Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, is a Deemed to be University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. IIST, established in 2007, functions as an autonomous institution under the Department of Space (DoS), Government of India. It is ranked among the top 43 Engineering institutes of the country according to 2022 NIRF rankings of MHRD. The institute offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels on areas with a special focus on Space Sciences, Space Technology and Space Applications

Admission to the IIST Thiruvananthapuram is done on the basis of GATE/ JEE Advanced/ JEST/ UGC NET/ CSIR NET scores. Also, the Placement Cell of IIST continually liaisons with industry, R&D organizations, and management organizations, with the foresight of Training, Career-Guidance, Internship/ Project, and Campus Placements. The institute provides an internship for both B.Tech. and M.Tech. programs for a period of two months, tentatively from May to July, every year. Some of the frequent recruiters are Adobe Systems, General Electric, Adobe, Mantra, Sony, Mercedes Benz, Infosys, Wipro, JSW, HCL, ITC Infotech etc.

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Highlights

Established | Institute Type 2007 | Deemed to be University
Approved by AICTE | UGC
Entrance Exam National: GATE/ JEE Advanced/ JEST/ UGC NET/ CSIR NET
Courses Offered UG, PG & Ph.D
Application Mode Online
Top Recruiters Adobe Systems, Asia Technologies, Astra Microwave, Collins Aerospace, Delta Electronics, Gauge Data Solutions, GES Infotech, Infosys
Facilities Available Library, Hostel, Auditorium, Sports
Official Website https://www.iist.ac.in/
Admission Helpdesk +91 (471) 2568477 | 2568478
Address Valiamala P.O.,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 695 547

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Admission Dates

The online registration for PG and Ph.D courses are ongoing and the last date to apply are May 2, 2023 & May 9, 2023

Important Dates

UG 2023

Online Registration June 18, 2023 – June 28, 2023

Online payment of the Registration fee

on or before June 28, 2023

Publication of IIST Admission Rank List

June 29, 2023

Seat Allotment/ Acceptance Rank List

July 3, 2023

PG 2023

Online Registration April 6, 2023 – May 2, 2023

Display of shortlisted candidates (GATE & Online interview)

May 16, 2023

Display of shortlisted candidates (only GATE Score)

May 17, 2023

Fee Payment for 1st allotment

May 19, 2023

Interview for M. Tech in Earth System Science and Master of Science in Astronomy and Astrophysics

May 23-26, 2023

Display of List

June 6, 2023

Reporting Date

July 29, 2023

Classes commence

July 31, 2023

Last Allotment

August 11, 2023

PG admission closes

August 14, 2023

Ph. D. 2023

Online Registration April 6, 2023 – May 9, 2023

List of Selected candidate for Test

May 19, 2023

Online Screening

May 30, 2023

Screening Test Result

June 6, 2023

Interview Dates

June 13-16, 2023

List of Provisionally Selected Candidates

June 27, 2023

Reporting Date

July 10, 2023

Classes commence

July 31, 2023

Late Date for Admission

August 14, 2023

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Ranking

Agency Year Rank
NIRF (Engineering) 2022 43
NIRF (Engineering) 2021 40
NIRF (Engineering) 2020 33
NIRF (Engineering) 2019 30

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Courses

IIST offers UG, PG, Ph.D in the discipline of Space Sciences, Space Technology and Space Applications. Mentioned below are the details for the same:

Course Specialization Eligibility
B.Tech Aerospace Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering (Avionics) 10+2 with a minimum of 75% aggregate marks (60% for reserved category candidates) + Obtained a valid score in JEE Advanced
B.Tech + MS Astronomy and Astrophysics, Solid State Physics
B.Tech + M.Tech Earth System Science, Optical Engineering
M.Tech Thermal and Propulsion, Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics, Structures and Design, RF and Microwave Engineering, Digital Signal Processing, Control System, VLSI and Microsystems, Power Electronics, Optical Engineering, Solid State Technology, Quantum Technology, Earth System Science, Geoinformatics, Machine Learning and Computing, Materials Science and Technology B.Tech or its equivalent in the relevant discipline + Obtained a valid score in GATE
M.Sc Astronomy and Astrophysics B.Tech or its equivalent in the relevant discipline + Obtained a valid score in GATE+ Online Interview
Ph.D Aerospace Engineering, Avionics, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Humanities, Mathematics, Physics Master’s in the relevant discipline + Obtained a valid score in UGC NET-JRF/ CSIR NET-JRF/ JEST/ GATE + Online Screening/Online Interview

