Postgraduate Diploma in Applied
1 year Coursera5
Statistics (Online Course)
Fellowships
Research

Junior/Senior Research Fellowship upto 6+1 Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Tezpur,
(see below for details) years Chennai, Giridih

1 Thefirst year classes of those selected through the Admission Test are held in Delhi.
2 Thefirst year classes are held in Bengaluru and the second year classes are held in Hyderabad.
3 This programme is offered jointly with IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta. Details are available at https://www.isical.

ac.in/~pgdba/.
4 For the academic year 2025-26, this programme will be notified separately, if offered.
5 Coursera at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/statistics-data-analytics-pgdip-isi

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Research Programmes I

The Institute awards PhD degrees for research in the fields (i) Statistics, (ii) Mathematics, (iii) Quanti-
tative Economics, (iv) Computer Science, (v) Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR).

Table 2: Locations of Research Programmes I: 2025-26

SUBJECT CENTRE/BRANCH
Statistics Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai
Mathematics Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore
Quantitative Economics Kolkata, Delhi
Computer Science6 Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai
Quality, Reliability & Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad
Operations Research (QROR)7

Research Programmes II

The Institute also offers Junior Research Fellowships in several areas of Natural Sciences and Social
Sciences, as mentioned in the table below. However, candidates applying for PhD in any area other than
the five subjects mentioned above need to register with other Universities/Institutes for their PhD degree.

Table 3: Locations of Research Programmes II: 2025-26

SUBJECT CENTRE/BRANCH
Physics and Applied Mathematics Kolkata
Geology Kolkata
Biological Science (Agriculture and Ecology, Environment Science) Kolkata, Giridih, Tezpur
Biological Science (Human Genetics) Kolkata
Linguistics Kolkata
Sociology Giridih
Library and Information Science Bangalore

6A JRF (CS) assigned to Bangalore or Chennai Centre may have to go to Kolkata for completing the necessary coursework.
7A JRF (QROR) assigned to Delhi or Hyderabad Centre may have to go to Kolkata for completing the necessary
coursework.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

4 Admission Channels

Some of the Academic Programmes have more than one channel of admission. The default Channel is
referred to as the ISI Test Channel. Admission through ISI Test Channel is conducted through a Written
Admission Test, followed by an Interview wherever applicable.

Each Channel has a designated number of seats. The seats may be of two types: Regular and Supernu-
merary. Seats in the ISI Test Channel are Regular, except in the B Stat and the B Math programmes,
in which there are supernumerary seats for female candidates. Reservation Policy is applicable to all
Regular seats and supernumerary seats for female candidates. Channels other than the ISI Test Channel
are referred to as Parallel Test Channels. The programmes for which there are one or more Parallel
Channel(s) of admission are listed in the table below.

Table 4: Programmes with Parallel Test Channels

Sr. No. Programme Names Parallel Channel Names Type of Seats

1. B. Math and B. Stat INMO Channel Supernumerary
2. MS (QMS) ISI Test Channel for Sponsored Candidates Supernumerary
3. M. Tech (QROR) (a) GATE Channel (a) Regular
(b) ISI Test Channel for Sponsored Candidates (b) Supernumerary
(c) Channel for GoI Sponsored candidates (c) Supernumerary
4. M. Tech (CS) (a) GATE Channel (a) Regular
(b) ISI Test Channel for Sponsored Candidates (b) Supernumerary
5. M. Tech (CrS) (a) GATE Channel (a) Regular
(b) ISI Test Channel for Sponsored Candidates (b) Supernumerary
(c) Channel for GoI Sponsored candidates (c) Supernumerary
6. JRF in Quantitative Economics Channel for ISI Master Students Regular
and Computer Science
7. PG Diploma in Statistical ISI Test Channel for domiciles Regular
Methods and Analytics of the NE States

There are no Written Admission Test(s) for the parallel channels other than the ISI Test Channels for
Sponsored Candidates and the ISI Test Channel for domiciles of the North East States. For detailed
information on each Channel of Admission, refer to the respective programmes in Section 7.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

5 Number of Seats
Table 5: Number of seats: Non-JRF programmes (2025-26)
Sl.No. Programme Total GEN OBC-NCL SC ST EWS PwD
1 B Stat Gender-neutral seats 63 23 17 9 5 6 3
‡
SSFC 16 6 5 2 1 1 1
INMO Channel 5 - - - - - -
2 B Math Gender-neutral seats 63 23 17 9 5 6 3
‡
SSFC 16 6 5 2 1 1 1
INMO Channel 5 - - - - - -
3 B SDS Kolkata 25
Delhi 25
Bengaluru 25
Total 75 28 20 12 5 7 3
4 M Stat 38* 14 10 6 3 3 2
5 M Math Kolkata 18
Bengaluru 18
Total 36* 13 10 5 3 3 2
6 MS QE Delhi 35
Kolkata 21
Total 56 21 15 8 4 5 3
7 MS QMS ISI Test Channel 20 7 5 3 2 2 1
Sponsored Candidates 2 - - - - - -
8 MS LIS 12 4 3 2 1 1 1
9 M Tech CS ISI Test Channel 30 11 8 5 2 3 1
GATE Channel§ 15 6 4 2 1 1 1
Sponsored Candidates 3 - - - - - -
10 M Tech CrS ISI Test Channel 20 7 5 3 2 2 1
GATE Channel§ 5 3 1 1
Sponsored Candidates 2 - - - - - -
GoI Sponsored@ 2 - - - - - -
11 M Tech QROR ISI Test Channel 24 9 6 4 2 2 1
GATE Channel§ 8 3 2 1 1 1 0
Sponsored Candidates 3 - - - - - -
GoI Sponsored@ 8 - - - - - -
12 PG DSMA Chennai 25
Tezpur 18
Total 43 16 12 7 3 3 2
Domicile Channel†† 18 7 5 3 1 1 1
13 PG DARSMA 18 7 5 3 1 1 1
14 PG DAS (Online) 30** 12 8 4 2 3 1

*Excludes the number of students getting direct admission from B Stat/ B Math
**Excludes the number of students admitted through Coursera and not getting tuition waiver.
@ GoI sponsored candidates to be admitted from the services of Government of India (refer to page no. 26).
§ The GATE Channel seats in a particular category, if unfilled, may be converted to ISI Test Channel seats in that category.
†† Reserved for domiciled candidates of the North-East states of India.
‡ Supernumerary seats for female candidates.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Table 6: Number of seats: Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) programmes (2025-26)

S.No. Programme Channel Total

1 JRF in Statistics ISI Test Channel 10
2 JRF in Mathematics ISI Test Channel 10
3 JRF in Quantitative Economics ISI Test Channel 7
Channel for ISI Master Students* 1
4 JRF in Computer Science ISI Test Channel 19
Channel for ISI Master Students* 2
5 JRF in Quality Reliability and ISI Test Channel 4
Operations Research
6 JRF in Physics and Applied Mathematics ISI Test Channel 3
7 JRF in Geology ISI Test Channel 2
8 JRF in Biological Science ISI Test Channel 3
(Agriculture and Ecology, Environment Science)
9 JRF in Biological Science ISI Test Channel 1
(Human Genetics)
10 JRF in Linguistics ISI Test Channel 1
11 JRF in Sociology ISI Test Channel 1
12 JRF in Library Science ISI Test Channel 1

*Seats belonging to the Channel for ISI Master students, if remain unfilled, will be transferred to ISI Test Channel.

On-spot admission. On-spot admissions will be conducted only once in a particular year of admission.
Seat allocation rule for multi-centre programmes.

• Step 1: Candidates admitted through the general merit list are tentatively allocated to the centres
as per the general merit list,

• Step 2: Allocation of centre for the reserved category candidates are finalized according to the
merit list of the relevant category.

The number of seats allocated to each category of applicants in different programmes of the Institute
is indicated in Table 5 in accordance with the Reservation Policy. The selection of candidates for the
allocated seats will take place according to the Admissions rules of the Institute for JRF, B Stat and
B Math, B SDS, M Tech (CS) and M Tech (CrS), other non-JRF applicants. If a supernumerary seat
cannot be filled, it will remain vacant.
The seats in the Junior Research Fellowship programmes are distributed over different locations of the
institute. A selected candidate will be placed at one of the centres depending on the Admission rules
of the institute for JRFs. These seats exclude those candidates who may be selected from awardees of
external junior research fellowships in the above disciplines.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

6 Procedure of Selection and Admission

Admission to the academic programmes of the Indian Statistical Institute is based strictly on the merit of
the candidates as judged from their performance in the corresponding admission tests and interviews as
applicable under the Selection Policy for B SDS, non-JRF (except B SDS) and JRF. Their past academic
records may also be taken into account for this purpose. The admission tests are held at a number of
centres in India. The next section gives details of scope, eligibility criteria and selection procedures for
the programmes offered. If at any stage of the selection process it is found that a candidate does not
satisfy the eligibility criteria, his/her application will not be processed any further.

