Is there any age limit, especially on upper side?
No there is no age limit. Any one can apply as long as they have an interest in a PhD and the relevant background qualifications.

Is there an English Language pre-requisite for entry into The Academy PhD program?
Proficiency in English is essential. This is assessed on the basis of your language of instruction, the manner in which you respond to specific questions asked of you in the Form-A and also your responses during your face-to-face interview. Although your GRE/GATE/IELTS/TOEFL scores are not essential, they will be considered as part of the assessment process if available.

Is it necessary for me to have completed GATE for entry into The Academy PhD program?
Proficiency in English is essential. This is assessed on the basis of your language of instruction, the manner in which you respond to specific questions asked of you in the Form-A and also your responses during your face-to-face interview. Although your GRE/GATE/IELTS/TOEFL scores are not essential, they will be considered as part of the assessment process if available. Your IELTS scores are essential at the time of your Visa application for visiting Australia. So if you do not have IELTS you will need to sit IELTS prior to your study tour to Australia.

Do you have a GPA credit cut-off for gaining entry to the PhD Program?
Although there is no formal GPA cut off or course pre-requisites, it would be hard to accept you into a PhD program without formal training in areas that relate to the key research themes of The Academy. Available at: http://www.iitbmonash.org/research_themes_7.html. The current focus of The Academy is attracting top student in the fields of Engineering and Technology .The Academy will assess each applicant on its merits and provide extra course work prior to commencing a PhD in areas of need.

Do I need to have completed certain specific courses to gain entry into PhD Program of The Academy?
Although there is no formal GPA cut off or course pre-requisites, it would be hard to accept you into a PhD program without formal training in areas that relate to the key research themes of The Academy. Available at: http://www.iitbmonash.org/research_themes_7.html. The current focus of The Academy is attracting top student in the fields of Engineering and Technology .The Academy will assess each applicant on its merits and provide extra course work prior to commencing a PhD in areas of need.

When is the best time to apply?
You can apply if you are in the final year of your BTech, MTech, ME or MSc. Those students that are not completing their Masters or their Bachelors degree until next year should consider applying in next year’s selection round. The program is open to all candidates with a first class Masters degree in Engineering or Science from a reputed university or a Bachelors/Masters degree (with a high GPA) from the IIT’s, NIT’s or BITS. 

If you are applying in the December intake of a year and will be completing your current course only in May the following year, wait for the June intake.

When will the next intake be if I am not ready to apply now?
There are 2 intakes per year, in June and December.

What is the scholarship amount provided to students studying at The Academy?
You will be provided with scholarship information at the interview IF you are successful. The scholarship amounts are very attractive and exceed that which you would receive under other prevailing schemes.

Is the program applicable only to IIT Bombay candidates or for any student's from a recognized university?
The program is open to all candidates with a first class Masters degree in Engineering or Science from a reputed university or a Bachelors/Masters degree (with a high GPA) from the IIT’s, NIT’s or BITS.

What is the duration of the PhD program at the IITB-Monash Research Academy?
The program will typically take 3-4 years depending on your efforts and progress.

Are working professionals allowed to do the Academy program?
The program is a full-time commitment that will involve an intensive study schedule. It is not recommended that a working professional will be able to manage the work-load on a part-time basis whilst holding down a full-time job. The generous scholarship, accommodation options available at IIT Bombay are aimed to provide an above market rate to manage living expenses whilst undertaking a PhD.

What is the cost of the PhD program?
There will be fees levied at IIT Bombay that will need to be paid. Fees at Monash have been waived for this program.

During the candidature would it be possible for me to obtain married-persons’ accommodation?
There are a limited number of such rooms available.

Do I apply to a "department" of The Academy or to "research areas" or to "specific topics"?
Students will apply mainly against/to projects that are already specified. In some cases it may be possible for the student to specify their own project. The full list of projects that are on offer (listed by Academy Theme) are available at: http://www.iitbmonash.org/research_themes_7.html

What is the broad structure of the PhD Program?
Initially you will be "allocated" to a project and at least two supervisors -- one at IITB and one at Monash.
You will need to do some amount of course-work prior to being confirmed as a PhD student in The Academy. The number of credits of course-work that you need to do will depend on your Bachelors and Masters degrees. If you have a Masters degree, you will need to do one semester of course-work although this could be greater, depending on the courses that you have taken during your Bachelors and Masters degrees. If you have a Bachelors degree, you will need to undertake a minimum of two semesters of course-work.
In your course-work, a CPI of at least 8.0 is required in order to "convert" to a PhD.
You will need to give a "transfer seminar" within six months of completing your course-work. This is when you will be required to present and defend a satisfactory research proposal. At the end of every year after that you will need to provide an Annual Progress Seminar and a progress report.

