Content Curator | Updated on - Mar 31, 2026

The Ph.D. in Computer Science (Full Time) at UPES, Dehradun is a prestigious doctoral research program offered under the School of Computer Science (SoCS), spanning a duration of 3 to 6 years. The program provides a comprehensive blend of advanced coursework and intensive research, covering cutting-edge areas such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Data Science and Big Data, Cybersecurity, Quantum Technologies, Computer Vision, Internet of Things, Blockchain Technology, Natural Language Processing, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Edge Computing, and Cloud Computing. The program fee is INR 1,00,000 per semester, with full-time scholars receiving a 75% waiver (paying only INR 25,000 per semester), along with a monthly fellowship of INR 25,000 during coursework and INR 30,000 thereafter. Admissions are conducted twice a year in January and July, making it a highly sought-after program for aspiring researchers and academics in the technology domain.

Admissions for the July 2026 intake are currently ongoing, with the application window open from March 10, 2026, and the last date to apply being June 1, 2026. The UPES Research Entrance Test (RET) is scheduled for June 10 and 11, 2026, followed by interviews in late July 2026 and session commencement in August 2026.

Key Points

Full-time Ph.D. scholars receive a monthly fellowship of INR 25,000 during coursework and INR 30,000 after clearing the mandatory coursework examination, valid for up to 3 years from commencement.
Full-time scholars receive a 75% waiver on the program semester fee, paying only INR 25,000 per semester instead of INR 1,00,000.
The School of Computer Science has dedicated Centers of Excellence in IoT, Quantum Technologies, Immersive Technologies, Cybersecurity, and AI/ML.
Faculty includes researchers from NUS Singapore, Cambridge University, Harvard University, IISc, and top IITs, with 51 UPES faculty members in Stanford University's top 2% researchers list.
Scholars can opt for International Ph.D. or Joint Ph.D. programs with partner universities abroad.
Research projects are funded by organizations like SERB and ISRO, providing scholars with real-world research exposure.
An annual contingency grant of INR 30,000 is provided for consumables, conference participation, and experiments at other universities.
Scholars with 2 publications as first author in Q1/Q2 journals are eligible for an increased fellowship of up to INR 34,000 per month.

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Highlights
Fees
Admission
Scholarships
FAQs

UPES Ph.D. CS Fees

The Full Time Ph.D. in Computer Science at UPES has a program semester fee of INR 1,00,000 per semester, but full-time scholars receive a 75% waiver, effectively paying only INR 25,000 per semester. Over the minimum duration of 3 years (6 semesters), the total tuition fee after waiver amounts to INR 1,50,000. In addition, candidates must pay a one-time registration fee of INR 31,300, a refundable security deposit of INR 20,000, and a thesis submission fee of INR 15,000 at the time of thesis submission.

Fee Components

Fee Component	Amount (INR)
Application/Entrance Exam Fee	1,750
Registration Fee (One Time)	31,300
Program Semester Fee (Per Semester - Before Waiver)	1,00,000
Program Semester Fee After 75% Waiver (Full Time)	25,000
Total Tuition Fee After Waiver (6 Semesters - Minimum Duration)	1,50,000
Thesis Submission Fee (One Time)	15,000
Refundable Security Deposit	20,000
Total Fees After Waiver (Excluding Refundable Deposit)	1,98,050

The 75% fee waiver is applicable for the full tenure of the Ph.D. program for full-time scholars.
The security deposit of INR 20,000 is refundable (interest-free) upon completion of the program.
The application fee of INR 1,750 is non-refundable.
If the program extends beyond the minimum duration (3 years), additional semester fees at INR 25,000 per semester (after waiver) will apply.
The maximum duration for full-time PhD is 6 years (12 semesters), resulting in a total tuition fee of INR 3,00,000 after waiver.
Scholars receiving external fellowships (JRF, INSPIRE, etc.) are not eligible for the UPES institutional fee waiver simultaneously.
Hostel facility is optional.
Hostel fees range from INR 1,83,000 to INR 2,32,000 per year depending on room type and campus (Bidholi or Kandoli).
An interest-free refundable hostel security fee of INR 10,000 is charged at the time of registration (if hostel is availed).
Fee payment can be made via NEFT/RTGS/IMPS/Cash Deposit/Bank Gateway.