If a student is asked to discontinue from a programme after being admitted, for having failed
or on any disciplinary ground, he/she is not eligible for readmission to the same programme.

For some programmes, there is a provision for employers to sponsor suitable candidates employed by
them. Details of this scheme are given separately under the appropriate programmes.

The decision of the Institute in all admission-related matters is final. Canvassing in any form disqualifies a
candidate from being selected. The Final Rank-ordered Merit Lists as well as results of various rounds of
counselling for admission (see Selection Policy as well as Admission Rules) are announced on the website
of the institute at https://www.isical.ac.in/~admission.

In case of interviews (if applicable), the Institute will provide travel support to SC/ST candidates and
economically backward candidates for attending the interview provided they are shortlisted for interview.
The candidates will be provided sleeper class rail or bus fare by the shortest route for attending interview.
A candidate must have an SC/ST certificate or a BPL card in order to be eligible for the support.

For admission to all its programmes, the Institute follows a reservation policy consistent with
the national policy on reservation for candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled
Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes - non creamy layer (OBC-NCL) categories, Persons with
Disabilities (PwD) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) (collectively referred to as reserved
categories). Furthermore, there are Supernumerary Seats for Female Candidates (SSFC) in the
B Stat and B Math programmes.

Note: Syllabi as well as sample questions for the Admission tests of the academic programmes
being offered by ISI in the current year can be downloaded from the ISI admission portal
https://www.isical.ac.in/~admission/.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

7 Academic Programmes: Scope, Eligibility and Selection Pro-

cedure

Eligibility conditions, as mentioned below for each of the academic programmes, reflect only minimum
requirements to apply to a particular programme. Merely satisfying the eligibility conditions does not
guarantee selection into the programme.

For all the programmes described below, those who have completed or are due to complete the qualifying
examinations for which results are not yet published, may also apply for admission. If selected, their
admission to an academic programme will be provisional pending the announcement of results. In such
cases, however, their applications may be cancelled if the final examinations are not completed before
July 21, 2025. The institute may decide to relax this date at its discretion.

7.1 Bachelor of Statistics (Honours) [B Stat (Hons)]

Scope This three-year degree programme offers comprehensive instruction in the theory, methods and
application of Statistics, in addition to several areas of Mathematics and some basic areas of Computer
Science. It also offers optional courses in some other subjects. It is so designed that, on successful
completion, the students will be able to pursue higher studies in areas of Statistics and Mathematics,
as well as Computer Science, Economics and allied fields, or take up careers as Statisticians in research
institutions and scientific laboratories, government departments or industries. This programme is offered
only at Kolkata.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have successfully
completed 10+2 years of Higher Secondary Education (or its equivalent) with Mathematics and English
as subjects.

Selection Procedure All applicants for this programme, except the INMO AWARDEES (see next
paragraph), will have to appear for two written tests comprising multiple-choice type and descriptive
questions in Mathematics at the 10+2 level. Please refer to the Selection Policy for details.

INMO Channel of Admission There is a separate provision for applicants who have been selected as
INMO AWARDEES to participate in the International Mathematics Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC)
in the years 2024 and 2025 based on their performance in the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad
(INMO), conducted by the National Board of Higher Mathematics, Department of Atomic Energy, Gov-
ernment of India. Such candidates are also required to apply through the Application Portal.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

The number of seats for INMO AWARDEES is supernumerary, subject to a maximum of 5 seats. There
will be no Written Test, and the selection to these supernumerary seats will be based on interview.
Merely holding an INMO Certificate of Merit from Homi Bhaba Centre for Science Education
(HBCSE) or clearing any Math Olympiad organised by any other organisation will not make a
candidate eligible for these supernumerary seats.

7.2 Bachelor of Mathematics (Honours) [B Math (Hons)]

Scope This three-year degree programme offers comprehensive instruction in basic Mathematics along
with basic courses in Probability, Statistics, Computing and Physics. It is so designed that, on successful
completion, the students will be able to pursue higher studies in the areas of Mathematics, Statistics,
Computer Science, Mathematical Physics, etc., or take up a career in applications of Mathematics. This
programme is offered only at Bengaluru.

Eligibility Same as that of the B Stat (Hons) programme.

Selection Procedure Same as that of the B Stat (Hons) programme.

INMO Channel of Admission Same as that for the B Stat (Hons) programme.

7.3 Bachelor of Statistical Data Science (Honours) [B SDS (Hons)]

Scope This four-year Bachelor (Hons.) programme on Statistical Data Science focuses on statistical
methodologies, with emphasis on statistical machine learning, computational statistics and data analytics.
The focus will be on applications of statistics in industry and different branches of sciences, with knowledge
and understanding of statistics and probability. On successful completion, students are expected to be
placed in industry, finance and banking sectors and other Govt./Non-Govt. sectors. They will be also
able to pursue higher studies.
There is an exit option after three years. Students leaving the program after successful completion of
the third year will receive the Bachelor of Statistical Data Science degree, but without the Honours
designation.

Students completing the four-year B SDS (Hons.) program can opt for an extra year of course work,
and those successfully completing the five-year program will receive the Integrated Masters Degree in
Statistical Data Science.

The program will be concurrently offered in three centres of the institute namely, Kolkata, Delhi,
Bengaluru. The courses will be taught in the hybrid mode with the teacher being present in one of

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

the centres and the other centres connected by video conferencing.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission, a student must have successfully completed 10+2 years
of Higher Secondary Education (or its equivalent)

(a) in 2024 or 2025,

(b) with (i) Mathematics / Applied Mathematics and (ii) English as subjects of study, and

(c) with at least 75% marks in aggregate.

Selection Procedure The admission to the Bachelor of Statistical Data Science (B SDS) programme
in 2025 will be based on the scores in either

(1) JEE Main 2025,

(2) JEE Main 2024,

(3) CUET (UG) 2025 (Mathematics as well as English), or

(4) CUET (UG) 2024 (Mathematics as well as English).

Please refer to the Selection Policy for details.

7.4 Master of Statistics [M Stat]

Scope This two-year programme offers advanced-level training in the theory, methods and applications
of Statistics along with specialised training in selected areas of Statistics and allied fields. On successful
completion of this programme, students will be able to pursue an academic/research career in Statistics,
Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science and allied fields, depending on their chosen area of special-
ization. They will also be able to work competently as Statisticians and specialists in research institutions
and scientific laboratories, government departments or industries. This programme is offered at Delhi
and Kolkata. Students selected after clearing the Admission Test do the first year of the programme
in Delhi and the second year in Kolkata. Those who get direct admission from B. Stat complete both
years of the programme in Kolkata.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have a Bachelor’s
degree of three or more years’ duration, in any discipline.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Selection Procedure Students with B Stat (Hons) degree from ISI are offered direct admission to this
programme without any selection test or interview. All other eligible candidates, including students with
a B Stat (Pass) degree from ISI, have to appear in a written admission test (please refer to the Selection
Policy for details of the selection process).

The written admission test is designed to assess competence in the theory and methods of Statistics and
comprehension in Mathematics, and has two parts:

• multiple-choice questions in Statistics and Mathematics at the undergraduate level in the first part,
and

• short-answer questions in Statistics and Mathematics at the undergraduate level in the second part.

Students with B Stat (Hons) degree from ISI who are directly admitted to this programme complete the
first year in Kolkata. Freshly selected candidates complete the first year in Delhi. The second year of the
programme is conducted in Kolkata for all students.

7.5 Master of Mathematics [M Math]

Scope This two-year programme offers advanced-level training in Mathematics. On successful com-
pletion of the programme, students will be able to pursue a research/ academic career in Mathematics.
Depending on the choice of the optional subjects, the students will also be able to work in the fields of
Probability Theory and Theoretical Computer Science. For the batch admitted in 2025, this programme
is offered at Kolkata and Bengaluru.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have a Bachelor’s
degree of three or more years’ duration, in any discipline.

Selection Procedure Students with B Math (Hons) degree from ISI are offered direct admission to this
programme without any selection test or interview. For all other eligible candidates, including students
with B Math (Pass) degree from ISI, please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection
process.

