University Spotlight: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru

At a glance

IISc Campus, Malleswaram, Bengaluru A 400 acre campus in the north of Bengaluru, a few hours by train from most Tamil Nadu towns. This is our first Indian university in the series.

QS 2027: #221 Globally |
NIRF 2025: #1 University in India *QS World University Rankings 2027 places IISc at joint 221. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 (published 30 September 2026) place it at joint 254. In India’s own NIRF 2025, IISc is first among universities, first for research and second overall. NIRF 2026 was not published when this edition went out.
University: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) · Institution of Eminence since 2018 · Seven divisions, about 480 faculty
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka. Yesvantpur railway station is 2 km from the gate. Direct trains from Tamil Nadu take about four to six hours. Local people still call it the Tata Institute.
Founded: 1909 by Jamsetji Tata, on land given by the Mysore royal family · Opened to students in 1911
Legacy: C.V. Raman was its first Indian Director in 1933. Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and C.N.R. Rao all studied or taught here.
Popular Subjects: BS (Research) majors in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Earth and Environmental Science · B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanics and Computing, Materials Science and Engineering
Curriculum Accepted: CBSE, ISC and Indian State Boards. Cambridge A Level is a listed Class 12 equivalent for JEE Advanced and JoSAA, and a Cambridge student I counselled entered IISER Thiruvananthapuram through the same IAT route.

IISc has no campus tour video of its own that we could find. Watch A Day at IISc Bangalore on YouTube. This video was made by an IISc graduate, not by the university, so treat it as one person’s view. IISc holds an Open Day on the first or second Saturday of March each year, with about 30,000 visitors. For a family in Tamil Nadu, that is the easiest real visit in this whole series.

Visit a university in person. I strongly recommend that families of Grade 9 and above students visit at least one university: this one, a local university in India, or any place you choose. Seeing the labs and classrooms and talking to students gives a child something a virtual tour cannot. If you need help planning a visit, write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com.

IISc Admission Requirements for CBSE/State Boards and Cambridge A Level

Please read the Entrance Exams row and the Deadlines row first. IISc has two undergraduate doors, and they open in different ways. The four year BS (Research) needs IISc’s own application plus a rank in JEE Advanced or the IISER Aptitude Test (IAT). The B.Tech degrees are filled only through JoSAA, the joint counselling for IITs, on a JEE Advanced rank. Every date below is from the 2026 cycle, because the 2027 notices are not out yet. IISc usually posts its notice in February.