Check: IIST Thiruvananthapuram Courses and Fees

The applicants can apply for admission in PG and Ph.D. courses through online mode and for UG courses through counseling. The following are the details for the same:

  • For PG and Ph.D. courses, visit the official website of the institute and fill the online application form.
  • The admission fee for the PG programs is INR 600 and INR 300 (for SC, ST, PWD and women candidates) and for Ph.D is INR 700 per department and INR 350 per department (for SC/ST/PWD and Women).
  • The candidates must have scored valid marks in the following examinations:
Course Entrance Test Read more
B.Tech JEE Advanced Click here
M.Tech GATE Click here
Ph.D UGC NET JRF -
CSIR NET JRF -
JEST -
GATE -

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Cut Off

Program GATE score Cutoff
General OBC-NCL/ EWS SC/ ST/ PD
Aerodynamics and Flight Machine 500 450 250
Structures and Design 500 450 250
Thermal and Propulsion 500 450 250
Control System 500 450 250
Digital Signal Processing 450 405 225

Minimum Marks Requirement in JEE (Advanced)–2022 Examination

Category Minimum Marks
General At least 16% marks in aggregate and at least 4% marks in each of the three subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics)
EWS/ OBC-NCL At least 14.4% marks in aggregate and at least 3.6% marks in each of the three subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics)
SC/ ST/ PD At least 8% marks in aggregate and at least 2% marks in each of the three subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics)

Check: IIST Thiruvananthapuram Cut Off

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Placement

The Placement Cell of IIST continually liaisons with industry, R&D organizations, and management organizations, with the foresight of Training, Career-Guidance, Internship/ Project, and Campus Placements. The Placement Cell works closely in line with the policies of the Institute and tries to coherently match the interests of students with an appropriate job profile. The institute provides an internship for both B.Tech. and M.Tech. programs for a period of two months, tentatively from May to July, every year. However, internships that require more than two months, for select M.Tech Programs, can be worked out in line with the institute policies and guidelines.

Till 2022, the students, who secured a minimum CGPA criterion, are absorbed in different ISRO centres. Till last year, 1231 students absorbed in ISRO centres with 90+ students got the job last year. From 2021 admissions, the absorption to DOS/ISRO has been revised and for more information refer to section 8. The placement cell serves as an interface with different companies to facilitate campus placements for the students of IIST.

Some of the frequent recruiters are:

Infosys Mahindra Electric BOSCH
Tata Elixsi Philips TCS
Wipro Adobe L&T Infotech
Latent View Mercedes Benz Intel

Check: IIST Thiruvananthapuram Placement

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Scholarship

  • The top 5 students (UG/DD) admitted in 2021-22 who have secured AIR (All India Rank, in JEE Advanced Examination, 2022) up to 1000 would be entitled to full fee waiver for the first year. However, they have to maintain a CGPA of 9.0 and above in a scale of 10 at the end of each year in order to obtain full fee waiver for the subsequent year.
  • Students (UG/DD) admitted in 2021-22 and securing a CGPA of 9.0 or higher (in the scale of 10) in a given semester would receive a 50 percent tuition fee waiver in next semester. The number of waivers shall be limited to ten percent (10%) of the admitted students in each program.