Will there be any Fees for this program?
Yes there is a fee that is payable at IITB for each semester. Monash has waived its fees for this program. The IITB fees are as applicable to other IITB PhD students.

When will be required to visit Monash University, Australia for our research there?
The timing of your study visit to Monash University, Australia will depend on the nature of your research project, the needs of your research and the views of your co-supervisors.

How often will I contact my Australian supervisor?
We suggest that you keep regular contact with both supervisors through email, face-to-face interactions, phone, video-conferencing, web, collaboration technologies, voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone technologies and so on.  Candidates will be required to discuss progress with both their IITB/ Monash and site-based supervisors in person, at least once every calendar month (part-time candidates) or fortnightly (full-time candidates).

The EOI form requires scores for competitive exams like GATE/GRE/TOEFL. I have completed by IELTS instead. How can I mention my IELTS information instead?
The fields that relate to TOEFL score and year are "free format". So feel free to include the year you took an equivalent exam (say IELTS) and mention "(IELTS)" in brackets.

I will not get my GATE/GRE/TOEFL score before the last date for application submission. Is it possible for me to still apply for the Ph.D. program and submit my marks to you as soon I get it?
Please indicate in the EOI application (or Form A application) that you have taken the relevant exam and that you expect the results by a certain date. Bring your results with you to the interview, if you are successful.

Can students who just finished their MBBS apply for the PhD program?
Yes.

What if I can’t answer some questions in the full application Form A?
Enter as much information as you can in the form. The more information you provide, the greater the chances of your being invited for interviews.

What if my hard copy certificates and transcripts are not ready by the Form A submission deadline?
If you have not received your final hard copy certificates by the Form A submission deadline, just scan and send in what you have got on hand. Bring the rest with you to the interview, if you are successful.

What is meant by “Proposed Enrolment Details”?
Fill in the potential start date when you can join the program.

I cannot get access to a scanner for all my transcripts and other documents to be scanned. Please suggest alternatives.
We are confident that most towns have an Internet Café, which will enable you to scan your documents and turn them into suitable electronic formats. We are not accepting hard-copy formats of your transcripts. Submit as much information as you can in support of your application. If you do not supply enough information electronically, your application may not receive its due consideration.

I am sending you my Form A as well as my academic transcripts by email because I cannot upload these to the on-line portal. I do not have a FAN.
We are not accepting any EOI or Form A applications via email. So if you send these by email, your email will be ignored. Please fill in the online EOI Form. If your EOI is accepted, you will receive a unique FAN by email. Use the FAN as your login for submitting your Form A application and your transcripts.

What is meant by "Address during candidature" (From and To dates)?
Enter your permanent address for correspondence.

What is meant by "IITB department of proposed enrolment"?
Enter the IITB Department that you might enrol into. Leave blank if you are unsure.

What is meant by "Monash unit of proposed enrolment"?
Enter the Monash Department or Unit that you might enrol into. Leave blank if you are unsure.

What is meant by "Monash Faculty of proposed enrolment"?
Enter the Monash Faculty that you might enrol into. Leave blank if you are unsure.

I have gone through your website and the projects listed on it. I can’t find a project matching my background and interest. Is there any point in me applying to The Academy?
While The Academy bases its selection primarily on matches between candidate capability, background and interest to the needs of projects, it is also possible for potential candidates to suggest their own projects.

I do not find a project that matches my specific interest which is in "field X".
How do I go about initiating a project in "field X" via The Academy?
Talk to the relevant faculty in IITB and Monash (search the relevant websites for appropriate faculty) either by email or directly if you can. Copy your email to research@students.org. If your interest in "Field X" is of sufficient importance to The Academy and if it furthers the aims of a specific Theme or set of Themes, we will try to initiate a collaborative project in "Field X" to which you can then apply.

From which month is this expected to start?
We have two intakes per year. One in April-June timeframe for the July commencement and another in the November-December timeframe for the January intake.

Will I be required to fund my travel, stay and visa costs for the visit to Monash University, Australia?
No. Your research visit to Monash University will be fully funded.