Content Curator | Updated on - Mar 31, 2026

The B.Tech in Computer Science + M.S. in Computational Linguistics by Research (CLD) is a prestigious 5-year transdisciplinary dual degree programme offered by the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H). The programme sits at the intersection of Computer Science and Linguistics, training students to build computational models for processing human language, including applications in machine translation, natural language processing (NLP), dialogue systems, and intelligent search engines. Upon successful completion, students earn two degrees: a B.Tech in Computer Science and an M.S. by Research in Computational Linguistics (requiring a thesis defence). The programme is highly selective with a very limited seat intake, offered in full-time on-campus mode, and is one of the few programmes in India that offers a structured research-oriented curriculum in language technology at the undergraduate level.

Admissions for the 2026 batch are currently open via the UGEE (Undergraduate Entrance Examination) mode. The UGEE 2026 application portal is open until 31st March 2026, with the entrance exam scheduled for 2nd May 2026 and interviews from 4th to 6th June 2026.

Key Points

The CLD programme is one of IIIT Hyderabad's core dual degree offerings, uniquely combining Computer Science with Linguistics for a research-focused career in language technology.
Students earn two degrees: B.Tech in Computer Science and M.S. by Research in Computational Linguistics, with the M.S. requiring a full research thesis.
The curriculum totals 201 credits: 177 for coursework and 24 for thesis, covering Computer Science, Linguistics, Mathematics, Humanities, and Sciences.
Students are encouraged to work with research teams at the Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) from the very first year.
The programme offers 4 elective streams in the final years, allowing students to specialise in areas such as NLP, syntax, semantics, cognitive science, or dialogue systems.
Students who have cleared Round 1 of the Paninian Linguistic Olympiad (PLO) are eligible to directly appear for the UGEE interview round, bypassing the written exam.
The Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) at IIIT-H is one of India's foremost research centres in NLP and language technology, giving CLD students unparalleled research exposure.
Admission is exclusively through IIIT Hyderabad's UGEE; JEE scores are NOT accepted for this programme.

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Highlights
Fees
Admission
Scholarships
Placements
Cutoff
Ranking
FAQs

IIIT Hyderabad Latest Updates and News

Key Updates3

Other Updates1

10 Apr, 2026 IIIT Hyderabad B.Tech Admission 2026 is open through JEE-Main score. The last date to apply is May 19, 2026. Read more.

08 Apr, 2026 UGEE 2026 exam will be held on May 2, 2026, for admission to BTech+MS (5-year dual degree) programs at IIIT Hyderabad. The interviews are scheduled from June 4 to 6, 2026. Read more.

06 Apr, 2026 IIIT Hyderabad BTech Fee Structure 2026 is out. The total academic fee is ₹ 22.5 Lakhs.

IIIT Hyderabad Important Events

B.Tech1

BTech+MS2

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IIIT-H CLD Fees

The total tuition fee for the B.Tech + M.S. (CLD) dual degree programme at IIIT Hyderabad is INR 22,50,000 for the full 5-year duration, charged at INR 4,50,000 per annum. In addition to tuition, students pay a one-time non-refundable admission fee and a refundable caution deposit at the time of joining. Hostel accommodation is available on campus but is not mandatory; hostel and mess charges are levied separately. The institute also charges nominal annual fees for library, laboratory, and examination purposes.

Fee Components

Fee Component	Amount (INR)
Tuition Fee (per annum)	4,50,000
Tuition Fee (5 years total)	22,50,000
Admission Fee (one-time, non-refundable)	10,000
Caution Deposit (one-time, refundable)	10,000
Library and Laboratory Fee (per annum)	5,000
Examination and Registration Fee (per annum)	5,000
Other Charges (5 years total)	50,000
Total Academic Fees (5 years)	23,10,000
Hostel Fee (per annum, optional)	~48,000
Hostel Fee (5 years, optional)	~2,40,000
Total Fees (with Hostel, 5 years)	~25,50,000

The caution deposit of INR 10,000 is fully refundable upon successful course completion or withdrawal.
Hostel accommodation is not mandatory; students may opt for off-campus accommodation.
Fees are paid semester-wise; no monthly instalment option is available.
A late fee of INR 500 per week is charged for delayed payments; registration is not permitted after 3 weeks of the deadline.
Fee revision of approximately 5-10% per annum may apply; the fee for AY 2026-27 will be announced before the academic year begins.
SBI Scholar Loan of up to INR 40 lakhs is available without collateral for all admitted students.

IIIT-H CLD Admission 2026

Admissions to the B.Tech + M.S. (CLD) programme at IIIT Hyderabad are conducted exclusively through the institute's own Undergraduate Entrance Examination (UGEE). The UGEE 2026 application portal is currently open, with the last date to apply being 31st March 2026. Shortlisted candidates are called for an on-campus interview, and the final admission offer is based solely on interview performance. Students who have cleared Round 1 of the Paninian Linguistic Olympiad (PLO) are eligible to directly appear for the interview, bypassing the written exam. Candidates coming through UGEE are expected to have a genuine aptitude for and interest in linguistic inquiry.