The admission tests will comprise multiple-choice questions in Mathematics in the first part and short-
answer type questions in Mathematics in the second part. The questions will be on Mathematics at a
level corresponding roughly to the Mathematics Honours/Major of Indian universities.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

7.6 Master of Science in Quantitative Economics [MS (QE)]

Scope This is a two-year advanced programme in Economics and its applications, with special emphasis
on quantitative methods. On successful completion of the programme, a student will be able to pursue
an academic career in Economics or take up responsible positions in various private and public sector
organisations. It is offered simultaneously at Kolkata and Delhi.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have a Bachelor’s
degree of three or more years’ duration, in any discipline.

Selection Procedure Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process. The
written admission tests will comprise multiple-choice and short answer type questions in both Economics
and Mathematics at the undergraduate level.

7.7 Master of Science in Quality Management Science [MS (QMS)]

Scope This is a two-year programme in Quality Management and its applications with a special em-
phasis on Quantitative Methods. It also includes Dissertation in the third semester and a live Project work
in the fourth semester under the direct guidance of the faculty. The programme offers a flexible format
for those who want to meet specific educational and career objectives. Students aspiring to undertake
this programme will enhance their career options by gaining the contemporary knowledge and perspective
required of Quality Analysts, Quality Managers and those who are responsible for one or more aspects of
quality improvement.

The first two semesters will be offered at Bengaluru whereas the third semester will be at Hyderabad.
The Project work in the fourth semester will be at a centre of the institute depending on the location of
the project assigned to the student.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have a Bachelor’s
degree of three or more years’ duration, in any discipline.

Selection Procedure The written admission tests will comprise multiple-choice and/or descriptive
questions in Mathematics at the undergraduate level. Please refer to the Selection Policy for details.

Channel for Sponsored Candidates There is a provision for sponsored candidates (by government,
semi-government and public sector undertakings) for this programme. General eligibility criteria and qual-

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

ifying degree for sponsored candidates are the same as those for the regular (non-sponsored) candidates.
However, the following clauses are applicable in the case of sponsored candidates:

1. A sponsored candidate must be from government/ semi-government/ government-aided, both na-

tional and international. Self-sponsored candidates are not eligible to apply.

2. Sponsored candidates will have to pay a tuition fee of Rs. 50,000 per semester. They are not
eligible for any scholarship/financial support from the Institute.

3. A sponsored candidate must have been in service of the sponsoring organization for at least two
years as on the date of admission to the programme. This two years of service experience must
have been gained by the candidate after acquiring the requisite qualifying degree of the programme
into which the candidate is seeking admission.

4. The sponsoring organization must specifically undertake to pay the necessary tuition fees to the
Institute and to relieve the candidate to pursue the programme for its full duration.

5. A certificate from the sponsoring organization, to the effects of points 3 and 4 above, must be
provided by the candidate at the time of applying for admission to the corresponding programme.

Selection procedure for sponsored candidates: For sponsored candidates, the procedure is the same as
that for regular candidates. However, the qualifying scores for these candidates at each stage of selection
(see Selection Policy) will be determined by relaxing the qualifying score for the General (unreserved)
category by 10%.

The number of seats to be allocated to sponsored candidates in a given programme is supernumerary,

subject to a maximum of 10% of the total number of seats for the programme.

7.8 Master of Science in Library and Information Science [MS (LIS)]

Scope This is a two-year advanced programme in Library and Information Science, with special em-
phasis on applications of information technology. On successful completion of this programme, a student
will be able to pursue an academic career or take up responsible positions in various private and public
sector organisations in the Library and Information fields. The objectives of this programme are to develop
manpower capable of

• effectively and efficiently working as information professionals at higher levels in libraries and infor-
mation centres;

• design and development of information systems;

• contributing to the discipline of Library and Information Science in terms of research and teaching.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

This programme is offered only at Bengaluru.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have a Bachelor’s
degree of three or more years’ duration, in any discipline.

Selection Procedure Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process.

7.9 Master of Technology in Computer Science [M Tech (CS)]

Scope This two-year programme is designed to provide a balance of theoretical and professional training
in Computer Science and Technology so that the students, on successful completion of the programme,
may take up

• a professional career in the technology of software for computer systems or specialised application
areas, or

• an academic career for further study and research in the fundamental and applied aspects of
Computer Science and Technology and related disciplines.

This programme is offered only at Kolkata.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

• a four-year B E / B Tech (or equivalent) degree in any stream or,

• a master’s degree in any subject and have passed Mathematics at the 10+2 level.

Selection Procedure The written tests consist of a multiple choice type test in Mathematics and
Computer Science at the B Sc level, and a subjective test consisting of two parts, the candidate having
to answer any one part:

CS Group: Computer Science at B E / B Tech level

Non-CS Group: Mathematics at the B Sc level and Engineering at B E / B Tech level

Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

GATE Channel of Admission In order to be eligible for admission through GATE Channel, the valid
GATE score (out of 1000) of the candidate must be at least the eligibility score (see Selection Policy of
GATE Channel for details). Final selection of such candidates would be based on their GATE scores and
their performance in the interview. These candidates are required to apply, like all other candidates, in
the prescribed application form.

Channel for Sponsored Candidates There is a provision for sponsored candidates (by government,
semi-government and public sector undertakings) for this programme. General eligibility criteria and qual-
ifying degree for sponsored candidates are the same as those for the regular (non-sponsored) candidates.
Other terms and conditions are identical to those for sponsored candidates for the MSQMS programme
(refer to clauses (1) - (5) under Section 7.7 in page no. 21).

7.10 Master of Technology in Cryptology and Security [M Tech (CrS)]

Scope This is a two year programme offered at Kolkata. The programme is designed to impart
in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge in the area of cryptology and information security. It is
designed to provide the basic background in mathematics, statistics and computer science followed by
specialized instructions on various theoretical and practical aspects of the field. The students on successful
completion of the programme, may take up

• a professional career in a industry/government organization which specializes in information security.

• an academic career to further study and research in theoretical and practical aspects of cryptology,
information security and related disciplines.

Eligibility Same as that of the M Tech programme in Computer Science.

Selection Procedure Same as that of the M Tech programme in Computer Science.

GATE Channel of Admission Same as that of the M Tech programme in Computer Science.

Channel for Sponsored candidates Same as that of the M Tech programme in Computer Science.

Sponsored candidates from the Services of the Government of India Selection is made through
the standard mechanism of the sponsoring organizations, with ISI experts participating at the interview
stage.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

7.11 Master of Technology in Quality, Reliability & Operations Research [M

Tech (QROR)]

Scope This is a full-time two-year programme and is offered only at Kolkata. It is intended to pro-
duce specialists in Statistical Quality Control, Reliability, Operations Research, and Quality Management
Systems. Enough background on computing technologies is provided to enable the students to use
technology effectively.

The programme is designed to offer adequate instruction in the theory and practice of the above disci-
plines. The objective is to equip students with the basic practical skills and sufficient theory to understand
the principles involved in the application and to inculcate in them the power of systematic thinking and
reasoning, practical approach and exposition. Every student, besides undergoing classroom instruction,
shall do practical work by way of case studies, dissertation or project work on live problems under the
guidance of the expert faculty members of ISI. On successful completion of this programme, the students
may take up either

• a professional career in the field of quality engineering and management in departments of gov-
ernment, semi-government, public/ private sector undertakings, industrial organizations, financial
sector, consultancy agencies, or

• an academic career for further study and research in theoretical and applied aspects of Quality,
Reliability and Operations research in organizations of higher learning and research institutions.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

(i) a Master’s Degree in Statistics with Physics and Chemistry at the (10+2) level; or

(ii) a Master’s Degree in Operations Research / Mathematics & Computing, with adequate knowledge
of Statistics & Probability at post-graduate level, and Physics and Chemistry at the (10+2) level;
or

(iii) a B E/B Tech degree.

The programme is offered in two streams:

• Statistics Stream for candidates with qualifications (i) or (ii) mentioned above;

• Engineering Stream for candidates with an undergraduate degree in Engineering or Technology

as in (iii) above.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Selection Procedure Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process for all
candidates, including sponsored ones.
The Admission Test is conducted in two sessions (forenoon and afternoon):

Session 1: a multiple-choice type of test in Mathematics at the undergraduate level;

Session 2: a descriptive test for the two streams as follows:

Part I: Candidates for both streams shall answer this part containing questions on mathematics.
Part II: It has two sections – one containing questions on statistics-probability is for Statistics
Stream, and the other has engineering questions for Engineering Stream.