UPES Ph.D. CS Admission 2026

Admissions to the Full Time Ph.D. in Computer Science at UPES are conducted twice a year in January and July. The July 2026 intake is currently open with applications accepted from March 10, 2026. The selection process involves an online application, the UPES Research Entrance Test (RET), submission of a research proposal, and a personal interview conducted online via MS Teams. Candidates with valid UGC-NET/GATE/SET/CSIR/GPAT qualifications are exempted from the RET. Additionally, candidates with a 4-year Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 75% marks or 7.5 CGPA are eligible for full-time admission only.

July 2026 Intake Important Dates

Event	Date
Application Start Date	March 10, 2026
Last Date to Apply	June 1, 2026
RET Exam	June 10 and 11, 2026
RET Result Declaration	June 27, 2026
Research Proposal Submission	After RET Result (Tentative: Early July 2026)
Interview Dates	July 28, 29 and 30, 2026
Final Selected Candidate List	August 12, 2026
Last Date for Fee Payment	August 17, 2026
Session Commencement	August 2026 (Tentative)

RET Exemption Exam Dates

Exam	Exam Date	Result Date
UGC-NET (Phase 1)	December 31, 2025 to January 7, 2026	February 4, 2026
UGC-NET (Phase 2)	June 2026 (Tentative)	July 2026 (Tentative)
GATE 2026	February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026	March 19, 2026
CSIR-NET	July 25, 26, 27, 2026 (Tentative)	September 4, 2026 (Tentative)

The dates mentioned above are tentative and subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

Master's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, or allied sciences with a minimum of 55% marks (or equivalent grade) from a recognized university. SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/differently-abled candidates are eligible with 50% marks.
Alternatively, candidates with a 4-year Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 75% marks or 7.5 CGPA are eligible for full-time admission only, subject to at least one high-quality research publication from their Bachelor's degree project work.
Final-semester postgraduate students are also eligible to apply and appear for the RET.

Admission Process

Fill the online application form at the UPES PhD admission portal and pay the application fee of INR 1,750.
Appear for the UPES Research Entrance Test (RET) - a 3-hour online proctored test with 50 questions on Research/General Aptitude and 50 questions on domain-specific Computer Science (total 100 marks). Candidates with valid UGC-NET/GATE/SET/CSIR/GPAT scores are exempted from RET.
Shortlisted candidates (RET qualified or exempted) must submit a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words to phd@upes.ac.in.
Book an online interview slot through the link shared by the university.
Appear for the online interview conducted via MS Teams.
Receive the offer letter upon selection and pay the enrollment fee within the stipulated deadline.
Complete registration and attend orientation before commencement of session.

UPES Ph.D. CS Scholarships 2026

UPES provides strong financial support for Full Time Ph.D. scholars in Computer Science through institutional fellowships and fee waivers. The most significant benefit is the monthly fellowship of INR 25,000 (during coursework) and INR 30,000 (post-coursework), along with a 75% waiver on the semester fee. External fellowships such as UGC-JRF, CSIR-JRF, and INSPIRE are also applicable, with UPES providing an additional contingency grant of INR 2,00,000 per year for such scholars.

