Admissions
Admissions into the PhD Programme at UPES are held twice a year in January and July. The notifications for the admission season are made public way before the commencement of the admission process.
Criteria
Students with a Masters’ degree or equivalent with a minimum of 55% marks or equivalent degree can apply for admission in the UPES PhD programme. Admissions are based on the research entrance test (RET) followed by an interview. Candidates who have qualified for national eligibility test (NET) are exempted from the RET. Final-semester postgraduate students are also eligible to apply and appear for the RET. Those who qualify in both the RET and interview may receive an admission offer, subject to completion of their postgraduate programme.
Programme
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program at UPES is highly regarded for its dynamic approach to knowledge transformation, from broad concepts to specialized expertise. This program fosters a strong research culture, enhancing scholars' professional competencies to achieve sustainable and ethical research excellence across both interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary fields. At UPES, we recognize that well-equipped faculty and students are essential to achieving our goals. To keep them updated on the latest developments and provide the tools and techniques needed for innovative research, UPES has launched the “Anusandhaan” program. Through this program, faculty and students attend domain-specific talks delivered by leading experts from academia and industry.
Financial Aid
All full-time scholars receive a monthly fellowship of INR 25,000 until they clear the mandatory course-work examination, and INR 30,000 henceforth till the closing of their 3-year period or submission of PhD thesis, whichever is earlier. Besides, there is an annual contingency of INR 30,000 which can be used for purchase of consumables, experiments in other universities/user facilities or participation in conferences. Scholars who receive fellowship from external sources through JRF, INSPIRE or other schemes will be entitled to a contingency of INR 2,00,000 which can be used for purchase of consumables, experiments in other universities/user facilities or participation in international conferences. There is a provision of increase in fellowship upto INR 34,000 for scholars with 2 publications as first authors in Q1, Q2 or Q3 journals.
Partnerships
UPES has partnerships with several research and academic institutions across the globe which makes collaborative research easy for the scholars. As of now, UPES has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the following universities:
New Centers for PhD Intake
Center for Data-Science and Artificial Intelligence (C-DSAI): It is established to contribute towards the growing significance of the role of Data Science, AI, and AI-enabled technologies in various application domains.
Center for Stochastic Modelling and Simulation (CSMS): The center aims to focus on the development of application-driven theories and methodologies for understanding uncertainty and its management.
Center for Inter-Disciplinary Research and Innovation (CIDRI): CIDRI at UPES provides a platform for interaction across the boundaries of various disciplines – such as science, engineering, health environment, computer science, design, management, humanities, law, etc. – and address the key technical, organizational and logistical challenges that currently hinder truly transdisciplinary research.
Himalayan Institute for Leadership & Learning (HILL): The aim of HILL is to achieve sustainable solutions for the challenges faced in the Himalayan region by fostering collaboration between academia, R&D institutions, and industries.
