There are three ways to gain PhD admission.
Path 1 — Institutional Fellowship: The institute funds up to three fellowship seats per department (not all departments offer these). To get in, you must pass both an entrance exam and an interview. This is the most competitive route. Entrance exams typically consist of MCQs from the department’s field.
Path 2 — External Fellowship: Secure your own external fellowship (UGC, CSIR, ICMR, etc.). You may apply for PhD admission twice a year. First, meet faculty members and identify someone you can collaborate with on a mutually agreed topic. Even then, clearing exam cutoffs and an interview are required.
Path 3 — Research Project Route: Join a funded project as a JRF/SRF, and after passing an internal qualifying exam, you can be admitted to a PhD programme. This is the simplest route, but ensure the project has sufficient funding (at least three years) and the principal investigator’s support. The project’s goals can be aligned with your PhD objectives. However, there will be less room to develop your own ideas since these projects already have defined hypotheses.
The three routes are listed in decreasing order of difficulty.
PS: I began my PhD at the Department of Neurophysiology through an institutional fellowship. Since I was ineligible for CSIR/ICMR fellowships due to my educational background and age, this was my best option.
For anyone who qualifies for an external fellowship, I strongly recommend Path 2.