NIT Sikkim PhD Admission 2023: Dates, Eligibility, Selection Criteria, Fees

NIT Sikkim PhD Admission 2023-24 is ongoing now. The college is now accepting PhD applications and the last date to apply is July 10, 2023. Candidates will be shortlisted based on merits and they will be selected for admission based on the entrance test and interview conducted by the institute. Candidates can apply for the program by visiting the official website of the institute. National Institute of Technology (NIT), Sikkim offers full-time and part time Ph.D program for the duration of 2 to 5 years in the field of Engineering and Humanities & Social Science. The course is offered in a total of 9 disciplines.​

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NIT, Sikkim PhD Important Dates

NIT, Sikkim PhD Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who wish to seek admission for the Ph.D program of NIT Sikkim shall fulfill the following eligibility criteria:

• For Ph.D in Engineering: Bachelor’s and Master’s degree with a minimum of 65% aggregate marks or 7.0 CGPA in M.Tech in relevant discipline of Engineering and Technology, or, a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 80% aggregate marks or 8.5 CGPA in relevant discipline of Engineering and Technology from IIT, NIT, IIIT or other CFTIs. Must have qualified GATE/ NET exams.
• For Ph.D in Basic Science and English: A Master’s degree with a minimum 55% aggregate marks or equivalent 6.0 CGPA in relevant discipline of Science.
• A relaxation of 5% in the aggregate marks or 0.5 in CGPA is provided to SC/ ST candidates.
• Those who are appearing in the last semester examination of their qualifying degree are also eligible to apply.
• Candidates who are applying through the Research Fellow category under sponsored shall be eligible according to the minimum requirement of the funding agency.
• Applicants for the Part-time Ph.D program shall have a minimum of one year of teaching, research, or industry experience.

NIT, Sikkim Ph.D Admission Guidelines

The selection criteria for admissions to the Ph.D program of the institute are based on the GATE or NET scores and further Interview and written test. 

• Candidates can follow the steps below to apply for PhD courses at NIT Sikkim:

1. Visit the NIT Sikkim official website.
2. Download the application form available on the homepage.
3. Fill in the application form thoroughly. Any incomplete or wrong application form will not be considered by the institute.
4. Candidates are required to submit the signed application form along with all self-attested necessary documents mentioned below:
   1. Proof of Date of Birth
   2. 10th and 12th mark sheets
   3. Masters and Graduation Degree mark sheets.
   4. 10th,12th, Graduation, and Master’s Degree Passing Certificate
   5. Character Certificate issued by the Head of the Institution/ Department last attended
   6. Statement of Purpose indicating the type of Research Work to be carried out by the candidate.
   7. GATE/NET qualification certificate.
   8. Work Experience Certificate, in any
   9. Aadhaar Card
   10. PAN Card
   11. Two recent passport-size colored photographs
   12. Research Paper Submitted (if any)
5. Demand Draft of INR 500 (INR 100 for SC/ ST candidates) in favor of “Director, NIT Sikkim” payable at Ravangla must reach the following address:

Dean, Academic Affairs

National Institute of Technology Sikkim

Ravangla, South Sikkim - 737 139

Sikkim, India 

1. Candidates should mention the subject “Application for Admission in Ph.D. in (Department/Discipline), Programme category” on the envelope.
2. Additionally, the candidates are also requested to send an email on the official ID of the institute which shall have the scan copies of the filled application form along with the supporting documents, and demand draft.

• The first selection for the admissions to the Ph.D. program of NIT will be based on the marks obtained in GATE or NET or Written Test conducted by the Institute.
• The institute will display the list of shortlisted candidates along with their examination and interview schedule and venue on the NIT Sikkim official website.
• Candidates are also required to bring the original documents which have been submitted during the submission of the application form for verification purpose.
• The final Selection of the candidate’s to the NIT Ph.D. program will be based on their GATE/ NET scores, performance in the written ability test, and personal interview.

Read More: NIT Sikkim Admission

NIT, Sikkim Ph.D Course Details

NIT Sikkim offers full time and part-time Ph.D in the field of Engineering, Humanities & Natural Sciences. Tabulated below are the details of Specializations offered in Ph.D program of NIT Sikkim:

Categories of Admission: Ph.D program at NIT Sikkim is offered in below mentioned three categories:

• Institute Research Fellow
• Research Fellow under a sponsored project funded by Government agencies, organizations, etc.
• Research Fellow under a collaborative research program between NIT Sikkim and other Government Universities/ Institutes / R&D organizations in India or abroad. OR Faculty members working at NIT Sikkim.

Course Duration: NIT Sikkim offers a full-time Ph.D program for the duration of two to five years. However, the candidates can be given an additional time of one year at a time for submission of his/her thesis without fellowship. Additionally, the institute also offers a part-time Ph.D. program and the students who have applied for the part-time program can submit their thesis within 7 years.

Prescribed Coursework: The entire Ph.D program of NIT Sikkim is divided into a minimum of 4 semesters of 6 months each.

• The first semester will include elective subjects and compulsory courses.
• From the next semesters, the students have to register for comprehensive examinations, teaching work, OPEN Seminars, thesis work, and Synopsis.
• The PhD programme consists of several components, starting from enrollment to award of the doctoral degree. Several components are:
  • Course works and other formalities
  • Comprehensive Examination
  • Research Work Registration
  • Successful recommendation for the State of Art
  • Dissertation/Thesis Submission
  • Final Submission
  • Seminar
  • Award of Degree

Course Work: Grades in the course work, including elective courses shall be finalized after a combined assessment by the candidate’s supervisor and the Department / Research Centre.

Comprehensive Examination: After the completion of the course work candidates are required to take the comprehensive examination.

• A student has to qualify in the comprehensive exam that helps assess the student’s capacity to do research and problem-solving ability.
• If the student fails to qualify for the first comprehensive examination, he/she is required to reappear for the examination within the prescribed time.

After qualifying the Comprehension examination, students are required to register their Research work. Students are required to present an open seminar related to their Research Work.

Dissertation/ Thesis Submission: After the successful recommendation for the State of Art, students are required to produce a draft dissertation within the prescribed duration.

• The Ph.D. thesis submitted by a student shall be evaluated by the Research Supervisor and two external examiners.
• The thesis not approved by the examiners shall be re-submitted again.

Degree Award: Students will be awarded the doctoral degree after the successful completion of coursework, the recommendation for the State of Art, Dissertation/ Thesis Submission open seminars, and Final Thesis, as per the standards of the NIT Sikkim.

NIT Sikkim Ph.D Fee Structure: Mentioned below is the detailed fee structure of Ph.D. program for full time and part time scholars offered by NIT Sikkim:

The candidates belonging from SC/ST category will be exempted to pay the tuition fees. Additionally, all students are required to make a Caution Deposit of INR 3,000 during the admission which will be refunded after the completion of the Ph.D program.

NIT, Sikkim PhD Scholarships

NIT Sikkim supports full-time Ph.D students in terms of tuition fees and stipend as long as they maintain good academic standing. In order to get the full financial assistance, a student requires to put in 20 hours of work per week. Fellowship will be as per the Institute/ MHRD norms and may depend on the qualification of the candidate. To qualify for the Institute Fellowship:

• GATE / NET(LS or JRF) qualifying certificate is mandatory.
• Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in the appropriate discipline from an institute of national importance/ UGC/ AICTE approved University/ Institution are mandatory. 

NIT, Sikkim PhD Research Project

National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim invites Ph.D students to apply for a research funded project every year. This year, students were invited for the post under the project titled “Innovative and Sustainable decision support system for drinking water security in Indian Himalayan,” which was sponsored by The National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.