IISER 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Check Educational, National, Performance Based, Reservation Criteria Here
Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research Entrance Exam 2026 ( IISER Entrance Exam )
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13 Jun '26 - 21 Jun '26
IISER Eligibility Criteria 2026 is an important condition, also a prerequisite needed by the aspirants to fill out the IAT 2026 application form and for the complete admission process. IAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria stipulates the minimal qualifications, like educational, nationality and generic information required by the candidates. Read this Shiksha article to know the complete information on IISER Eligibility Criteria 2026 for the courses available by the various IISER participating institutes.
IISER Eligibility Criteria 2026
IISER 2026 eligibility criteria are available online. Students can check the eligibility criteria to know the minimum conditions to appear for the IISER entrance exam 2026. Students who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were able to fill out and submit the IISER 2026 application form. Passed 10+2 from a recognized board with minimum 60% marks (50% for Sc/ST/PwD) in aggregate are eligible. The detailed eligibility criteria for IISER 2026 are mentioned on this page.
Also Read: IISER IAT 2026 Exam Live: Exam Day instructions, Exam Analysis & Expected Cutoff
- IISER Eligibility Criteria
- IISER Eligibility Criteria 2026: Services of a Scribe
- Academic Programmes Offered by IISER Exam 2026
- IISER 2026 Application Form
- IISER Entrance Exam 2026 Seat Matrix
IISER Eligibility Criteria
Last year, the authority made a change in the IISER eligibility criteria. According to the new eligibility criteria, the IISER entrance exam could be conducted based on the Date of Birth Criteria instead of the Class 12 passing year. Later, it was reversed by the exam authority.
IAT exam for BS-MS course admissions Eligibility Criteria:
- The student should have done Class 12 from the science stream in the last three years - 2024, 2025, and 2026.
- The foreign students who have not completed this criteria, must upload an equivalence certificate issued by the Association of Indian Universities.
- The students must have taken a minimum of three subjects among Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics in Class 12.
Also Read: How to fill IISER application form
- Applicants must be Indian nationals, OCI/PIO/Foreign Nationals to apply for IAT 2026.
- They should have completed class 12 with a minimum of three subjects from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.
- Foreign nationals either should have completed class 12 or they need to upload an equivalence certificate.
- Students of SC/ST/PwD categories need to have scored a minimum of 55% marks in aggregate in their class 12 exam. Other category students need to score a minimum of 60% marks in Class 12 exam.
IAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Performance Criteria in Class XII/equivalent examination
Check out the complete queries from here:
What if the Class 12 result is not declared, can a candidate apply?
Candidates whose Class XII (or equivalent) examination results have not yet been declared can apply for IAT 2026. However, their admission will be subject to fulfilling the minimum eligibility criteria given on the official website.
What happens if the candidate is appearing for Class 12 for the second time?
For candidates who had appeared in the Class XII (or equivalent) examination for the first time in 2025 and reappeared in any subject (for whatever reason) in 2026, the better of the two performances will be considered.
What to do if the candidate's Class 11 and 12 results are clubbed together and declared?
If a board gives aggregate marks considering both Class XI and Class XII, then only Class XII (or equivalent) examination marks will be considered. If a board gives aggregate marks considering the results of all three years of a 3-year diploma or courses of equivalent duration, then the final year marks will be considered. Similarly, the marks of the final two semesters will be considered for boards that follow a semester system.
What happens if the Board awards only letter grades instead of percentages?
If a board awards only letter grades without providing an equivalent percentage of marks on the grade sheet, the candidate should obtain a certificate from the board specifying the equivalent marks and submit it before the deadline for the mark sheet submission. In case the board does not provide such a certificate, the percentage marks will be assessed as follows:
| percentage marks = (CGPA or CPI obtained × 100) / PS |
where PS is the maximum value of the point scale used by the respective board.
IAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Reservation Policy
- Scheduled Caste (SC) - 15per cent of seats
- Scheduled Tribe (ST) - 7.5per cent of seats
- Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) - 27per cent of seats
- Persons with Disability (PwD) with at least 40per cent impairment - 5per cent of seats (supernumerary)
- Kashmiri Migrants - 3 seats per IISER (supernumerary)
- Economically Weaker Section (EWS) - up to 10per cent (as per Government of India rules)
- Note that the EWS/OBC-NCL certificate should be valid for the financial year 2026-27
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
Yes, you can appear for the IISER Entrance Exam if you have studied Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects in Class 11 and 12. According to the conducting body, students have to study a minimum of three subjects from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. Hence, students from the PCB combination are eligible for the exam.
There is no provision for re-evaluation/re-checking of IAT result. The official notification reads, No correspondence in this regard shall be entertained. The candidates can only raise objections against the provisional answer key. Based on the objections raised by the candidates the final answer key and the result is released.