Scholarship Benefits

Scholarship / Fellowship	Eligibility	Benefit
UPES Full Time Fellowship	All full-time PhD scholars (first 100 seats)	INR 25,000/month (coursework) and INR 30,000/month (post-coursework) for up to 3 years
UPES Semester Fee Waiver	All full-time PhD scholars	75% waiver on semester fee (INR 25,000 per semester instead of INR 1,00,000)
Annual Contingency Grant	All full-time PhD scholars	INR 30,000/year for consumables, conferences, and experiments
Enhanced Fellowship	Full-time scholars with 2 first-author publications in Q1/Q2 journals	Up to INR 34,000/month
INSPIRE/CSIR-JRF Contingency	Scholars with external INSPIRE/JRF fellowship	INR 2,00,000/year for consumables, international conferences, and experiments
Alumni Scholarship	UPES alumni enrolled in Full Time Ph.D.	50% waiver on semester fee
UGC-NET JRF (External)	UGC-NET qualified with JRF	INR 37,000/month (initial) + contingency
CSIR-JRF (External)	CSIR-NET qualified with JRF	INR 37,000/month (initial) + contingency
INSPIRE Fellowship (External)	DST INSPIRE awardees	INR 35,000/month + INR 20,000/year contingency

The UPES fellowship is available for the first 100 full-time scholars per intake cycle and is valid for up to 3 years from commencement of session or submission of PhD thesis, whichever is earlier.
Scholars receiving external fellowships (UGC-JRF, CSIR-JRF, INSPIRE) will not receive the UPES institutional fellowship simultaneously, but will receive the additional contingency of INR 2,00,000 per year.
All scholarship decisions are at the discretion of the University's Competent Authority and are subject to change.

UPES Ph.D. CS FAQs

Ques. What is the monthly fellowship amount for Full Time Ph.D. scholars in Computer Science at UPES?

Ans. Full-time Ph.D. scholars at UPES receive a monthly fellowship of INR 25,000 during the coursework phase. After clearing the mandatory coursework examination, the fellowship increases to INR 30,000 per month. This fellowship is valid for up to 3 years from the commencement of the session or until thesis submission, whichever is earlier. Additionally, scholars with 2 first-author publications in Q1/Q2 journals can receive an enhanced fellowship of up to INR 34,000 per month.

Ques. What research areas are available for Ph.D. in Computer Science at UPES?

Ans. The School of Computer Science at UPES offers research in a wide range of cutting-edge areas including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Data Science and Big Data, Cybersecurity, Quantum Technologies, Computer Vision, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain Technology, Natural Language Processing, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Edge Computing, Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality, Biomedical Computing, Sustainable and Green Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, and Cloud Computing and Distributed Systems.

Ques. Is the UPES RET mandatory for Ph.D. (Computer Science) applicants?

Ans. No. Candidates who have qualified UGC-NET, GATE, SET, GPAT, or CSIR are exempted from the UPES Research Entrance Test (RET). Only those without any of these qualifications need to appear for the RET, which is a 3-hour online proctored test covering research aptitude (50 questions) and domain-specific Computer Science questions (50 questions).

Ques. Can a candidate with only a B.Tech degree apply for the Full Time Ph.D. in Computer Science at UPES?

Ans. Yes, but only for full-time admission. Candidates with a 4-year Bachelor's degree (B.Tech/BE) with a minimum of 75% marks or 7.5 CGPA are eligible for full-time Ph.D. admission. Additionally, they must score a minimum of 75% in both the UPES written admission test and the oral interview, and it is desirable to have at least one high-quality research publication from their Bachelor's degree project work in a reputed peer-reviewed journal.

Ques. What is the difference between Ph.D. in Computer Science and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at UPES?

Ans. UPES School of Computer Science offers two distinct Ph.D. programs: Ph.D. in Computer Science (for M.Sc./MCA students) and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering (for M.Tech/B.Tech students). The Ph.D. in Computer Science is more suited for candidates with a science background focusing on theoretical and applied computing, while Ph.D. in CSE is more engineering-oriented. Both programs cover similar research areas but differ in their entry-level qualification requirements.

Ques. What are the career prospects after completing a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UPES?

Ans. Graduates of the Ph.D. in Computer Science program at UPES can pursue careers in academia as professors or researchers, in industry R&D as research scientists or data scientists, in technology companies as AI/ML engineers or cybersecurity analysts, or in government research labs. The average salary for a Ph.D. holder in Computer Science in top companies in India can be up to INR 45 lakh per annum or more. The program's strong industry ties and faculty connections with global institutions also open doors to international research collaborations and postdoctoral opportunities.