Chennai Mathematical Institute

Admissions


Applying to CMI in 2026

  • Applications for 2026–27 admissions will open around 1 March, 2026. Further details will be announced by February, 2026.

Special cases

  • Students with exceptionally good performance in the National Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics and Informatics are exempted from writing the BSc entrance examination. See details below.

  • For CMI's PhD programmes, you can also qualify for the interview by writing national level exams such as JEST and NBHM. Specific details are given below for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics.

  • For programme details and information about fees, please download the Information Brochure for 2025.

Academic programmes offered at CMI

Admission will be made to the following programmes in 2025–26.

Notes:

  • There is a common entrance examination for both the B.Sc. (Hons.) programmes. You need not select your course at the time of applying. The choice can be made after admission.

  • For Ph.D. in Physics, candidates should write the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST), UGC-CSIR NET, or GATE.

Eligibility for Admission

  • B.Sc. (Hons.) Mathematics and Computer Science:    12th standard or equivalent.
  • B.Sc. (Hons.) Mathematics and Physics:    12th standard or equivalent.
  • M.Sc. in Mathematics:    Undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, …) with a strong background in mathematics.
  • M.Sc. in Computer Science:    Undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, …) with a strong background in computer science.
  • M.Sc. in Data Science:    Undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, …) with a background in mathematics/statistics/computer science.
  • Ph.D. in Mathematics:    B.E./B.Tech/B.Sc.(Math)/M.Sc.(Math).
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science:    B.E/B.Tech/M.Sc.(C.S.)/M.C.A.
  • Ph.D. in Physics:    M.Sc.(Physics).

How to Apply

For all programmes other than Ph.D. Physics, applicants will have to take an entrance examination. The entrance exam for 2025-2026 was conducted at the following locations.

Agartala, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Durgapur, Goa, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Madurai, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Noida, Paschim Medinipur, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Silchar, Siliguri, Srinagar, Tiruchi, Trivandrum, Visakhapatnam

For admission to Ph.D. in Physics, candidates should write the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST), UGC-CSIR NET, or GATE. There is no separate CMI entrance examination for Ph.D. Physics.

Selection for all Ph.D. programmes will involve an interview for shortlisted candidates. For all other programmes, interviews will be at the discretion of the Admissions Committee—the Committee may call shortlisted candidates for an interview depending on their prior academic record.

Fees and scholarships

For details about fees and scholarships, please look up the Information Brochure or the pages with more detailed information about the BSc and MSc programmes.

For more information, please write to admissions@cmi.ac.in.

Direct admission to BSc through Olympiads

Students with exceptionally good performance in the National Olympiads in Mathematics and Physics conducted by HBSCE and the Indian Computing Olympiad conducted by IARCS are exempted from writing the BSc entrance examination.

Typically, the following categories of students qualify for direct admission:

  • Students who have qualified for the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC) or European Girls Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (EGMOTC) in Class 11 or Class 12.

  • Students who have qualified for the Orientation Cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in Physics in Class 11 or Class 12.

  • Students who have qualified for the International Olympiad in Informatics Training Camp (IOITC), or have received a gold or silver medal at the Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI) in Class 11 or Class 12.

More details about the application procedure for Olympiad candidates will be announced when applications for 2026 open.

Qualify for PhD Mathematics via NBHM

Candidates applying to the PhD programme in Mathematics at CMI can qualify for the interview without writing the CMI entrance examination if they have been awarded the NBHM PhD Fellowship.

More details about the application procedure for NBHM exam candidates will be announced when applications for 2026 open.

Qualify for PhD Computer Science via JEST, GATE

Candidates applying to the PhD programme in Computer Science at CMI can qualify for the interview on the basis of their performance in the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) in Theoretical Computer Science or the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) in Computer Science and Information Technology, without writing the CMI entrance examination.

More details about the application procedure for JEST and GATE candidates will be announced when applications for 2026 open.

Qualify for PhD Physics via JEST, UGC-CSIR NET, GATE

Candidates applying to the PhD programme in Physics should satisfy one of the following criteria:

  1. JEST: A rank of 400 or below in the Joint Entrance Screening Test in Physics.

  2. UGC-CSIR NET: Have qualified Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) of CSIR with a rank of 200 or less.

  3. GATE: A rank of 100 or less in the GATE exam in Physics.

More details about the application procedure for JEST, UGC-CSIR NET and GATE candidates will be announced when applications for 2026 open.