Admission to the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) for the 2026–27 academic session will be conducted exclusively through the IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) 2026. The computer-based examination will be held on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 9:00 AM, across multiple centres nationwide.

IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) 2026 and Preferences

Candidates are not required to select IISER preferences while filling the IAT 2026 application form. Preferences will be collected only after the declaration of IAT 2026 results, during the online counselling stage, and only from eligible candidates.

Application Fee Details

The IAT 2026 application portal will open on March 05, 2026. Candidates must pay the application fee while submitting the online application form.

• General / EWS / OBC / OBC-NCL: ₹2,000

• PwD / Kashmiri Migrants / Kashmiri Pandits / Kashmiri Hindu Families (Non-Migrants) / SC / ST: ₹1,000

• Foreign National Candidates: ₹12,000

The application fee is non-refundable under all circumstances.

Fully Online Counselling Process

The entire counselling and seat allocation process will be conducted online. Candidates are not required to visit any IISER campus during counselling. Admission offers can be checked by logging into the candidate application portal.

Seat Allocation Criteria

Admission offers will be issued strictly based on:

• Seat availability at the IISER in the current allocation round

• IAT 2026 rank

• IISER preferences submitted by the candidate

• Category of the candidate

Seat Acceptance Options: Freeze or Float

After receiving an admission offer, candidates must take action before the deadline. They can:

• Freeze: Accept the allotted IISER and exit further rounds of counselling

• Float: Accept the seat but remain eligible for higher-preference IISERs in subsequent rounds

Important: Candidates must choose Freeze or Float in every counselling round. Failure to take action in any round will lead to automatic withdrawal, and the candidate will not be allowed to participate further.

If a candidate floating the seat receives a higher-preference IISER in later rounds, the previously allotted seat will be cancelled automatically.

Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF)

The Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF) must be paid only after an admission offer is made, as per the category mentioned in the offer letter.

• General / EWS / OBC / OBC-NCL / PwD / KM / Kashmiri Pandit / Kashmiri Hindu Families (Non-Migrants):
  ₹35,000 (₹25,000 refundable + ₹10,000 non-refundable administrative fee)

• SC / ST:
  ₹17,500 (₹12,500 refundable + ₹5,000 non-refundable administrative fee)

Failure to pay the SAF within the stipulated time will result in cancellation of the admission offer, and the candidate will not be considered for any subsequent rounds.

Once a candidate registers at the allotted IISER, the SAF will be adjusted against the first semester fee. The total semester fee varies across IISERs, and candidates are advised to check the respective institute websites for details.

Preference Exhaustion Rule

If all IISERs listed in a candidate’s preference order become fully occupied, the candidate will not be considered further, even if no seat was allotted in earlier rounds.

Provisional Admission and Document Verification

All admission offers are provisional. Final confirmation will be done only after in-person reporting at the allotted IISER and submission of original documents.

If at any stage a candidate is found ineligible or submits incorrect information, the admission will be cancelled immediately.

Withdrawal Process and SAF Refund Policy

Candidates can withdraw their seat only by clicking the “WITHDRAW OFFER” button on the application portal. Requests via email or phone will not be entertained.

Key withdrawal rules:

• Withdrawn candidates cannot re-enter the admission process

• Withdrawal must be done within the stipulated deadlines mentioned on the admission website

• If withdrawal is done before the Round-wise Withdrawal (RW) deadline, no cancellation fee applies

• If withdrawal is done after RW but before Final Withdrawal (FW) deadline, the non-refundable amount will be deducted

Refunds will be processed only after three weeks of completion of the admission process and will be credited to the same payment mode or bank account provided by the candidate.

If a candidate:

• Fails to withdraw before the FW deadline, the SAF will be transferred to the allotted IISER

• Does not report in person on the reporting date, cancellation fees decided by the IISER will apply

• Joins an IISER and later discontinues, the refund policy of that IISER will be applicable

Candidates who pay SAF but fail to join or pay the admission fee by the last date at the allotted IISER will not be considered for further rounds.

Strict Deadlines and Official Updates

Requests for deadline extensions will not be entertained under any circumstances. All important notices, schedules and updates related to IISER Admission 2026 will be published only on the official IISER admission website.

Candidates are advised to regularly check the official portal to avoid missing critical deadlines.