For the first time, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has introduced a special admission drive for PhD candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the decision has been made to address the underrepresentation of these communities in its doctoral programmes.
Interested candidates are advised to note that the application window for this initiative remains open until June 30.
The move follows an April visit by a parliamentary committee evaluating the implementation of constitutional safeguards for marginalised communities in premier educational institutions.
An institute official, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We noticed that PhD seats were not being filled adequately by students from reserved categories in the regular cycle that began in May,” the official said and added, “Even though we normally run another cycle in December, we anticipated the shortfall would persist, so we decided to roll out a special drive this year. This is the first time that IIT-Delhi has come up with this initiative.”
What did the report reveal?
Internal assessments at IIT-Delhi revealed significant gaps in SC/ST enrollment in PhD programmes. They observed that PhD seats were not being filled adequately by students from reserved categories in the regular cycle that began in May.
As per Central Government norms, institutions are required to maintain 15% reservation norms for the SC category, and 7.5% for the ST category in admissions to higher education programmes; however, the data submitted showed institutions falling short of the target, particularly at the doctoral level.
As per the report by The Indian Express, between 2015-16 and 2024-25, SC enrolment in IIT Delhi’s PhD programmes increased slightly from 8.88% to 9.69%. For ST candidates, the increase was from just 0.97% to 3.28%.
In contrast, undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes showed modest improvements, with SC enrollment rising from 13.85% to 14.92% at the undergraduate level and from 11.27% to 13.11% at the postgraduate level.
Flexible measures
To address the issue, IIT Delhi is easing the departmental eligibility criteria for the special drive, requiring departments to adhere to the institute’s minimum standards, such as a 5.5 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in master’s and a valid Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) score for SC/ST candidates, rather than imposing stricter benchmarks.
The special drive extends to all departments, even those without current vacancies. Departments are further encouraged to admit eligible SC/ST candidates on a supernumerary basis if suitable.