Requirement	CBSE / Indian State Boards	Cambridge A Level
Boards Accepted	CBSE, ISC and all Indian State Boards are accepted. IISc asks for Class 12 from any board recognised by the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) in India. The marks must be on one marksheet from one board. Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics must all be main subjects. A student who also took Biology or Computer Science is fine, as long as all three are there.	Cambridge A Level is not named on IISc’s own pages, but JoSAA lists the GCE A Level of London, Cambridge or Sri Lanka as a Class 12 equivalent. The IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) has already admitted a Cambridge student I counselled to IISER Thiruvananthapuram, and the same IAT is one of IISc’s two doors. I handle the board paperwork with the admissions office, so please tell us early.
Minimum to Apply	BS (Research): 60 percent aggregate across all Class 12 subjects, pass class for SC and ST. B.Tech: the JoSAA rule for IITs and IISc, which is 75 percent aggregate across five subjects (65 percent for SC, ST and PwD), or a place in the top 20 percentile of the board. Both need Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Class 12 must be passed in the entry year or the two years before it.	Same percentages. The JoSAA aggregate counts five subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, a language and one more, each scaled to 100. The Cambridge student who entered IISER took five A Levels: English General Paper, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. That pattern gives JoSAA its five subjects with a language, so plan it from Class 11. I arrange the marks certificate that JoSAA asks for from a board that gives letter grades. The top 20 percentile route has cut-offs only for Indian boards, so the 75 percent route is the one to plan on.
Entrance Exams	BS (Research): JEE Advanced or the IISER Aptitude Test (IAT). NEET, JEE Main and KVPY are no longer routes, whatever older guides say. B.Tech: JEE Advanced rank only, through JoSAA. In 2026 the General closing ranks for BS (Research) were JEE Advanced rank 2,203 and IAT rank 54.	Same exams, with no extra test. A student must first qualify through JEE Main, run by the NTA, to sit JEE Advanced. JEE Advanced allows two attempts in two consecutive years, and the first Class 12 appearance must be in the entry year or the year before. Both exams follow the NCERT syllabus, which differs from the Cambridge syllabus in places, so allow time to prepare.
English and Other Tests	No English test. Teaching is in English. No interview for Indian students. SAT and ACT are not used for Indian nationals.	Same. The SAT route, with a minimum of 1500 and an online interview, is only for foreign nationals and OCI (F) card holders, who have five extra seats. IISc has no NRI quota.
Application Portal	BS (Research): IISc’s own admissions portal, linked from bs-ug.iisc.ac.in. Fee INR 500, or INR 250 for SC, ST and PwD. The JEE Advanced or IAT rank must be entered within three days of the result. B.Tech: only the JoSAA portal, josaa.nic.in. There is no IISc form at all for B.Tech.	Same portals. Keep the Cambridge statement of results and the school’s certificate ready as scans. Foreign nationals and OCI (F) holders apply through IISc’s Office of International Relations and pay no fee.
Deadlines	These are the 2026 dates. BS (Research) application 1 May to 7 June. JEE Advanced 17 May, result 1 June. IAT 7 June, marksheet upload by 21 June. IISc offers on 12 June (JEE) and 9 July (IAT). Counselling in person at IISc on 30 June, report by 7:45 am, and absence means no seat. Online counselling for IAT entrants on 16 July. Reporting 24 July, classes 3 August. JoSAA for B.Tech ran from 2 June to 16 July, with the Class 12 marksheet needed from 13 June. CBSE results come in May, so all of this fits.	Same dates, and they fit. Cambridge students in India usually sit the March series, so A Level results come in mid May (19 May in 2026), before the IAT upload date, the JoSAA rounds and IISc counselling. A subject sat in the June series gets results in August, after all these dates, so keep every subject in March. I will walk you through each date as the 2027 notices appear.
Fees and Hostel	From August 2026, BS (Research) tuition is INR 80,000 a year, up from INR 10,000. With other fees the year costs INR 85,800, and the first year INR 1,00,800 including two refundable deposits. B.Tech tuition is INR 2,00,000 a year, first year INR 2,20,800. Fees rise 5 percent a year. SC, ST and PwD students pay no tuition. Hostel: INR 30,000 refundable deposit, room rent INR 300 to 600 a month, other hostel charges INR 2,400 a month. Food is paid separately to the mess. Fees are paid in three parts, in August, November and January.	Same fees for every board. Our own planning estimate for a General category family is about INR 1.75 to 2.25 lakhs a year for BS (Research) with food and travel, and about INR 3 to 3.5 lakhs a year for B.Tech.
Scholarships and Loans	IISc gives no stipend to undergraduates, and its own Promotional Fellowship ended for students joining from 2026-27. A few donor fellowships exist, several for women, and IISc awards them after entry. The government INSPIRE SHE scholarship gives INR 80,000 a year for a science BS (Research) to students in the top 1 percent of their board or in the top 10,000 of JEE. An IAT rank is not listed. Bank education loans work as for any Indian degree.	Same, with one gap. The INSPIRE SHE test of top 1 percent of the board has no Cambridge list, so an A Level student can qualify only through a JEE rank. I will check the 2027 call for you.

Common to both pathways

IISc has no board quota, no NRI quota and no management seats. Every Indian student enters by rank in JEE Advanced or the IAT. The 125 BS (Research) seats and about 125 B.Tech seats are filled in rank order, with the usual government reservations. The BS (Research) is a research degree. About nine in ten of its graduates go on to a Master’s or PhD, often abroad with a scholarship, rather than to a campus job. A family that wants a direct route to a job should read our VIT edition, which follows this one.