IIIT Hyderabad CLD Admission Dates

Event	Date
UGEE 2026 Application Portal Opens	11th February 2026
UGEE 2026 Application Portal Closes	31st March 2026
UGEE 2026 Admit Card Release	22nd April 2026
UGEE 2026 Entrance Exam	2nd May 2026
UGEE 2026 Result Declaration	8th May 2026
UGEE 2026 Interviews (On Campus)	4th to 6th June 2026
Batch Commencement (Tentative)	July/August 2026

Entrance Exam Dates

Exam	Registration Deadline	Exam Date	Result Date
IIITH UGEE 2026	31st March 2026	2nd May 2026	8th May 2026

The dates mentioned above are tentative and subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must have passed Class 12 or equivalent with Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry between 2023 and June 2026. Candidates who passed Class 12 in 2022 or earlier are not eligible.
Students who have cleared Round 1 of the Paninian Linguistic Olympiad (PLO) are eligible to directly appear for the UGEE interview round without the written exam.
For UGEE: Candidates are expected to have a genuine aptitude for and interest in linguistic inquiry; a background or interest in languages is an advantage.
Boards channel: Students with exceptional Class 12 Board scores may be admitted without UGEE (details on the official admissions portal).

Admission Process

Register online on the IIIT Hyderabad admissions portal (admportal.iiit.ac.in) and pay the application fee (INR 3,100 for male applicants; INR 1,550 for female applicants).
Appear for the UGEE computer-based exam (3 hours): Section 1 - SUPR (Subject Proficiency, 60 minutes) and Section 2 - REAP (Research Aptitude, 120 minutes). Negative marking of 25% applies in both sections.
Candidates are shortlisted based on SUPR performance and then ranked on REAP scores for interview shortlisting.
Shortlisted candidates attend an on-campus interview at IIIT Hyderabad; the final admission decision is based solely on interview performance.
Offer letters are issued after interviews; accepted candidates complete the fee payment and document verification process.

IIIT Hyderabad: Students' Opinion

AI-Generated Summary based on 3 Reviews

Admission to IIIT Hyderabad is available through multiple channels including JEE, UGEE, Olympiad, SPEC, and DASA. UGEE requires an interview in early June, with admissions confirmed by late June. Olympiad candidates skip the UGEE exam and proceed directly to the interview. Faculty members, mostly PhD holders from esteemed institutions, generally enhance the learning experience, though some teaching methods could be improved. Tuition fees are Rs. 1,25,000 per semester, with hostel and mess charges totaling approximately Rs.

17,000 per semester, alongside minor utilities charges. While fees are moderately high, the tuition is slightly higher than other institutions. The college is known for attracting top companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft for internships and placements, offering stipends between Rs. 60,000 to 100,000 per month. Placement processes usually involve CGPA cutoffs, a screening round, and interviews. Internships are offered after the third year. Financial support is available through SBI scholar loans and an alumni-funded need-based scholarship, helping students manage expenses.

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IIIT-H CLD Scholarships 2026

IIIT Hyderabad strongly believes that financial constraints should not be a barrier to quality education. The institute offers multiple avenues of financial assistance to admitted students, including alumni-funded support on a pay-it-forward basis and guaranteed SBI Scholar Loans. Need-based support is available from the 2nd semester onwards for students with family income below INR 8 lakhs per annum, and exceptional cases above this threshold may also be considered by a committee.

Scholarship Details

Scholarship / Financial Assistance	Eligibility	Amount / Benefit
IIIT-H Alumni Fund (Pay-it-Forward)	Family income below INR 8 LPA (from 2nd semester); exceptional cases above threshold also considered	Partial to full tuition support; student agrees to fund a future student after graduation
SBI Scholar Loan	All admitted students	Up to INR 40 lakhs without collateral, even if family has existing loans
Need-Based Tuition Support (ISFAS)	Students with demonstrated financial need	Partial tuition fee waiver on a need-cum-merit basis

The Alumni Fund is NOT a scholarship; it is a pay-it-forward scheme where the beneficiary agrees to support a future student after graduating and starting to earn.
Financial assistance is subject to availability and meeting stipulated criteria; it is not guaranteed to all applicants.
Applications for financial assistance are processed after admission; students must submit income documents and appear before a committee.
SBI Scholar Loan details are available at the IIIT Hyderabad admissions portal (ugadmissions.iiit.ac.in/financial-assistance/).

IIIT-H CLD Placement 2026

The CLD (B.Tech CS + M.S. Computational Linguistics) programme at IIIT Hyderabad has an excellent placement record, with 100% placement achieved in the 2023-24 batch. CLD graduates are highly sought after for roles in NLP engineering, language technology research, AI/ML engineering, computational linguistics research, and software development at top technology companies and research organisations globally. The dual degree with an M.S. by Research component, backed by IIIT-H's renowned Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC), gives CLD graduates a strong edge in research-oriented and language-AI roles.

