IISER Eligibility Criteria – Requirements for KVPY, JEE-A, SCB Channels

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) prescribes the IISER eligibility criteria 2021 for candidates seeking admission in integrated science-oriented programmes across its seven different campuses in India. IISER offers admission to BS-MS (Bachelor of Science & Master of Science) dual degree course via three different channels, namely

1. Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) 
2. Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-Advanced) 
3. State and Central Boards (SCB) 

IISER eligibility criteria 2021 for admission on the basis of all the three channels will be slightly different. Candidates qualifying the 10+2 level examination in the science stream fulfill the basic education requirement for pursuing BS-MS at IISER. However, there are other eligibility requirements such as age, nationality, valid entrance exams for IISER admission, etc. 

Candidates who fail to satisfy the IISER eligibility criteria 2021 shall not be considered for admission by the authorities. Thus, candidates must read this article to know the comprehensive details of IISER eligibility criteria 2021. 

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Key Highlights

Before proceeding to fetch complete information about IISER eligibility criteria 2021, go through the pointers below to know the key highlights of eligibility norms for IISER admission 

1. Indian Institute of Science Education and Research holds the right to amend the IISER eligibility criteria
2. IISER eligibility criteria for admission through all the three channels varies from each other
3. IISER eligibility criteria is a set of multiple variables that help in determining the eligibility of a candidate. The variables of IISER eligibility criteria include:
   • Qualifying examination
   • Score in the qualifying exam
   • Nationality
   • Qualifying exam year
4. IISER releases the board-wise cutoff list for class 12th pass outs. Candidates who meet the board-wise qualifying cutoff defined by IISER will be eligible for admission. 
5. Candidates holding a foreign nationality are also eligible for admission at IISER
6. Overseas Citizens of India (OCI)/Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card holders are also eligible as per the IISER eligibility criteria

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Common Requirements for all Channels

Candidates have to fulfill some of the common IISER eligibility criteria norms, irrespective of the channel of admission they are applying through. The common eligibility requirements of the IISER 2021 admission are as follows.

1. Qualifying Exam – 10+2 or 3-year Technical Diploma 
2. Stream of Qualifying Exam – Science
3. Year of Passing – 2019 or 2021 

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Admission through KVPY Channel

Candidates, who wish to secure their admission in IISER on the basis of KVPY scholarship/fellowship, have to fulfill the below mentioned IISER eligibility criteria apart from the common eligibility norms stated above: 

1. KVPY Fellowship Commencement Year – from 2021-22 academic session
2. Nationality – Indian Nationals only 
3. Marks in Class 12th Board* – As per board-wise qualifying cutoff defined by IISER

*If the name of the board isn’t available in the Board-wise qualifying cutoff list, candidates have to submit a certificate from their respective board stating that the score of the candidate is within top 20 percentile holders of the respective board. 

In case a candidate fails to bring the requisite document, percentile shall be evaluated as per the cutoff marks of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).  

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Admission through IIT – JEE Channel

Other than the common eligibility criteria of IISER, candidates who wish to apply for admission on the basis of JEE Advanced have to satisfy the following eligibility requirements. 

1. Minimum rank requirement as per the JEE Advanced CRL – 10,000
2. Nationality – Foreign and Indian nationals including OCI/PIO cardholders
3. Marks in Class 12th – Check the table below for category-wise score requirement

Category	Percentage in Class 12th*
GEN/EWS/OBC-NCL	75%
SC/ST/PwD	65%

*Candidates also have to secure the board-wise cut off marks in addition to the above qualifying criteria. If the board’s name is not listed in board-wise cutoff list defined by IISER, either the candidate has to produce a certificate from their respective board stating his/her position among the top 20 percentile holders, else the qualifying cutoff of CBSE board shall be taken into account.

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Admission through SCB Channel

Candidates applying through the SCB channel must fulfill the IISER eligibility criteria as mentioned below

1. Marks in the qualifying exam* – As per board-wise qualifying cutoff defined by IISER
2. Nationality – Indian Nationals including OCI/PIO cardholders

*Candidates whose board name is unavailable in the Board-wise qualifying cutoff list will be ineligible to apply for IISER admission through the SCB channel.

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Board-wise Qualifying Cutoff

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research prescribes the candidates to obtain a specific board-wise score for satisfying the eligibility criteria. The board-wise qualifying cutoff for different categories for year 2021 is as follows:

Board-Wise Qualifying Cutoff by IISER

BOARDS/COUNCILS	Cut-off marks (out of 500) for IISERs Admission 2021
	GEN/EWS	OBC-NCL	SC	ST/ PwD
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi	427	416	396	376
Board of Intermediate Education (Andhra Pradesh)	468	464	450	446
Assam Higher Secondary Education Council	362	360	348	317
Aligarh Muslim University Board of Secondary & Sr. Sec. Education, Aligarh	406	406	409	406
Bihar School Examination Board, Patna	319	315	304	310/ 304
Council for The Indian School Certificate Examinations, Delhi	440	424	413	376
Goa Board Of Sec. and Higher Sec.Education	370	356	347	351/ 347
Gujarat Sec. and Higher Sec. Education Board	361	341	328	306
Kerala Board of Public Examinations	447	423	401	394
Board of Sec. Education, Madhya Pradesh	400	392	377	363
Meghalaya Board of School Education	367	331	344	346/ 331
Mizoram Board of School Education	360	369	350	347
Nagaland Board of School Education	360	369	348	330
Punjab School Education Board	386	388	375	366
Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education, Nampally, Hyderabad	467	464	453	457/ 453
Tripura Board of Secondary Education	354	354	343	309
Maharashtra State Board of Secondary And Higher Education	345	346	328	319
U.P. Board of High School & Intermediate Education, U. P.	342	332	322	319
Board of Secondary Education Rajasthan	393	394	377	370
Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education Dharamshala, H. P.	401	389	387	388/ 387
Board of School Education Haryana, Bhiwani	407	398	382	348
Council Of Higher Sec. Education, Manipur	311	320	311	302
Govt. of Karnataka Dept. Of Pre-University Education, Karnataka	449	428	403	409/ 403
Council of Higher Sec. Education, Odisha	323	323	292	271
Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education	378	381	361	359
Jharkhand Academic Council, Ranchi	320	326	307	302
Jammu & Kashmir State Board of School Education	395	383	341	328
Visva‐Bharati	379	382	386	386/ 379
Uttarakhand Board of School Education	316	311	297	293
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education	348	353	328	294
Tamil Nadu Board of Higher Secondary Education	437	437	433	415
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)	341	328	325	326/ 325

If the name of your board is not available in the table above, you are ineligible to apply for admission through SCB channel. 

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Additional Eligibility Conditions

1. Candidates having class 12th marks as per board-wise cut-off score (defined by IISER) are eligible to get admission. Additionally, for admission through the JEE advanced channel, candidates must secure a JEE Advanced rank within 10,000. 
2. The best score of the two exams will be considered if a candidate appears in an improvement exam of any subjects in class 12th  
3. In case a board provides an aggregate score on the basis of both Class XI and Class XII examinations, then the marks scored by candidates in class 12th will be considered.
4. In cases where the board awards letter grades without providing an equivalent percentage of marks on the result card, candidates must obtain a certificate from the board specifying the equivalent marks and submit it to IISER’s admission office within the specified deadline.
5. If a board gives aggregate marks considering the results of all three years of a 3-year diploma, then the score of a candidate in the final year is given the consideration. Similarly, for all other boards, which follow semester systems, IISER will consider the marks in the final semesters only
6. For candidates applying through a 3-year diploma course, there can be instances when their respective institutions do not evaluate the marks of Mathematics/Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Language in the final year, in such a case, IISER will use the marks candidates scored in the previous year.
7. In case a board does not grant marks/grades in individual subjects, but allots aggregate marks/grades, then the same will be considered after linearly scaling the score out of 500.

IISER Eligibility – How to Calculate Score out of 500 in the 12th?

For calculating the score in class 12th out of 500, candidates have to consider the scores in the following five subjects:

1. Physics
2. Chemistry
3. Mathematics or Biology
4. One language subject (with the highest score)
5. Any subject other than the subjects mentioned in points 1 – 4 above

In case of theory and practical tests in one subject, candidates have to consider the mean score of both while evaluation of score out of 500. Also, if the board does not grant the score out of 100 in any subject, candidates must convert the same on a linear scale to 100.

IISER Eligibility Criteria – For BS Degree Programme

Candidates who intend to apply for a BS degree programme at IISER, Bhopal must additionally fulfill the following eligibility criteria:

Compulsory Subject in Class 12th – Mathematics

However, there are no such compulsory subject requirements for enrollment to BS-MS dual degree programmes.

IISER Eligibility Criteria – Ineligible Candidates

Candidates who belong to certain categories are ineligible for IISER admissions, irrespective of fulfilling the above stated eligibility criteria. Conditions of ineligible candidates are as follows:

1. Candidates who were offered admission in any of the IISER campuses earlier
2. A candidate who did not join after the acceptance of seat at IISER
3. A candidate whose admission to any of the IISERs was cancelled after joining

IISER Eligibility Criteria – FAQs

✔️ I am an OCI/PIO cardholder. Do I need to apply as a foreign national?

The term ‘Foreign nationals’ refers to those students who are not a citizen of India by birth and do not belong to the PIO/OCI category. Candidates whose parents are Indian nationals or who themselves are citizens of India and hold OCI/PIO cards are eligible to apply as Indian nationals.

✔️ Is it allowed to apply for admission through more than one channel as per IISER eligibility criteria 2021?

Yes, candidates can apply for admission through all three channels. However, the aspirants applying for admission through different channels must fulfill the IISER eligibility criteria for admission through the respective channels.

✔️ What if the name of the board is not available in the qualifying cutoff list?

Such candidates will be ineligible to apply through SCB channel for IISER admission. In case a candidate intends to apply for KVPY or JEE channel, he/she will have to provide a certificate from his/her respective board stating that his/her score in class 12th lies within the top 20 percentile of that particular board. If a candidate is unable to provide any such certificate, the CBSE qualifying cutoff (defined by IISER) will be considered for the evaluation

✔️ Is mathematics at 10+2 level mandatory to take admission at IISER?

No. Candidates applying for admission to BS-MS dual degree programmes can apply even if they haven’t studied mathematics in class 12th. However, candidates who wish for admission to BS degree programmes in Economics and Engineering Sciences at IISER Bhopal must have Mathematics as one of the core subjects at 10+2 level.

✔️ I am a foreign national. Do I need to appear for the IISER Aptitude Test?

No. Candidates holding a foreign nationality are only eligible to apply through JEE advanced channel. Also, candidates must fulfill all the eligibility norms as per the JEE Advanced channel.

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