Admissions - 2026-27 Semester II
The Department of Electrical Engineering offers PhD and MS (R) admissions with specialization in the areas of:
- Control and Automation (CA)
- Microelectronics and VLSI (MVLSI)
- Optoelectronics and Optical Communication (OPTEC)
- Power Engineering (PE)
- RF and Microwaves (RF)
- Signal Processing, Communication and Networks (SPCOM)
Eligibility criteria: eligibility criteria
Application window: 16 October 2026, 2:00 PM to 3 November 2026, 2:00 PM
Application deadline: 3 November 2026, 2:00 PM
Apply here: Online Application Portal
Please visit this page regularly for updates.
Announcements
18 October 2026
Selection criteria for the PhD program during 2026-2027 Semester II:
Candidates with Master's degree in engineering will be selected on the basis of marks/CPI and interview. Candidates with a bachelor's degree in engineering or science (4 year program) will be selected on the basis of marks/CPI, GATE (wherever applicable as per the eligibility criteria), and an interview. Candidates with a master's degree in science or allied area will be selected on the basis of marks/CPI in the master’s and bachelor’s degree and GATE AIR/JRF (wherever applicable as per the eligibility criteria), and an interview.
For the purpose of shortlisting, only the first preference will be considered. However, candidates who have their second preference as ‘Optoelectronics and Optical Communication (OPTEC)’ or ‘Control and Automation (CA)’ or ‘Signal Processing, Communication and Networks (SPCOM)’ may also be called for interview in the respective stream, in addition to their first preference.
Selection criteria for the MS(R) program during 2026-2027 Semester II:
All candidates will be selected on the basis of marks/CPI (wherever applicable as per the eligibility criteria), GATE Score, and interview. For the purpose of shortlisting, only the first preference will be considered.
Click here for the provisional PhD shortlisting criteria.
Click here for the provisional MSR shortlisting criteria.
Important: The shortlisting criteria are provisional and are being provided in advance to help candidates assess the likely shortlisting requirements and plan their travel to IIT Kanpur. The criteria may be modified depending on the applications received. The final list of candidates called for interview will be announced after scrutiny of the applications.
PhD Interview Details:
Dates of Interview: 30 November and 1 December 2026
Mode of Interview: In Person
Venue: Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur
MS(R) Interview Details:
Dates of Interview: 2 December 2026
Mode of Interview: In Person
Venue: Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur
Travel Advisory: Candidates planning to appear for the PhD and MS(R) interview are advised to plan their travel to IIT Kanpur in advance for the above dates as the interviews will be conducted in person on 30 November and 1 December 2026 for PhD and 2 December for MS(R).