GATE Channel of Admission In order to be eligible for admission through GATE Channel, the valid
GATE score (out of 1000) of the candidate in the relevant Test Paper (Statistics Test Paper for Statistics
Stream and any Engineering/Technology Test Paper for Engineering Stream) must be at least the
eligibility score (see Selection Policy of GATE Channel for details). Final selection of such candidates
would be based on their GATE scores and their performance in the interview. These candidates are
required to apply, like all other candidates, in the prescribed application form.

Channel for Sponsored candidates Same as that of the M Tech programme in Computer Science.

Sponsored candidates from the Services of the Government of India Selection is made through
the standard mechanism of the sponsoring organizations, with ISI experts participating at the interview
stage.

7.12 Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Methods and Analytics [PGDSMA]

Scope The programme is intended to provide students with a comprehensive training in basic theory
and applications of Statistical Methods and Analytics, in addition to some exposure to Mathematics and
Computer Science. It is so designed that on successful completion, the students will be able to take up
jobs as statisticians in such departments of government and industries where application of Statistics and
Analytics is required.

The total duration of this programme is one year. This year it is offered at Chennai and the ISI
North-East Centre, Tezpur.

This programme is open to candidates from all over India. However, Fifty percent (50%) of the total
number of seats at ISI North East (Tezpur) centre is reserved for the students domiciled in the
North-Eastern states of India.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Eligibility In order to be eligible for this programme one must have one of the following:

• a three-year Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline with Mathematics as a subject;

• a BE/B Tech degree or any other qualification considered equivalent (such as AMIE).

In order to be considered for admission to this programme at the ISI North-East Centre (Tezpur) as a
domiciled candidate, it is mandatory to have a valid certificate of domicile / certificate of permanent
residence in one of the North-Eastern states, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Megha-
laya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura from a competent authority (generally from the Office
of the Deputy Commissioner) which is valid for the purpose of Admission to Educational Institutes.

Selection Procedure Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process.
The admission test will comprise multiple-choice questions on Basic Mathematics.

7.13 Postgraduate Diploma in Agricultural and Rural Management with Sta-

tistical Methods and Analytics [PGDARSMA]

Scope The programme is intended to provide students with comprehensive training in agricultural
farm management, statistical methods and applications using R, computer operation and programming,
agricultural production and operations management, agribusiness and rural management. This unique
programme is so designed that on successful completion, the students will be able to take up jobs in rural
development organizations under Central and State governments, national and multinational companies
involved in agro-processing and agricultural business operation or supply chain management, international
and national level NGOs, development projects funded by government and non-government organizations,
agricultural and livelihood related projects, and rural banking sector amongst others.

The total duration of this programme is one year, and it is offered at the ISI Giridih Branch. There is
no stipend or tuition fee for the programme.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

• a three/four-year Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline with Mathematics/Statistics as a subject

studied at least at the (10+2) level.

Selection Procedure Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process.

The admission test will comprise multiple-choice questions on Mathematics (up to 12th standard), Logical
Reasoning, as well as English Grammar and Comprehension.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

7.14 Postgraduate Diploma in Business Analytics [PGDBA]

Scope The Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA) – jointly offered by ISI, IIT Kharag-
pur and IIM Calcutta – aims to help shape the emerging profession of business analytics by delivering a
cutting edge interdisciplinary educational experience to graduate applicants with an aspiration of building
a career in this field. PGDBA is a two year full time diploma programme, specially designed to create
business analytics professionals employable by leading Indian and foreign firms. Students successfully
graduating from this programme will have options to join organizations working in the area of analytics,
or pursue doctoral or other advanced studies in this area.

See https://www.isical.ac.in/~pgdba/ for further details.

7.15 Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics [PGDAS] (provided online

through Coursera)

Scope This online course is meant for individuals who are, or plan to be, involved in the processes of
generation, interpretation and management of official data, but are possibly without a formal background
in statistics. It aims to impart relevant statistical and computational skills along with basic domain
knowledge. The digital mode of the course makes it accessible to working professionals. On successful
completion of the course, a student is expected to be better equipped for playing a meaningful role in
evidence based policy making and policy research.
This will be a paid course, with provision of tuition waiver. The total duration of this programme is one
year.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for this programme one must have a graduate degree in any subject
and mathematics at the (10+2 or equivalent) level.

Selection Procedure Students of this course will be selected, on the basis of their mathematical skills,
through (a) an online test administered through Coursera, or (b) a written test conducted by ISI.
Two batches of students will be selected every year through channel (a), and only one batch through
channel (b). Some candidates shortlisted from channel (b) will be offered tuition waiver on the basis of
subsequent interview. Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process of ISI.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

7.16 Junior Research Fellowships (JRF)

The institute offers Junior Research Fellowships in several disciplines, out of which it grants PhD degree
only in Statistics, Mathematics, Quantitative Economics, Computer Science, and Quality, Reliability &
Operations Research (QROR). Candidates applying for PhD in any area other than the above-mentioned
five subjects need to register with other Universities/Institutes for their PhD degree.

7.16.1 JRF in Statistics, Mathematics, Quantitative Economics, Computer Science, and Qual-
ity, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR)

Scope The Institute offers Junior Research Fellowships in Statistics, Mathematics, Quantitative Eco-
nomics, Computer Science, and Quality, Reliability and Operations Research (QROR). A candidate ad-
mitted as a Junior Research Fellow, and applying for registration for Ph D in the relevant discipline, will
generally be required to successfully complete mandatory course-work involving at least five courses from
the list of courses for that discipline. He/she is expected to engage in original research work in one of
the above areas under the guidance of a supervisor appointed by the Institute, culminating in a doctoral
thesis to be submitted for the Ph D degree of the Institute. Candidates making satisfactory progress
towards the above goal are eligible to register for the Ph D degree of ISI (see Section 8.1, in page no. 38).
At the end of the second year, the Junior Research Fellows are assessed for the award of Senior Research
Fellowships. The total duration of Junior and Senior Research Fellowships shall not exceed 6+1 years.

Location The names of the respective centres where research fellowships in a particular subject are
being offered this year are given below.

• Statistics Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai.

• Mathematics Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore.

• Quantitative Economics Kolkata, Delhi.

• Computer Science Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai. [A JRF assigned to Bangalore or Chennai

centre may have to go to Kolkata for completing the necessary coursework.]

• Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR) Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad. [A JRF
assigned to Delhi or Hyderabad centre may have to go to Kolkata for completing the necessary
coursework.]

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Eligibility and Selection

Mathematics In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

• an M Math/ M Stat degree from ISI, or

• an MA/ M Sc or equivalent degree in Mathematics, or

• an ME/ M Tech degree or equivalent with Mathematics as a subject.

Applicants will have to appear for two written tests. Selection is based on the Written Admission Test
and Interview.

Statistics In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

• an M Stat/ M Math degree from ISI, or

• an MA/M Sc or equivalent degree in Statistics.

Applicants will have to appear for two written tests. Selection is based on the Written Admission Test
and Interview.

Quantitative Economics In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must
have

• a Master’s degree in any discipline with Economics/ Mathematics/ Statistics as a subject at the
undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Applicants will have to appear for two written tests. Selection is based on the Written Admission Test
and Interview.

Admission Channel for ISI Master Degree students In order to apply through this channel, the candi-
date must be a current or former student of ISI in the corresponding Master Degree programme, namely
MS QE degree programme, subject to satisfying the following conditions:

1. Same as that for JRF in Mathematics programme.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

2. The student has qualified within the previous two years in one of the following national written
examinations: CSIR-UGC NET (JRF) in Mathematical Sciences, NBHM (JRF) or UGC-NET in
Economics.

Selection is based on Interview.

Computer Science In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

• an ME/ M Tech or equivalent Master’s degree in Electronics/ Telecommunication/ Radio Physics/

Computer Science/ Electrical Engineering/ Microwave Communications/ Information Technology/
Bioinformatics/ Biotechnology with Mathematics as a subject at the undergraduate or postgraduate
level, or

• an M Stat/ M Sc/ MCA/ MA or equivalent Master’s degree in Physics/ Mathematics/ Applied

Mathematics/ Statistics/ Electronic Sciences/ Computer Science/ Atmospheric Science/ Informa-
tion Technology/ Bioinformatics/ Biotechnology with Mathematics as a subject at the undergrad-
uate or postgraduate level.

Applicants will have to appear for two written tests. Selection is based on the Written Admission Test
and Interview.