The General All India category student seeking admission to the BS-MS Dual Degree programme had Round 1 closing rank of 175 according to the IISER Pune cutoff for 2023. For 2022 and 2021, the corresponding Round 1 closing ranks were 535 and 529. According to this, there is a significant possibility that a student who ranks 120 or lower will get admitted to IISER Pune.
IISER Eligibility Criteria 2026: Services of a Scribe
- As per the office memorandum of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the PwD candidates who are visually impaired OR dyslexic (severe) OR have disability in the upper limbs OR have lost fingers/hands, thereby preventing them from properly operating the computer-based test platform, may avail the services of a scribe (amanuensis) for the IISER Aptitude Test.
- As per the office memorandum of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, candidates with less than 40per cent disability and having difficulty in writing may avail the services of a scribe (amanuensis). These candidates must also upload the “Disability and Difficulty in Writing Certificate” (see Downloads section), duly issued by the competent authority.
- Eligible candidates who desire to avail the services of a scribe need to opt for this during the online application process of IAT 2026.
- If it is found at any stage that a candidate has availed the services of a scribe but is not eligible to do so, the candidate will be excluded from the process of evaluation, ranking, and admission. If such a candidate has already been admitted to any IISER, the candidate's admission will be cancelled. The opinion of the medical board constituted by the individual IISER shall be final.
Academic Programmes Offered by IISER Exam 2026
IISER offers BS-MS/ BS/B.Tech degree. Admission is based on the IISER Aptitude Test (IAT). Students have to appear for the IISER entrance exam and participate in the counselling for admission. The list of programmes offered at IISER institutions is mentioned below.
- Biological Sciences
- Chemical Sciences
- Earth & Climate Sciences/Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Economic Sciences
- Engineering Sciences (Chemical Engineering, Data Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)
- Geological Sciences
- Integrated & Interdisciplinary Sciences (Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences)
- Mathematical Sciences
- Physical Sciences
Note: The Four-year BS program in Engineering Sciences and Economics Sciences is offered only by IISER Bhopal.
Commonly asked questions
Following the previous years' trends, the exam officials release the round-wise IISER institute-wise closing ranks. IAT cutoff marks refer to the minimum marks test takers need to score to get admission in the programmes offered by the participating institutes.
Candidates can appear for IISER three times in a consecutive year. If you are appearing for the test in 2026, then you can appear for IAT in 2027 and 2028.
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IISER 2026 Application Form
The authority had released the IISER application form on March 5, 2026. Eligible students were able to fill out and submit the IISER form 2026 online. The process involved in the application process is registration, form filling, document uploading and payment of form fees. The last date to apply for IISER 2026 was April 13, 2026.
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IISER Entrance Exam 2026 Seat Matrix
The exam authority will update the IISER 2026 seat matrix online. The seat matrix helps to know the number of seats reserved in each IISER campus. Last year IISER Seat matrix is shown below.
| BS-MS Programme | Number of Seats |
|---|---|
| IISER Berhampur | 300 |
| IISER Bhopal | 300 |
| IISER Kolkata | 280 |
| IISER Mohali | 270 |
| IISER Pune | 288 |
| IISER Tirupati | 350 |
| IISER Thiruvananthapuram | 320 |
| B. Tech. / BS Programme | Number of Seats |
| IISER Bhopal (B. Tech.) | 140 |
| IISER Bhopal (BS in Economic Sciences) | 35 |
| IISER Tirupati (BS in Economic and Statistical Sciences) | 50 |
| Total | 2333 |
Read More: List of IISERs in India: Courses, Fee, Admission Process, Placements & Cutoffs
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
Yes, you can get admission to the IISER with 6000 rank. However, admission will depend on your category. SC/ST category students have a strong chance of admisison with the mentioned rank. General category students can get admission to the newly added IISER.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
In such a situation, you have to prioritise which exam you want to appear for. You might have prepared for months for the exam. Based on your preparation, you have to decide which exam you can easily qualify for and get admission to the desired course and college.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, the IAT response sheet for 2026 is officially out. You can check your response sheet on the official IISER admissions portal through your login credentials.
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 4 weeks ago
Students can create an IISER login id and password during registration. The details required to register for IISER are Name, Date of birth, gender, citizenship status, mobile number, and email address.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
No, IISER registration was over on April 13, 2026. Students were able to register for IAT 2026 from March 5 to April 13.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
IAT user id is (application number / registration number). It is created during the IISER registration process. After the registration is over, user id and password are sent to the registered email address and mobile number.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
IISER answer key was released on June 7, 2026. Candidates can download the answer key online. The answer key challenge window was open on June 9, 2026.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The IISER exam date was June 7, 2026. The exam timing was from 9 AM to 12 PM. Candidates had to report to the exam centre by 7 AM.
V
Contributor-Level 10