Study in India: Application Process

India uses a national application portal: Your 5 Steps to Study in India. You can apply for up to three different programs through it. The limit is three: either three different programs or three different schools. PhD applications are made directly to individual schools. 

To apply through the national portal, you will need to register some basic personal details. You will then come to an upload page. There, you upload your academic transcripts, your letter of motivation, your evidence of English proficiency (unless you’re from an Anglophone country recognized as such by the Ministry of Education) and any other documents your school might want. If your documents aren’t in Hindi or English, you’ll need to provide the originals along with a notarized translation. 

PhD applications follow a broadly similar process, but you must also include an academic CV. PhD applications normally work like job adverts, in that they are sent out in response to a particular vacancy or position.

PhD applicants must also complete a discipline-specific Research Eligibility Test (RET). The RET ensures that you have the know-how to succeed in your chosen field. You’ll need to submit the results of this test as part of your application.

The deadline for applications shifts a little each year, but it generally falls towards the end of January in the academic year before your chosen course starts.