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 )
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 eligibility criteria 2026 will be released online. Students need to check the IISER admission 2026 website for the eligibility criteria. IAT eligibility criteria are the minimum conditions to apply for the IISER Aptitude Test. The eligibility criteria consist of educational qualifications and nationality. Passed 10+2 from a recognized board can apply online. IISER 2026 registration is expected to start in March 2026. The authority will conduct the IISER 2026 entrace exam in May 2026, tentatively. Know more about the IISER eligibility criteria 2026 here.
- IISER Eligibility Criteria (Reversed)
- IISER Eligibility Criteria 2026: Services of a Scribe
- Academic Programmes Offered by IISER Exam 2026
- IISER Entrance Exam 2026 Seat Matrix
IISER Eligibility Criteria (Reversed)
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.
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- 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 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
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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 individual IISER shall be final.
No, there is no option to apply for the IISER Entrance Exam in offline mode. Students have to go to the exam website, which is iiseradmission.in to apply for the exam. The fee has to be also paid in online mode, through Credit/Debit Card or Net Banking.
Passed 10+2 from a recognised board in 2024, 2025, or 2026 with minimum 60% marks in aggregate (55% for SC /ST /PwD students) are eligible to apply for IISER exam 2026. Candidates must have taken any three subject among Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology in class 12.
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.
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 |
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.
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 age limit to apply or appear for the IISER Entrance Exam 2026. However, applicants must have appeared for their Board examination in 2024, 2025 or 2026. Based on this, applicants must apply for the exam. Apart from this, students should have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics in Classes 11 and 12. They have to secure a minimum aggregate percentage of 60 (Unreserved categories) and 55 (Reserved categories) in their Class 12 Board exam or equivalent.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 5 days ago
You can check the IISER exam pattern and syllabus on the website, iiseradmission.in. Knowing the paper pattern and syllabus for IISER, you can plan your preparation.
V
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 5 days ago
220+ marks are a good score in IISER. Students must have a proper strategy to score high. They can plan their preparation according to the IISER exam syllabus. Practising previous year question paper and mock test will help in scoring good marks.
V
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
There is no fixed number of entering preference for the IISER Entrance Exam counselling process. There are seven IISER institutes offering 11 programmes. Candidates have to select at least one IISER. Higher the number of preferences, better will be their chance of seat allotment.
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Once the IISER Entrance Exam counselling seat allotment result is declared, candidates have the following options.
- FREEZE: By selecting this option, candidates confirm the acceptance of the offer, and that they will not participate in the next rounds of IISER Entrance Exam counselling.
- FLOAT: Selecti
V
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Seat Acceptance Fee or SAF is the fee to be paid to accept the allotted seat at a particular round of IISER counselling process. Unless the SAF is paid, candidates will not be considered for admission.
L
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
During the IISER Entrance Exam counselling process, seats are allotted based on the following factors.
- Seats available across IISER institutes in the current round of counselling
- IAT Rank obtained by candidates
- IISER preference given by the candidate
- Candidate category.
Candidates are advised to fill as
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
IISER does not conduct the counselling or admission process for IISc Bangalore and IIT Madras through the IAT scores. These institutes conduct their own counselling or admission process. IISER counselling process is conducted only for seven IISER institutes located across India.
P
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The IISER Entrance Exam counselling process is conducted in online mode. Candidates have to register on the exam website and fill in their institute in course choices in order of preference. Based on that, the seat allotment will be released. They can either 'Freeze' the seat and take admission, or
M
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The IISER entrance exam scores are accepted by 11 IISER institutes across India. Apart from that, IISc Bangalore and IIT Madras also consider the scores for admission to BS courses offered by them.
P
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 weeks ago
Passed 10+2 from a recognised board in 2024, 2025, or 2026 with minimum 60% marks in aggregate (55% for SC /ST /PwD students) are eligible to apply for IISER exam 2026. Candidates must have taken any three subject among Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology in class 12.
V
Contributor-Level 9
If you are planning to appear for the IISER Entrance Exam 2026, and you will write your Board exam in the same year, you will be eligible. In case you are slated to appear for the exam in 2027, you cannot take the IISER Entrance Exam 2026. The exam is expected to be conducted in May. If you do not clear the Board exam, then also you will be ineligible.