IIM Bangalore PhD admissions - five year fulltime programme


Aspiring for a doctoral programme in one of the most reputed Business Schools in India? Want to learn about the prospects of undertaking a PhD in IIM Bangalore? Learn here in this article about the necessary details of the PhD program being offered at this top management institute.

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) is inviting applications for admission to its PhD Program. IIM Bangalore, famed for its various management programs, has been in recent times also providing state-of-the-art research facilities for pursuing a doctoral program in an array of specializations. The duration of the PhD ranges from 3 to 5 years from the date of registration. It is a full-time program and can be pursued by anyone, whether student or professional. The program is ideal for those who incline research and are seeking a career in academics or advanced research. Apart from academic and research institutions, one can also find suitable employment with MNCs, Investments Banks, Consulting Firms, Financial Institutions, NBFCs and other corporate majors, where specialized research skills are highly valued.

During the program, the students will be expected to complete the course work and carry out original research work on their proposed topic. At the same time, they will have to publish some quality research papers on international standard and prepare a thesis as well. Also, during the program, the students will be expected to assist their professors with teaching and research-based work.

Admission to the doctoral program follows a two-step selection process. The eligibility criteria and other details are given below.



Eligibility Criteria

Following are the criteria to be fulfilled by the candidates:

  • Should have a master's degree or a 5-year integrated master's degree in any discipline. The bachelor's degree should be of at least 10+2+3 pattern
  • Should have at least 55% of marks in aggregate in the master's as well as a bachelor's degree
  • Those with 50% of marks in aggregate in professional qualifications like CA, ICWA and CS are also eligible to apply
  • 4-year bachelor degree holders of the 10+2+4 pattern may also apply. They should have at least a 6.5 CGPA or equivalent marks

The above qualifications should be from a duly recognized university or professional institution. Applicants belonging to SC, ST and PwD category are eligible for 5% relaxation in marks. Final year candidates too may apply on a provisional basis. If selected, such candidates will have to, however, submit a certificate from their Principal/HOD/Registrar or Director of the institution or university stating that they have appeared for the final exams in all the papers, including practical exams, essential for obtaining the Bachelor's or Master's qualification. Such a certificate has to be submitted latest by June 10, 2020. Further, they need to submit their mark sheets and Bachelor/Master degree certificate, latest by December 31, 2020, failing which their candidature will be rejected and their provisional admission cancelled.

Seat Reservations, if any

IIM Bangalore follows the government guidelines about reservation of seats for candidates belonging to the reserved category. The category wise breakdown of reserved seats is as follows.

  1. 15% - for SC category candidates
  2. 7.5% - ST candidates
  3. 27% - OBC candidates
  4. 10% - for candidates from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
  5. 5% - Persons with Disabilities (PwD)

Candidates belonging to the reserved categories need to fulfil the eligibility criteria as given above. Also, they will have to meet a certain minimum level of performance that IIM Bangalore may specify, before being admitted to the program.



Admission Process

Eligible candidates aspiring for the PhD program at IIM Bangalore have to appear for an entrance test (IIMB Test). Those qualifying the entrance test are shortlisted for interview. Apart from the IIMB Test that is conducted by IIM Bangalore, candidates having a valid test score from a host of other exams too may apply for the interview. The list of the specializations and the respective eligibility tests apart from the IIMB Test is given below.

Area of Specialization and Eligibility Tests

There are 10 areas of specialization that the candidates may select from.
  1. Decision Sciences – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE, JRF (NET)
  2. Economics and Social Sciences – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE
  3. Entrepreneurship – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE
  4. Finance and Accounting – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE, JRF (NET)
  5. Information Systems – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE, JRF (NET)
  6. Marketing – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE
  7. Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources Management – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE, JRF (NET)
  8. Production & Operations Management – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE, JRF (NET)
  9. Public Policy – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE, JRF (NET)
  10. Strategy – GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE


Selection of the candidates

For getting selected to the PhD program in a chosen area of specialization, first and foremost the candidate will have to clear the IIMB Test or should have a valid GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE, JRF (NET) score. Shortlisted candidates will have to then appear for an area-specific test or interview. Parameters that will have a bearing on the candidate's selection are past academic performance, work experience (if any), performance during the interview and recommendation by the respective areas.