Voices from IISc

IISc’s own pages carry two short lines from undergraduates. Suhas Mahesh studied BS (Research) Physics in the Class of 2016 and later became a Rhodes Scholar. He said that “the biggest benefit of being a UG student at IISc is the postgraduate nature of the Institute”. Akash Kalita stayed on for the MSc (Research). He told IISc’s Connect magazine in December 2023: “I felt like I was standing at the edge of a vast ocean ready to take a plunge. I’m glad I did.” Both lines are from IISc’s own website, and we have not added to them.

Why Should Your Child Consider IISc?

India’s Top Research University, on Every List

In NIRF 2025, India’s official ranking, IISc is first among universities, first among research institutions and second overall. QS World University Rankings 2027 place it at joint 221 in the world, and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 at joint 254. In the subject tables, QS Engineering and Technology 2026 places it at 129 and THE Engineering 2026 in the 101 to 125 band. The government named it an Institution of Eminence in 2018, with INR 1,000 crore of extra funding over five years. For about 600 undergraduates there are nearly 480 faculty, so a first year student works close to practising scientists from the start.

A Degree Built Around Research, Not Placements

The BS (Research) spends the first three semesters on a shared science course. The student picks a major in the fourth semester, from Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology or Earth and Environmental Science, and ends with a year long research project. About half the class stays a fifth year for the MSc (Research). IISc’s own NIRF data sheet shows that of about 100 graduates a year, between 89 and 96 go on to higher studies. Recent graduates have gone to Caltech, Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, Cambridge, TIFR and IIM Ahmedabad, most with full or large scholarships. This is the right place for a child who loves a subject for its own sake. It is the wrong place for a child who wants a campus placement at 21.

A New B.Tech Door, Opened in 2026

The B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing began in 2022-23 with 50 seats. From 2026-27 IISc added three more streams, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanics and Computing, and Materials Science and Engineering, with 25 seats each. In 2026, for the first time, these seats were filled through JoSAA alongside the IITs, on a JEE Advanced rank. A child who is set on JEE Advanced can now put IISc on the same choice list as the IITs. Tuition is INR 2,00,000 a year, with the same hostel charges as the BS (Research).

A Full Campus, a Few Hours by Train

The 400 acre campus houses nearly 3,000 students in hostels, including about 500 women, and a new undergraduate complex for over 1,000 students. The main library is open 24 hours on weekdays. The Health Centre has doctors on site round the clock, an ambulance, and group insurance cover of up to INR 3 lakhs a year. Group medical insurance is compulsory. Five messes and a food court feed the campus. A parent can reach the campus from Tamil Nadu in a morning.