Admission Channel for ISI Master Degree students In order to apply through this channel, the candi-
date must be a current or former student of ISI in the corresponding Master Degree programme, namely
M Tech (CS) degree programme, subject to satisfying the following conditions:

1. Same as that for JRF in Mathematics programme.

2. The student has qualified within the previous two years in the CSIR-UGC NET (JRF) in Mathe-
matical or Physical Sciences, or has a valid GATE (CS/DA/EC/EE/MA/PH/ST/BT) score or a
valid JEST (PH/TCS) rank and the rank/score in any of these qualifying examinations is at least
as good as the cutoff pre-declared by the JRF Selection Committee.

Selection is based on Interview.

Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR) In order to be eligible for admission to this
programme, an applicant must have

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

• an M Tech/ ME/ MS or equivalent degree in Quality/ Reliability/ Operations Research/ Industrial

Engineering/ Production Engineering/ Mechanical Engineering, or

• a Master’s degree in Statistics / Mathematics / Operations Research / Data Science with Mathe-
matics as a subject at the postgraduate level.

Applicants will have to appear for two written tests. Selection is based on the Written Admission Test
and Interview. Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process.

Note: ISI offers PhD degrees only in the five areas mentioned in Table 2. Candidates who have been
awarded a Junior Research Fellowship in the five aforementioned areas by NBHM/ CSIR/ UGC/ ICMR/
DBT/Inspire based on a nationally conducted written Test, may be selected for admission to the PhD
programme of ISI based on a separate written test followed by an interview conducted by the relevant
JRF selection committee of the institute. Details will be announced on the Admission website https:
//www.isical.ac.in/~admission/.

Procedure for admission to the PhD programme of ISI for applicants with externally-funded
research fellowships, where the thesis is expected to be submitted to other institutions: Awardees
of NBHM/ CSIR/ UGC/ ICMR/ DBT/ Inspire Junior Research Fellowships seeking admission to such
PhD programmes may send applications with relevant documents to the respective Unit Head throughout
the year. The prospective candidate should check the website of the concerned Unit for the selection
process and deadline of application for each round of selection and any other relevant information.

Current Research Interests at Different Centres

KOLKATA

Statistics: Asymptotic Theory in Statistics, Decision Theory, Statistical Inference: parametric, non-
parametric and semi-parametric, Bayesian Analysis, Model Selection, Resampling Plans, Sequential Anal-
ysis, Sequential Plan, Multivariate Analysis, Parametric/ Non-parametric Regression Analysis, Robust-
ness, Minimum Distance Methods, Discrete and Categorical Data Analysis, Linear Models, Parametric/
Non-parametric Discriminant Analysis, Biostatistics, Environmental Data Analysis, Survival Analysis, Re-
liability, Directional Data Analysis, Growth Curve Modelling, Exploratory Data Analysis, Ranking and
Selection, Constructional and Combinatorial Aspects of Designs, Optimal Designs, Sampling Theory and
Surveys, Small Area Estimation, Inference in High Dimensional Models. Applications of Statistics in
Geology, Agriculture, Social Sciences and Industrial (Quality) Engineering; GIS Applications, Statistical
Computation, Cryptology, Statistical Pattern Recognition, Image Analysis, HIV/AIDS Modelling. Clinical
Trial, Majorisation, Brain Mapping.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Mathematics: Algebraic Topology, Differential Topology, Dynamical systems, Algebraic Geometry, Com-
mutative Algebra and Affine Algebraic Geometry, Functional Analysis, Geometry of Banach Spaces, Spec-
tral Theory of Differential Operators, Non-commutative Geometry, Harmonic Analysis, Wavelet Analysis,
Number theory. Stochastic Processes, Probability Inequality, Large Deviations, Stochastic Calculus, Fi-
nancial Mathematics, Markov Chains, Diffusion, Limit Theorems, Stochastic Approximations, Random
Matrices, Extreme Value Theory, Heavy Tails and Long Range Dependence.

Quantitative Economics: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, International Trade, Development Eco-

nomics, Welfare Economics, Game Theory, Voting Theory, Contract Theory, Industrial Organisation,
Financial Economics, Finance, Convergence, Social Choice, Political Economy, Public Economics, Eco-
nomic Growth, Indian Economic Problems, Agricultural Economics, Environmental Economics, Time
Series Econometrics, Financial Econometrics, Empirical/Applied Econometrics, Poverty and Inequality,
Polarisation, Experimental Economics, Economics of Conflict, Public Choice, Social Economics, Analyti-
cal Marxism, Theories of Distributive Justice.

Computer Science: Computer Networks – ad hoc, Wireless Sensor, Wireless Mesh, UMTS Network
Design; Parallel and Distributed Computing, Mobile Computing, Cluster Computing, Parallel/Distributed
Architectures and Algorithms; Nanotechnology and Giga-scale Integration, Electronic Design Automa-
tion Algorithms and Testing, Biochips and Nano-biosystems, Intellectual Property Protection of SoCs,
Quantum Computing, Fault Tolerance; Computational Geometry, Graph Theory, Combinatorial Opti-
misation, Algorithms and Computational Complexity; Computational Molecular and Systems Biology,
Bioinformatics; Pattern Recognition, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Web Intelligence and Web
Mining, Social Network Analysis, Text Mining, Data Mining, Information Retrieval, Natural Language
Processing, Computational Linguistics; Computer Vision, Cognitive Vision, Digital Document Process-
ing, Image and Video Processing, Content-based Image Retrieval, Computer Graphics, Biomedical Image
Processing, Video Surveillance; Speech and Signal Processing; Artificial Neural Nets, Case Based Rea-
soning, Evolutionary Computing, Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Fuzzy Control, Granular Computing, Soft
Computing, Computing with Words, Rough Sets, Swarm Intelligence, DNA-Computing; Mathematical
Morphology, Fractals, Wavelets; Artificial Immune System, Neurodynamics; Digital Watermarking; At-
mospheric Science, Remote Sensing; Theory and Applications of Cellular Automata; Cryptology, Coding
Theory, Information Theory, Perception Engineering, Computational Neuroscience.

Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR): Simulation and Optimization in Supply Chain,
Reliability.

DELHI

Statistics: Computational biology. High-dimensional data. Penalised regression. Resampling methods.

Reliability. Non-linear regression. Non-parametric inference. Statistical computing. Statistical graphics.
Statistical signal processing. Surrogate data. Survival analysis. Network data.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Mathematics: Operator algebras, quantum groups, noncommutative geometry, operator theory and ma-
trix theory, quantum information theory, mathematical biology, partial differential equations, nonlinear
and geometric analysis, Diophantine equations, binary recurrence sequences, irreducibility of polynomials
and Galois groups, arithmetic dynamics, prime numbers and the number-theoretic aspects of cryptog-
raphy, probability, stochastic processes and applications, random graphs, probability on trees, recursive
distributional equations, particle systems and percolation theory, random walks in random environments.

Quantitative Economics: Optimisation Theory, Game Theory and Applications, Mechanism Design,
Auction Theory, Choice Theory, Industrial Organisation, International Trade and Finance, Macroeconomic
Theory, Growth Theory and Empirics, Applied Econometrics, Political Economy, Empirical and Theo-
retical Development Economics, Economics of Education, Health Economics, Agricultural Economics,
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Experimental Economics, Economics of Terrorism and
Conflict.

Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR): Reliability, Survival analysis, data quality Inte-
gration, Extreme value statistics.
BENGALURU

Statistics: Financial Statistics, Functional Data Analysis, Time Series Analysis, Bayesian Inference.

Mathematics: Algebraic Geometry, Arithmetic Geometry, Algebraic Groups and related structures, Cod-
ing Theory, Commutative Algebra, Operads, Finite Geometry, Number Theory, Topology, Complex Ge-
ometry, Differential Geometry, Complex Analysis, Probability Theory, Stochastic Processes, Diffusion
Processes, Martingale Problems, Interacting Particle Systems, Probability Measures on Groups, Ergodic
Theory, Dynamical Systems, Functional Analysis, Operator Theory, Operator Algebras, Quantum Prob-
ability, Hilbert Modules, Quantum Information Theory.