Important dates to note

  • The application window opened on – October 14, 2020
  • Last date for application – January 18, 2021 (5 pm IST)
  • IIMB entrance test – February 07, 2021 (Sunday)
  • Area of specialization tests – April 05 & 06, 2021
  • Interviews – April 09, 10, 12 & 13, 2021
  • The selection offers – 2nd week of April 2021
  • Offer acceptance last date – 1st week of May 2021
  • Programme registration to start from – 2nd week of June 2021

The entrance test dates, interview dates and the registration dates are tentative. The final dates will be intimated in due time. Aspirants to keep a track of the updates published at the IIM Bangalore website.

Exam Cities


For IIMB entrance test – Bengaluru and Kozhikode
For interviews – Bengaluru

How to Apply

Application for the PhD program at IIM Bangalore is completely online. Aspiring candidates will have to visit the online admission portal given at the website. Candidates will have to register and generate their login credentials. Candidates will have to then fill up the online application form and pay the necessary application fee. Applications to be finally submitted on successful payment of fees. Foreign nationals too may apply for the program. The eligibility criteria remain the same for them.

For PhD admissions at IIM Ahmedabad, read the article on IIM Ahmedabad PhD Programme in Management.

Application Fee

  • Those appearing for the IIMB Test – INR 2000 for one area of specialization and INR 2500 for two
  • Those applying through GMAT/ GRE/ CAT/ GATE/ JRF (NET) scores – INR 1000 for one area and INR 1500 for two.

The candidates can choose at the most two areas as per their preference. The area once allotted, there won't be many opportunities to change it later.




Financial Assistance

During the entire tenure of the PhD, the students will be offered with financial aid. The students will get a stipend of INR 35,000 per month. They won't have to pay any tuition fees during the program. Hostel accommodation is also free. Those not provided with hostel accommodation will receive a monthly grant of INR 15,000 for single students and INR 20,000 for married students.

Apart from the monthly stipends, in the first year of the PhD, the students will be given a start-up grant of INR 75,000 to cover various expenses related to research work. From the second year onwards the grant will be INR 25,000 per annum. The monthly stipend increases to INR 37,000 post comprehensive and INR 40,000 post proposal. Besides these, there are grants like national conference grant and international conference grant, which pay handsomely for every paper accepted during these conferences.

For queries, if any

For any queries or clarifications about the PhD program, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore can be reached at,

PhD Admissions, IIM Bangalore,
Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru,
Karnataka, India - 560 076

Email: phdadm@iimb.ac.in
Phone: +91 80 2699 3013 / 3017
Website: http://www.iimb.ac.in/


Article by Dhruv
Dhruv, an electrical engineer by training and profession, loves to dabble in writing during his free time. For the last seven years, he has been a content writer creating content for ISC on topics mostly related to school and college admissions.

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Comments

Author: Umesh10 Jan 2021 Member Level: Diamond   Points : 4

In today's tough job environment, doing some high-end specialisation course leading to a PhD degree may help in getting a good position in the industry or Govt sector through an interview or some competitive examination. From that angle, the interested and eligible candidates can consider this an opportunity to push their career in that direction.

For example, let us take the specialization research in Public Policy. This is an area where one has to learn and find out new ideas and solutions for solving and controlling the political, social, and economic issues at the national level for which the Govt is targeting through its programs. Qualified consultants and advisors are required in Govt sector to help Govt in formulating a good and sustainable public policy. So, there are opportunities in this line from that perspective. Similarly, some of the other niche areas like Strategy, Decision Sciences, Entrepreneurship etc also have merit in them. Many private organisations and leading NGOs require such qualified people to guide and lead the workers and volunteers in their respective organisations.



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