ISI Admission Test 2026: Notification, Application Process, Eligibility, Pattern & Latest Updates

Over the last several years, the Institute has been very actively pursuing an institution-level collaboration that has led to Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with numerous universities/academic institutions as well as industrial organisations. These MOUs range from collaborative research to research grants for students/faculty as well as student/faculty exchange programmes. At present, the Institute has MOUs signed with, among others, the following institutions/organisations: National Highway Authority of India, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., EfD Secretariat at UGOT, Silicon Valley Com Foundation, Airport Authority of India, Networks Speci ed, Ericsson India, American Society for Quality India, IIT Madras, Szechenyi Istvan University, Hitachi India Pvt. Ltd., Bridge and Roof Company Ltd., Infosys Ltd., National Research University, Eastern Africa Statistical Training, State University of New York, London School of Economics, BRAC-University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, University of Warwick, Yokohama National University.

The major objectives of the Institute, as stated in its Memorandum of Association, are:

(i)   to promote the study and dissemination of knowledge of Statistics, to develop statistical theory and methods, and their use in research and practical applications generally, with special reference to problems of planning for national development and social welfare;

(ii)   to undertake research in various elds of natural and social sciences with a view to the mutual development of Statistics and these sciences;

(iii)  to provide for, and undertake, the collection of information, investigations, projects, and operational research for purposes of planning and the improvement of efficiency of management and production.

The following courses are offered through the ISI Admission Test.

The Institute awards PhD degrees for research in the elds (i) Statistics, (ii) Mathematics, (iii) Quantitative Economics, (iv) Computer Science, (v) Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR).

The Institute offers Junior Research Fellowships in several areas of Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, as mentioned in the table below. However, candidates applying for PhD in any area other than the subjects mentioned above need to register with other Universities/Institutes for their PhD degree:

Know the expected application fee for the ISI Admission Test 2026 for each category.

The applicant must initially register at the ISI Application Portal. An account will be created for the applicant in the portal, through which she/he can conveniently ll up the application form and also make payment of the application fee after submission of the form. After completion of application, the applicant will be able to pay the application fee through the payment gateway. Payment can be made in the online mode (See application portal for details).

Once the candidate has registered in the Application Portal, veri ed the e-mail address, lled up Category information and chosen an Academic Programme, the portal will show only the relevant Admission Channels to the candidate.

ISI Admission Test admit card is important for several reasons:

It is a VERY IMPORTANT document for entry into the examination hall. Without admit card candidates will not be allowed to take exam. It contains important information about candidate, such as their name, roll number, exam date, time, and center. 

Eligibility and selection criteria for the Supernumerary seats

The eligibility and selection criteria for the di erent channels is given here:

ISI Admission Test 2025 exam pattern depicts that there will be two sections in the examination where section A will have multiple choice questions (MCQ) and section B will have descriptive type questions.

Only the section A will have negative marking scheme. For every correct answer +4 marks will be awarded to the candidates and to every wrong answer marked by the candidates, -1 mark will be deducted.

As section B is descriptive in nature no marks will be deducted for the incorrect answer marked by the candidates. 

No. Candidates will have to download the ISI Admission Test 2026 admit card online. The admit card will not be sent to the candidate via mail, post or courier. 

ISI Admission Test 2026 is expected to be conducted in the second week of May 2026, tentatively. The examination will held for admissions to the UG and PG programmes offered by the Indian Statistical Institute. Both the courses will be held in two different shift. Candidates can check out the expected ISI Admission Test 2026 shift timings from here:

As ISI has not released the ISI Admission Test 2026 syllabus, therefore aspirants are left with the option of going through the ISI Admission Test 2025 syllabus. It is highly expected that the ISI Admission Test syllabus doesn't change year to year, so candidates are suggested to go to the ISI official website and search for the ISI Admission Test syllabus there.

Candidates can chcek out the seat matrix for JRF programmes from here:

As of now, Indian Statistical Institute has not released any ISI Admission Test 2026 exam notification and admisison process timeline. As per the previous year's trend, it is anticipated that the ISI Admission Test 2026 exam will expected to be held in the second week of May 2026.

The exam officials will be releasing the ISI Admission Test 2026 Admit Card one week prior to the conduct of the examination. It is expected that the ISI Admission Test 2026 admit card will be released in the first week of May 2026, tentatively.

Candidates can check out the ISI Admission Test 2025 exam centres list from here:

ISI Admission Test 2026 notificatin is expected to be released on the official website in the second week of March 2026.

No. Candidates will have to download the ISI Admission Test 2026 admit card online. The admit card will not be sent to the candidate via mail, post or courier. 

Some of the Academic Programmes have more than one channel of admission. The default Channel is referred to as the ISI Test Channel. Admission through ISI Test Channel is conducted through a Written Admission Test, followed by an Interview wherever applicable. Candidates can check out the complete admsision channel list for all the programmes from here:

The exam conducting body announced the ISI Admission Test 2026 application form dates. Candidates can fill out the ISI Admission test application form from February 28, 2026 till March 26, 2026 tentatively by visiting the official website.

Candidates who have completed their Class 12 and UG courses will be able to apply for the BSc and MSc degree programmes offered by the participating universities of ISI Admission Test 2026. 

The ISI admission test 2026 counselling process will typically have three to four rounds of counselling session. Each round will have merit based seat allocation.

Around 50,000 students appear across India to give the ISI admission test annually.

There is only one Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in India. It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal. While ISI has several campuses and research centers across India.

Candidates can check out the ISI Admission test 2025 seat intake for PG courses from here:

There is only one Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in India. It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal. While ISI has several campuses and research centers across India.

Candidates can check out the ISI Admission Test seat intake for UG courses is as follow:

The ISI Admission Test exam is conducted once a year. The exam is typically held in the month of April or May. 

The ISI Admission Test syllabus is set by Indian Statistical Institute admission barnch to test the test takers analytical and domain knowledge of the courses they will be appeared.

Here are some key reasons for this:

1. Structure and Scope
2. Preparation Focus
3. Question Design
4. Exam Preparation Resources