Computer Science: Mathematical Morphology, Digital Geometry, Earth Systems Science, Spatial Infor-
matics, Theoretical GISci and Geocomputation, Satellite Remote Sensing Data Analysis, Digital Image
Processing, Digital Geographics, Modelling the behavior Complex Terrestrial Systems via Chaos and
Bifurcation Theories, Fractals and Multifractals. Neuroinformatics: Interface between brain science and
computer science from signal processing, information theory and coding theory point of view with realistic
applications in experimental and clinical sciences. Equal emphasis is on quantitative science and medical
science. Information Granulation, Granular Computing, Pattern Recognition, Machine Learning, Image
and Video Processing, Soft Intelligence Computing, Computational Intelligence.

Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR): SQC, SPC, Control charts, Process capability
analysis, Quality engineering with Data Mining and Machine Learning.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

CHENNAI

Computer Science: Logic and Games, Formal epistemology; Graph theory and Graph Algorithms;
Cryptology and Computer Algebra.

Statistics: Survival Analysis and nonparametric inference.

MUMBAI

Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR): Six sigma, SQC, SPC, Process capability anal-
ysis.

GIRIDIH

Biological Sciences: Plant-pest interaction, ecology and management of invasive weeds; soil and water
pollution and remediation strategies, waste management, and studying soil health and microorganisms.

TEZPUR

Computer Science: Digital Image Processing, Remote Sensing, Image Analysis, Pattern Recognition.

Biological Sciences: Environmental Sciences, Environmental exposure and health, Climate change.

HYDERABAD

Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR): Polynomial optimization, Multi-objective opti-
mization, Supply Chain Optimization.

7.16.2 Research Fellowships (JRF) in Other Subjects

Scope The Institute also offers Junior Research Fellowships in several areas of the Natural Sciences and
the Social Sciences. However, candidates working for Ph D in any area other than the five mentioned
in Section 7.16 need to register with other Universities/Institutes for their Ph D degree. A student
is initially admitted as a Junior Research Fellow. After two years of satisfactory progress including
successful completion of mandatory course work, Junior Research Fellows are assessed for the award of
Senior Research Fellowships. The combined duration of the Junior and Senior Research Fellowships is
6+1 years. The areas in which the Institute wants to recruit JRFs this year and the respective eligibility
conditions for applying for admission are as follows:

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

(a) Physics and Applied Mathematics

Areas: Physics and Applied Mathematics

Eligibility:

• A Master’s or equivalent degree in Physics/ Mathematics/ Applied mathematics/ Statistics

• or an M.E./ M. Tech or equivalent degree with Mathematics and Physics as subjects.

Currently offered in: Kolkata

(b) Geology

Area: Geology
Eligibility: An M.Sc. degree in Geology or in an equivalent subject with minimum 55% marks in
aggregate.

Currently offered in: Kolkata

(c) Biological Science

1. Areas: Agricultural and Ecological Research, Environment Science

Eligibility: an M.Sc. in Agricultural Entomology/ Plant Pathology/ Agriculture Biotechnology/
Biotechnology/ Botany/ Biochemistry/ Microbiology/ Environmental Sciences/ Life Sciences/ Zo-
ology from a recognized University with good academic record
Currently offered in: Kolkata, Giridih and Tezpur

2. Area: Human Genetics

Eligibility: an M Sc or equivalent degree in Biochemistry / Biotechnology / Genetics / Molecular
Biology / Life Sciences / Zoology
Currently offered in: Kolkata

(d) Sociology

Areas: Agrarian studies, Tribal studies, Rural development.

Eligibility: an M A/M Sc or equivalent Master’s degree in Sociology/Anthropology with specialization
in Social Anthropology
Currently offered in: Giridih

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

(e) Library and Information Science

Areas: Library and Information Science

Eligibility: an MS (LIS) awarded by ISI or Associateship in Documentation and Information Science
(awarded by ISI or NISCAIR/INSDOC) or its equivalent degree (such as Master’s degree in Library and
Information Science from any Indian/Foreign University)
Currently offered in: Bengaluru

(f) Linguistics

Area: Corpus Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Lan-
guage Documentation and Digitization

Eligibility: BA (Honours) in Linguistics/English and MA (First Class) in Linguistics with specialization

in Morphology/ Semantics/Corpus Linguistics/Natural Language Processing/Computational Linguistics/
Applied Linguistics/Lexicography/Language Digitization/Machine Translation.

Currently offered in: Kolkata

Selection Procedure All applicants will have to appear for written tests. Selection is based on the
Written Admission Test and Interview.
Please refer to the Selection Policy for details of the selection process.

Past academic records may also be taken into consideration8 .

Procedure for admission to the PhD programme of ISI for applicants with externally-funded
research fellowships, where the thesis is expected to be submitted to other institutions: Awardees
of NBHM/ CSIR/ UGC/ ICMR/ DBT/ Inspire Junior Research Fellowships seeking admission to such
PhD programmes may send applications with relevant documents to the respective Unit Head throughout
the year. The prospective candidate should check the website of the concerned Unit for the selection
process and deadline of application for each round of selection and any other relevant information.

8 For
an applicant receiving education outside of India, whether the applicant satisfies the eligibility criteria for a pro-
gramme will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

8 Doctoral Degrees

8.1 Doctor of Philosophy [Ph D]

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded to a candidate for original contribution in a chosen field of
research in the areas: Statistics, Mathematics, Quantitative Economics, Computer Science, and Quality,
Reliability & Operations Research (QROR). For this purpose, it is necessary for any candidate to register
for this degree under a supervisor and subsequently submit a thesis embodying his/her research work for
evaluation by a panel of examiners.

Eligibility conditions for registration as a candidate for the Ph D degree of Indian Statistical Institute are
available in https://www.isical.ac.in/~deanweb/PhDRules_updated.pdf.

All correspondence regarding registration and other matters connected with Ph D degrees may be ad-
dressed to the Convener of the Ph D – D Sc Committee of the concerned discipline at the address: C/o
Dean’s Office, Indian Statistical Institute, 203, B T Road, Kolkata 700 108.

8.2 Doctor of Science [D Sc]

This is an award for outstanding published work.

Eligibility The D Sc degree is awarded only in exceptional cases on the basis of outstanding published
work. Only those who satisfy one of the following requirements are considered for the award.

(i) B Stat (Hons)/B Math (Hons) degree or the Statistician’s diploma of the Indian Statistical Institute
and at least eight years of independent research work in Statistics.

(ii) M Stat degree or Certificate of successful completion of the Two/Three year Advanced Statistician’s
Course of the Indian Statistical Institute and at least four years of independent research.

(iii) Ph D degree of the Indian Statistical Institute and at least two years of subsequent research.

(iv) At least eight years of research work in the field of Statistics after the Bachelor’s degree of a
recognized university or institute of which at least one year of work must be at the Indian Statistical
Institute.

All correspondence regarding registration and other matters connected with D Sc degrees may be ad-
dressed to Convener, Ph D – D Sc Committee, C/o Dean’s Office, Indian Statistical Institute, 203, B T
Road, Kolkata 700 108.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

9 Other Information for Prospective Students

For all the regular on-campus degree and diploma programmes, each academic year is divided into two
semesters separated by a short break. The first semester (Semester I) for all the programmes usually
starts in July/August and ends in November/December. The second semester (Semester II) starts in
January and, for all the programmes other than the two M Tech programmes and MS (QMS), usually
ends in May. For the two M Tech programmes and MS (QMS), Semester II usually ends in June, after
summer training for M Tech (CS) and field training for M Tech (QROR) and MS (QMS). Classes are
held on weekdays (Monday to Friday) during designated class hours.

Students’ Brochure

Details of the courses along with the rules and regulations pertaining to the academic programmes
of the Institute are given in the Students’ Brochure. A periodically updated version of the Students’
Brochure is available on the internet at https://www.isical.ac.in/~deanweb/academic.html in a
downloadable PDF format.

Note: The Institute reserves the right to make changes in course structure, selection procedure,
etc. as and when needed.

Stipends, Fellowships, Allowances and Prizes

All non-sponsored students and research fellows admitted to various degree programmes and the domicile
students of the Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Methods and Analytics programme receive stipends,
fellowships and book/contingency grants as given below. OCI applicants, if selected, will not be entitled
to stipend. Non-sponsored candidates are not required to pay any tuition fee for any of the programmes.
Stipends are granted in the first instance for one semester only. They are renewed every semester if
the progress of the student is found satisfactory. Stipend/ Fellowship granted to a student may be
reduced or completely withdrawn if the academic progress, attendance in class, or character
and conduct of the student are not found satisfactory. Details of the rules pertaining to this are
available in the appropriate Students’ Brochure. At the end of each semester, prizes are also awarded for
outstanding performance in examinations.