Placement Statistics

Statistic	CLD (B.Tech CS + M.S. Computational Linguistics)
Highest Package	INR 42.00 LPA
Average Package	INR 27.61 LPA
Lowest Package	INR 12.00 LPA
Placement Percentage	100%

Top Recruiters (Overall IIIT Hyderabad): Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, Arcesium, Alphagrep, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Meta, Apple, Arista Networks, Deloitte, HSBC, Walmart, Uber, Swiggy, and others.

IIIT Hyderabad B.Tech + M.S Computer Science + Computational Linguistics Ranking

Collegedunia Ranking

#15 out of 500 in India 2025

#2nd in Hyderabad

#3 in Telangana

Indiatoday Ranking

#14 out of 269 in India 2025

#1st in Hyderabad

#1 in Telangana

The Week Ranking

#10 out of 286 in India 2025

#1st in Hyderabad

#2 in Telangana

NIRF Ranking

#38 out of 300 in India 2025

#2nd in Hyderabad

#3 in Telangana

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IIIT-H CLD FAQs

Ques. Do I need to know a second language or have a linguistics background to apply for the CLD programme?

Ans. Not necessarily. While an interest in languages and linguistic inquiry is strongly preferred, you do not need formal training in linguistics before joining. The programme is designed to build linguistic knowledge from the ground up alongside computer science. However, candidates who have a genuine curiosity about how languages work, enjoy analysing language structures, or have participated in linguistic olympiads will have a natural advantage both in the UGEE interview and in the programme itself.

Ques. What is the Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) and how does it benefit CLD students?

Ans. The LTRC at IIIT Hyderabad is one of India's premier research centres for natural language processing and language technology. It has been at the forefront of research in areas like machine translation, speech processing, information extraction, and Indian language computing for over two decades. CLD students are encouraged to work with LTRC research teams from their very first year, giving them hands-on research experience that is rare at the undergraduate level. This exposure significantly strengthens their profiles for both industry placements and PhD admissions at top global universities.

Ques. What career paths are available after completing the CLD programme?

Ans. CLD graduates are well-positioned for careers in NLP engineering, AI research, language technology product development, computational linguistics research, and software engineering at top technology companies. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta actively hire NLP engineers and researchers. Many CLD alumni also pursue PhD programmes at top universities in India and abroad, given the strong research foundation the programme provides. The growing demand for large language models (LLMs) and AI-driven language tools has significantly increased industry demand for CLD-type graduates.

Ques. How does the CLD programme differ from a regular B.Tech in Computer Science at IIIT Hyderabad?

Ans. The CLD programme is a 5-year dual degree (vs. 4-year B.Tech CSE), with a mandatory M.S. by Research thesis in Computational Linguistics. The curriculum is transdisciplinary, covering both CS and Linguistics in depth (201 credits total), whereas B.Tech CSE is purely computer science focused. CLD students also get early and deep integration with LTRC research teams. The admission process is also different: CLD requires UGEE (not JEE), and the interview specifically assesses linguistic aptitude and research orientation.

Ques. What is the Paninian Linguistic Olympiad (PLO) and how does it help in CLD admission?

Ans. The Paninian Linguistic Olympiad (PLO) is a national-level linguistics olympiad for school students. Students who have cleared Round 1 of the PLO are eligible to directly appear for the UGEE interview round at IIIT Hyderabad for the CLD programme, without having to take the written UGEE exam. This is a significant advantage as it bypasses the competitive written test. PLO participation also demonstrates a strong aptitude for linguistic analysis, which is exactly what the CLD programme looks for.

Ques. Is the average package for CLD graduates lower than CSE graduates, and is it worth it?

Ans. The average package for CLD graduates (INR 27.61 LPA in 2023-24) is slightly lower than B.Tech CSE (INR 31.49 LPA) but comparable to or higher than many other dual degree streams. More importantly, CLD graduates have 100% placement and the M.S. by Research degree opens doors to high-value research roles and PhD programmes that are not accessible to regular B.Tech graduates. For students passionate about language technology and NLP, the CLD programme offers a unique combination of depth, research exposure, and career prospects that a standard CSE degree cannot match.

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Saswata Bose

4.4Helpful

B.Tech + M.S, Computer Science + Computational Linguistics

Reviewed on Nov 11, 2023(Enrolled 2023)

MY IIIT JOURNEY

Fees and Financial Aid:

The fee hike is 10% and costs 360000 per year for tution fee.The alumni fund gives financial assistance and helps students to smoothly pursue their education and it is repayed very easily in 3-4 years

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Mayank Goel

3.9Helpful

B.Tech + M.S, Computer Science + Computational Linguistics

Reviewed on Jun 24, 2020

IIIT Hyderabad - A review

Fees and Financial Aid:

I did not apply for any loan or so. I think loans are easy to get from SBI bank, and I have some friends who have taken them.

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Raghvendra Shripal

4.1Helpful

B.Tech + M.S, Computer Science + Computational Linguistics

Reviewed on May 26, 2020

IIIT Hyderabad Review

Fees and Financial Aid:

We have State Bank of India scholar loans. I have personally not availed any loans. The college alumnus also has a fund which provides full need-based scholarship to students with the understanding that the student will pay it forward.

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