What parents should know

CRITICAL, plan five A Level subjects, with English General Paper. JoSAA’s 75 percent rule counts five subjects including a language, and IISc asks for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as main subjects. The Cambridge student who entered IISER Thiruvananthapuram through the IAT took English General Paper, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. That is the pattern to follow. Please tell me in Class 11, and I will settle the subject list and the marks certificate with IISc and JoSAA well before the exam.
CRITICAL, two separate applications and one day in Bengaluru. JEE Advanced alone does not get a seat in the BS (Research). IISc needs its own application in May, and the rank entered within three days of the result. For B.Tech there is no IISc form at all, only JoSAA. The BS (Research) counselling in 2026 was in person at IISc, with reporting by 7:45 am, and a student who did not attend lost the seat. Keep that week free of travel plans.
Results timing fits. Cambridge students in India usually sit the March series and get results in mid May, the same month as CBSE. In 2026 the IAT wanted the marksheet by 21 June, JoSAA from 13 June, and IISc held counselling on 30 June and 16 July. A subject sat in the June series would miss all of these, so keep every subject in the March series.
Fees have jumped. BS (Research) tuition rose from INR 10,000 to INR 80,000 a year for students joining from 2026-27, and rises 5 percent a year. B.Tech tuition is INR 2,00,000. There is no IISc stipend, and the IISc Promotional Fellowship ended for new entrants. Older guides and many websites still show the old fee.
NEET, JEE Main and KVPY are no longer doors into IISc. The KVPY test has not been held since 2022. In 2026 the only routes were JEE Advanced and the IAT. The Materials major in the BS (Research) was also dropped from 2026-27, though Materials stays as a minor.
The seats are few. In 2026 the General category closing ranks for BS (Research) were JEE Advanced rank 2,203 and IAT rank 54. Of 179,694 candidates who sat JEE Advanced 2026, 56,880 qualified, and IISc took 125 into the BS (Research). Prepare for IISc as a target, not as a backup.
Every date in this edition is from the 2026 cycle. Watch for three notices. The JEE Advanced 2027 brochure should come in about December 2026. The IISc admission notice usually comes in February, and the IAT application opens in about March 2027. Ask me to check them with you.
NIRF 2026 was not on the official site when this edition went out, so we use NIRF 2025 and say so. QS and THE place IISc in the 200s because they weigh international students and reputation surveys, where IISc is small.
IISc is a day trip from Tamil Nadu. Direct trains from Tamil Nadu reach Bengaluru in about four to six hours, and Yesvantpur station is 2 km from the campus. Plan a visit on Open Day in March, when IISc opens its labs to the public.

Talk to me

To book an IISc counselling session for your family, write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com or use my contact page. I will cover the JEE Advanced and IAT routes, the board rules for Cambridge students, the fees and the dates for the 2027 cycle as they are announced.

Sources

IISc Admission Notice for the Academic Year 2026-27 (Official, PDF) — Eligibility, modes of entry, year of passing, application fees for all programmes.
IISc BS (Research) Admissions, Selection Process (Official) — 125 seats, 60 percent rule, COBSE recognised board, single marksheet, reservations.
IISc BS (Research) Important Dates (Official) — Application window, counselling, reporting 24 July 2026, classes 3 August 2026.
IISc BS (Research) News and Updates (Official) — 2026 offers and closing ranks (JEE Advanced 2,203, IAT 54), counselling on 30 June and 16 July.
IISc BS (Research) Fee Structure (Official) — Tuition INR 80,000, first year INR 1,00,800, 5 percent yearly rise, instalments.
IISc B.Tech Admissions, Selection Process (Official) — JoSAA only route, JEE Advanced rank, four B.Tech streams from 2026-27, tuition INR 2,00,000.
JoSAA 2026, Joint Seat Allocation Authority (Official) — Schedule, Business Rules, Class 12 rule for IITs and IISc, list of equivalent examinations.
JEE (Advanced) 2026 Admission Criteria (Official) — 75 percent or top 20 percentile rule, five subject aggregate, GCE A Level as an equivalent.
IISER Aptitude Test 2026 Information Brochure (Official, PDF) — IAT eligibility, dates, marksheet by 21 June 2026, IISc as a participating institute.
IISc Undergraduate Counselling Digest 2026 (Official, PDF) — Where graduates go, hostels, messes, library, clubs, Open Day.
IISc NIRF 2025 Data Sheet (Official, PDF) — 596 undergraduates, 481 faculty, 89 to 96 of each graduating batch to higher studies.
NIRF India Rankings 2025, University Category (Official) — IISc rank 1 university, rank 1 research institution, rank 2 overall.
IISc History (Official) — Founded 1909 by Jamsetji Tata, C.V. Raman first Indian Director 1933, Bhabha, Sarabhai, Dhawan, Rao.
QS World University Rankings 2027, IISc profile (QS) — Joint 221 in the world.
THE World University Rankings 2027, IISc profile (Times Higher Education) — Joint 254 in the world, 5,283 students.

Checked by Madan Kumar PC on 11 Oct 2026. Fees, dates and rules change. Always check the official link before applying.

Talk to a career counsellor. A good counsellor can help you work out what this means for you. You can also write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com or use mycontact page.