Tuition Fees

Bachelor of Statistical Data Science is a paid programme. The tuition fee for this programme is Rs.
1 lakh per semester. There will be provision for partial and full waiver of tuition fees:
- Full waiver of tuition fee for SC-ST /PwD candidates

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Table 7: Stipends, Fellowships and Allowances

Stipend/ Contingency
PROGRAMME Fellowship Grant
per month (Rs.) per year (Rs.)
B Stat (Hons)/B Math (Hons) 5000 5000
M Stat/M Math/MS(QE)/MS(LIS)/MS(QMS) 8000 8000
M Tech (CS)/M Tech (CrS)/M Tech (QROR) 12400 8000
Post-Graduate Diploma in 3000 * 3000 *
Statistical Methods and Analytics
Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) 37000 20000
+ HRA as per rules
Senior Research Fellowship (SRF)† 42000 20000
+ HRA as per rules

*Only for students domiciled in the North-Eastern States of India

† After two years as JRF

- Full/partial waiver based on family income: In particular,

- (a) full (100%) remission of tuition fee for students whose family income is less than Rs. 1 lakh per
annum;
- (b) partial (66.67%) remission of tuition fee for students whose family income is between Rs. 1 lakh
per annum and Rs. 5 lakh per annum, both inclusive.

Other Academic Fees

Besides tuition, the Bachelor of Statistical Data Science programme has other academic fees manda-
tory for all students (to be paid every semester), the details of which can be found here.

Disciplinary Policy

Every student of the Institute is expected to observe the normal discipline of the Institute and shall
not indulge in cheating in the examinations, unruly behaviour or any other act of indiscipline or unlaw-
ful/unethical/indecent behaviour. There are also specific attendance requirements that the students are
expected to meet, details of which are mentioned in the Students’ Brochure. Violations of these are
likely to attract punishments such as withdrawal of stipend, withholding of promotion/award of degree,
and/or expulsion from the hostel/Institute.

40
Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Ragging is banned in the Institute. If any incident of ragging comes to the notice of the
authorities, the concerned student will be given an opportunity to explain his/her action(s), and
if the explanation is not found to be satisfactory, he/she may be expelled from the Institute.
The punishment may also take the shape of

(i) suspension from the Institute for a limited period,

(ii) suspension from classes for a limited period,

(iii) withholding of stipend/fellowship or other benefits,

(iv) withholding of results,

(v) suspension or expulsion from hostel.

National laws governing ragging are also applicable to the students of the Institute.

Hostel

The Institute has hostels for the students in its premises in Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
The campus at Giridih also has rudimentary hostel facilities. A nominal rent is charged per month for
accommodation. Students are responsible for payment of food charges. However, it may not be possible
to accommodate all degree/ diploma students in the hostels. Limited medical facilities are available free
of cost at all campuses. OCI applicants, if selected, will not be entitled to Hostel accommodation.
Students joining the B SDS programme at ISI Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore, and the PGDSMA
programme at ISI Chennai and at the ISI NE Centre (Tezpur) in 2025-26 will have to make
their own arrangements for accommodation since the Institute will not be able to provide hostel
facilities.

Placement of Students

Students who have undergone the B Stat (Hons), B Math (Hons), M Stat, M Math, MS (QE), M Tech
(CS), M Tech (CrS), M Tech (QROR) and other degree, diploma/ certificate programmes of the Institute
and those having the Ph D degree of the Institute either get opportunities to join research programmes in
India and abroad, or get placed in attractive positions in the industry or government departments. The
master’s degree programmes in the Institute have close to 100% placement record. Most of the students
of the Institute get employment offers or admission to some Ph D programmes even before they complete
the qualifying degree examinations.

There is a Placement Committee in Kolkata, which arranges campus interviews by prospective employers.
Campus interviews are also organised at the Delhi and Bengaluru Centres.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

10 Application Procedure

All Indian Citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), who obtained their OCI card on or
before 4th March 2021, are eligible to apply.

At the time of registration a candidate has to choose the Applicant Type which is applicable for him/her:

• Citizen of India

• Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) who obtained their OCI card on or before 4th March 2021

The eligibility and selection criteria for the different channels is given in Tables 8 and 9.

Table 8: Eligibility and selection criteria for the Regular seats

Channel Admissible Citizenship/ Eligibility Selection
name programmes domicile status criteria criteria
ISI Test All programmes Indian citizens For OCIs, card ISI admission test,
Channel and OCIs issued on Interview (if applicable)
or before
4 March 2021
GATE M Tech (CS) Indian citizens Valid GATE Gate score
Channel M Tech (CrS) score and Interview
M Tech (QROR)
ISI Test PGDSMA Domiciles Certificate of ISI admission test,
Channel for of NE states Permanent Residence/ Interview
NE domiciles Domicile
Channel for JRF in Mathematics, Indian citizens ISI Master’s Interview
ISI Master Quantitative degree students
students Economics and qualified in a
Computer science National level
JRF written test

P.S. Reservation policy is applicable for the Regular seats.

Applicants are advised to study the prospectus carefully and satisfy themselves that they are eligible
for admission to the academic programme for which they are applying. If at any stage it is found that
a candidate does not satisfy the eligibility conditions or the information furnished in the application is
incorrect, the application will be cancelled. Those who have completed or are due to complete the

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Table 9: Eligibility and selection criteria for the Supernumerary seats

Channel Admissible Citizenship/ Eligibility Selection
name programmes domicile status criteria criteria
INMO B Stat and Indian citizens INMO certificate Interview
Channel B Math
ISI Test MS QMS, Indian citizens Sponsorship ISI admission test,
Channel for M Tech (CS), by employer interview
Sponsored M Tech (CrS) and
candidates M Tech (QROR)
Channel for M Tech (CrS) and Indian citizens GoI sponsorship Interview
GoI sponsored M Tech (QROR)
candidates

P.S. Reservation policy is not applicable for the Supernumerary seats.

qualifying examinations for which results are not yet published, may also apply for admission; if selected,
their admission to an academic programme will be provisional pending the announcement of results. In
such cases, however, their applications may be cancelled if the final examinations are not completed before
July 21, 2025. The institute may decide to relax this date at its discretion. Readmission will be allowed,
through usual process, to students who have been asked to discontinue due to poor performance or who
have voluntarily withdrawn. In case of such a readmission, the maximum period for which a student
will get a stipend from the Institute is the minimum period that is necessary to fulfil all requirements of
the programme. If a student is asked to discontinue from an ISI programme on any disciplinary ground,
he/she is not eligible for readmission to any programme.

In order to avail the benefits of the Reservation Policy, the eligible candidates are required to upload the
Category Certificate and/or PwD certificate in support of their application. Candidates applying for the
PGD SMA programme through the channel for Domiciles of North East States must upload a Certificate
of Permanent Residence or Domicile.
Validity of EWS and OBC-NCL certificate, Permanent Resident/ Domicile certificate and PwD
certificate:

• Category certificates (EWS and OBC-NCL), Permanent Resident/ Domicile Certificate for domiciles
of North-East states of India and PwD certificates must be valid on the day of the ISI Admission
Test scheduled on 11 May 2025.

• At the time of application, the candidates must upload a document that will remain valid on the
day of the ISI Admission Test to be held on 11 May 2025.

• The candidates will be given an opportunity to update the Category related information (EWS,

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

OBC-NCL status), North-East domicile status and PwD information during 13-14 May, 2025 after
the ISI admission test.

If a programme is offered at multiple locations, the applicant for that programme is asked to choose
locations in order of preference. If selected, he/she will be allocated a location according to these
preferences depending on availability as per merit list.

Applicants who apply through ISI Test Channels must take Admission Test at one of the test cities in
India (see Table 11, in page no. 46). A candidate, if eligible, may apply through more than one Channel.
The applications will be treated separately. The candidate will have to pay an application fee for each of
the applications.

All the applications for admission to the programmes being offered by Indian Statistical Institute
in the academic year 2025-26 must be done ONLINE through the ISI Admission Portal the link
to which is available at https://www.isical.ac.in/~admission.

The applicant must initially register at the ISI Application Portal. An account will be created for the
applicant in the portal, through which s/he can conveniently fill up the application form and also make
payment of the application fee after submission of the form. After completion of application, the applicant
will be able to pay the application fee through the payment gateway. Payment can be made in the online
mode (See application portal for details).
Once the candidate has registered in the Application Portal, verified the e-mail address, filled up Category
information and chosen an Academic Programme, the portal will show only the relevant Admission
Channels to the candidate.

