The CSE department invites applications from students with a "research" bent of mind, to apply for admission to the Ph.D. programme. Applicants must have a creative drive, the willingness to work on challenging technical problems for a sustained duration, and the academic preparation in basic subjects of Computer Science.

Admission to the Ph.D. programme can be gained in various different categories (Full-Time, Part-Time, etc.). Please familiarize yourself with the categories and the admission requirements for each category by reading the official Ph.D. Information Brochure here.

In addition to Institute requirements as stated in the official brochure, the CSE department has its own admission requirements.

CSE department admission procedure

1. Admission will require a written test at the department followed by interview.
2. The written test will have four sections as described below. A candidate is required to answer any three out of the four sections.
   • General Aptitude: The ability to read the given information, interpret it logically, recognize patterns, and draw inferences. Some elementary mathematical aspects may be involved.
   • Mathematical Aptitude: Discrete structures (sets, graphs, elementary counting and probability), elementary calculus, linear algebra, geometry.
   • Programming Aptitude: Ability to write programs to solve simple problems. Use of elementary data structures such as arrays, lists, stacks, queues, trees. Familiarity with recursion. Ability to reason about programs, e.g., writing loop invariants and assertions.
   • Computer Science and Engineering: Undergraduate Computer Science curriculum. One question each will be asked in each of the following areas and a candidate is expected to answer five: Algorithm Design and Analysis, Theory of Computation, Database Management Systems, Operating Systems, Computer Networks, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics and Image Processing, Compiler Construction.
3. A final shortlist, based on (i) the performance in the written test, (ii) the interview, (iii) the background and (iv) references will be the final list of admitted candidates.
4. Two new categories called TAP (Teaching assistantship through project) and PA (Project research assistantship) have been recently added. Under these categories candidates are selected to work on specific sponsored research projects, their funding comes from the project, and their Ph.D. problem is exepected to be closely related to the project. A tentative list of projects for these categories can be found here. Further questions will be answered after the presentations on the available projects and positions on the day of the admission test.
   Please note that the admission process for these categories remains similar and the candidates have to qualify the same written test. The only difference is that the candidates will be required to give their choice of projects on the day of the admission test and will be interviewed for their suitability for the project as also for admission to Ph.D.
5. The admitted students will have to undergo a "process of qualifier" to be confirmed in the Ph.D. program. The details of the qualifier can be found here.
6. Model question paper for the written test can be downloaded here.