Application Fee

Table 10: Application Fee for the year 2025

1 Rs 1500.00 for all male applicants, who are Indian citizens, in the general category,
2 Rs 1000.00 for all female candidates, who are Indian citizens, in the general category
3 Rs 750.00 for applicants, who are Indian citizens, belonging to SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/
Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories,
4 Rs 1500.00 for all Overseas Citizens of India.
Applicants may have to pay an additional amount towards bank charges.

Application fee is waived for candidates who apply through the Channel for ISI Master Degree students.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Admit Card: All applicants who have paid the application fee successfully will will be able to download
the admit card from 14 April 2025, from the Dashboard of their account at the application portal. The
admit card will contain the name, photograph, signature and registration number of the candidate, test
centre, test code and the date of test. The applicants will be required to carry hard copies of the admit
card to the test centres on the day of the Admission Test.
In all subsequent correspondence, the applicant should quote the Registration Number without
which no correspondence will be entertained.

Information about the Admission process and policy can be obtained by the following the links
given below.

• Reservation Policy

• Selection Policy for non-JRF programmes

• Selection Policy for JRF programmes

• Selection Policy for admission to M Tech (CS), M Tech (CrS) and M Tech (QROR)
through GATE Channel

• Selection Policy and Business Rules for the B SDS admission

• Business Rules for B Stat and B Math admission

• Business Rules M Tech (CS) and M Tech (CrS) admission

• Business Rules for non-JRF admission, other than B Stat, B Math, B SDS, M Tech (CS)
and M Tech (CrS)

• Business Rules for JRF admission

• Prospectus 2025-2026

The tables in the following pages contain useful information pertaining to the ISI Admission Test 2025.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Table 11: List of Cities for Admission Test in 2025

S.No. Code City State/U.T. S.No. Code City State/U.T.

1 AT Agartala Tripura 25 KG Kharagpur West Bengal
2 AD Ahmedabad Gujrat 26 KO Kochi Kerala
3 BG Bengaluru Karnataka 27 CC Kolkata West Bengal
4 BP Bhopal Madhya Pradesh 28 LU Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
5 BH Bhubaneswar Odisha 29 MD Madurai Tamil Nadu
6 CN Chennai Tamil Nadu 30 ML Malda West Bengal
7 CM Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 31 MN Mangaluru Karnataka
8 CT Contai West Bengal 32 MH Mohali Punjab
9 DN Dehradun Uttarakhand 33 MB Mumbai Maharastra
10 DH Delhi Delhi 34 NG Nagpur Maharastra
11 DD Dhanbad Jharkhand 35 PT Patna Bihar
12 DP Durgapur West Bengal 36 PO Pondicherry Pondicherry
13 GY Gaya Bihar 37 PU Pune Maharastra
14 GO Goa Goa 38 RP Raipur Chattisgarh
15 GH Guwahati Assam 39 RN Ranchi Jharkhand
16 GW Gwalior Madhya Pradesh 40 RK Rourkela Odisha
17 HY Hyderabad Telengana 41 SL Shillong Meghalaya
18 ID Indore Madhya Pradesh 42 SC Silchar Assam
19 JP Jaipur Rajasthan 43 SG Siliguri West Bengal
20 JA Jammu Jammu & Kashmir 44 TZ Tezpur Assam
21 JS Jamshedpur Jharkhand 45 TV Trivandrum Kerala
22 JO Jodhpur Rajasthan 46 VN Varanasi Uttar Pradesh
23 KL Kalyani West Bengal 47 VJ Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh
24 KN Kanpur Uttar Pradesh 48 VP Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Table 12: Information about Admission Tests for non-JRF Programmes being offered in 2025-26

Forenoon Afternoon
Programme Programme Code 10:30 hrs to 12:30 hrs 14:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs
(Location) Test Subject Test Test Test Subject Test Test
Type Code Type Code
BST
B Stat Math MCQ UGA Math Descriptive UGB
(Kolkata)
BMT
B Math Math MCQ UGA Math Descriptive UGB
(Bengaluru)
MST Math, Math,
M Stat MCQ PSA Descriptive PSB
(Delhi, Kolkata) Stat Stat
MMT
M Math Math MCQ MMA Math Descriptive PMB
(Kolkata, Bengaluru)
MQE (Kolkata)
MS (QE) Math, Eco MCQ PEA Math, Eco Descriptive PEB
MQE (Delhi)
MQM
MS (QMS) Math MCQ QMA Math Descriptive QMB
(Bengaluru, Hyderabad)
Essays and
MLI Quantitative and
MS (LIS) MCQ PLA English Descriptive PLB
(Bengaluru) Reasoning Ability
Comprehension
M Tech (CS)
MCX Math/
& Math, Comp Sc MCQ PCA Descriptive PCB
(Kolkata) Comp Sc/Engg
M Tech (CrS)
MQR Stat/Prob/
M Tech (QROR) Math MCQ MMA Descriptive PQB
(Kolkata) Math/Engg
DST (Chennai)
PG Diploma in
DST (Tezpur)
Statistical Methods & Math MCQ DST No Test – –
DST (Tezpur,
Analytics
Domicile)
Math, English,
PG Diploma in
Logical Reasoning
Agricultural and Rural DAR
Basic notions of MCQ DRA No Test – –
Management with Statistical (Giridih)
Agriculture and
Methods & Analytics
Social Science
PG Diploma in DAS
Math MCQ DST No Test – –
Applied Statistics (Online)
Note: Abbreviations used in the Test Subject column are explained in the list of abbreviations in page no. 2.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Table 13: Information about Admission Test for Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs) programmes being
offered in 2025-26

Forenoon Afternoon
Programme Location Code 10:30 hrs to 12:30 hrs 14:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs
Test Test Test Test Test Test
Subject Type Code Subject Type Code
Kolkata
Delhi Math, Math,
Statistics JST Descriptive STA Descriptive STB
Bengaluru Stat Stat
Chennai
Kolkata
Mathematics Delhi JMT Math Descriptive MTA Math Descriptive MTB
Bengaluru
Quantitative Kolkata
JQE Math Descriptive QEA Eco Descriptive QEB
Economics Delhi
Kolkata Elements of
Computer Comp Sc,
Bengaluru JCS Comp Sc. Descriptive CSA Descriptive CSB
Science Math
Chennai Math
Kolkata
Quality, Reliability & Math, Stat, OR,
Delhi JQR Math MCQ MMA Descriptive QRB
Operations Research SQC, Reliability
Hyderabad
Physics & Math,
Kolkata JPM Math MCQ MMA Descriptive PHB
Applied Mathematics Phys
Math, Geomath,
Geology Kolkata JGE Descriptive GEA Geology Descriptive GEB
Geostat
Kolkata Agri Science, Agri Science,
Biological Science
Giridih JAE Env Science MCQ AEA Env Science, Descriptive AEB
(Agri & Ecol Res)
Tezpur Basic Stat Basic Stat
Biochem, Biotech, Biochem, Biotech,
Biological Science
Kolkata JHG Genetics, Mol Bio, MCQ HGA Genetics, Mol Bio, Descriptive HGB
(Human Genetics)
Life Sc, Zool Life Sc, Zool
Linguistics Kolkata JLN Linguistics MCQ LNA Linguistics Descriptive LNB
Sociology,
Sociology Giridih JSO MCQ SOA Sociology Descriptive SOB
Stat
Library &
Bengaluru JLI Lib & Info Sc MCQ LIA Lib & Info Sc Descriptive LIB
Information Science

Note: Abbreviations used in the Test Subject column are explained in the list of abbreviations in page no. 2.

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Indian Statistical Institute Prospectus 2025-26

Notes

• Candidates selected for Junior Research Fellowships may be asked to join at a place other than the
one opted for, if necessary.

• Candidates who fail to appear in the written admission tests will not be considered for admission.
On the basis of the performance in the written tests, shortlisted candidates will be asked to appear
for an interview for final selection subject to verification of their eligibility with reference to original
documents.

• Any dispute concerning admissions in 2025-26 shall be settled in Kolkata subject to the
jurisdiction of the Kolkata High Court.

IMPORTANT DATES (FOR ALL PROGRAMMES EXCEPT B SDS)

Start Date 28 FEBRUARY, 2025
Online Application
End Date 26 MARCH, 2025
Issue of Admit Card 14 APRIL, 2025
ISI ADMISSION TEST 11 MAY, 2025

IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE B SDS PROGRAMME

Start Date 4 April, 2025
Online Application
End Date 31 May, 2025

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The 59th Convocation of the Indian Statistical Institute