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Facilities

IIST is not only a premier institute in academics but it also provides a wide range of requisite facilities for the students that make the institute a far better than others. Some of these are the following-

Infrastructure

The main campus at Valiamala houses the academic area, research laboratories, library and information blocks, computer center, administrative area, senate cum convocation area, residential area, students’ activity center, and a sports complex.
All the academic labs in IIST are meticulously designed, with the best experimental set-ups and equipment. IIST has three Centres of Excellence in Advanced Propulsion and Laser Diagnostics, Virtual Reality and Nanoscience & Technology where students involve themselves in various advanced and sophisticated experiments.

Library

The operations of the library are fully computerized and the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) is accessible from anywhere on the campus on a 24X7 basis.

E-resources deployed in the campus-wide network contains more than 3000 e-journals, hundreds of conference papers, standards, etc.

Computing Facilities 

There are good computing facilities that have been provided for the students:

Data Centre- High-Performance cluster server having 3 Terra flop speed (32 HP Blade servers having 64 Dual Quad Processor), 20 TB SAN Storage with NAS Header, Campus Automation Servers, 8 Servers with 4CPU/Dual CPU.
High-Performance Computing Lab
Programming Lab with
64 Desktop Computers with Heavy-duty Printers.

Sports Facilities

The Sport’s Club organizes interesting and exciting leagues like IIST Cricket League. The Badminton Club is also there. Students can also play football and basketball.

Health Facilities

There is a provision of a clinic and IIST has ensured emergency medical care and hospitalization for all its students by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with M/s Ananthapuri Health Services.

Other Facilities

Besides all these facilities some other facilities include- Guest House, Studio Apartments, Bank and Post Office, Open Air Theatre, Convocation Complex
IIST has a vibrant research environment with more than 200 PhD scholars engaged in frontline research areas.

Check: IIST Thiruvananthapuram Hostel Fees

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Faculty

IIST has a large and diverse faculty of highly qualified and accomplished individuals. They are the most distinguished scholars, who constantly do research in their respective fields. The institute has a team of highly qualified faculty members, the majority of them have long teaching experience and are associated with the institution for many years. The entire faculty is extremely experienced and well versed in their subject matters. The faculty comprises 12 Professors, 54 Associate Professors, 26 Assistant Professors and 4 Adjunct Professors.

Check: IIST Thiruvananthapuram Faculty

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology FAQs

Ques. What is the reservation criteria of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology?

Ans. The reservation policy of the Government of India applicable to Central Educational Institutions (CEI), candidates belonging to the following categories are admitted to reserved seats based on relaxed criteria. The categories and the corresponding percentage of reservation are:

Scheduled Castes 15%
Scheduled Tribes 7.5%
Other Backward Classes belonging to Non-Creamy Layer 27%
Persons with Disabilities 5%

Ques. How can I check my result at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology?

Ans. IIST offers UG/ PG/ and Research programs in seven departments. It runs two types of courses for Regular candidates and DOS/ISRO employees and conducts admission entrance examination separately. The result of entrance examination is declared separately for each course and course type (Regular or DOS/ISRO employee). To read more, click here

Ques. Does the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology provide scholarships?

Ans. The institute provides scholarships to meritorious and needy students. The complete cost of education in IIST for all the students are funded through an Assistanceship package offered by the Department of Space.

Ques. What is the intake capacity for admission at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology?

Ans. The seat intake capacity for admission at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology is as follows:

Course Seat Intake
B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering 60 + 6
B.Tech in Avionics 60 + 6
Dual Degree (B.Tech and Master of Science/ M.Tech) 20 + 2

Ques. What are the jobs with the average salary offered to M.Tech graduates?

Ans. The following table shows the list of popular job profiles for MTech graduates:

Designation Average Salary (INR)
Computer Science Engineers INR 3 LPA
Assistance Engineers INR 3 LPA
Executive Engineers INR 9 LPA
Software Engineers INR 5 LPA
Mechanical Engineers INR 3.5 LPA
Electronics Engineers INR 1.9 LPA
Mining Engineers INR 8 LPA
Electronics and Communication Engineers INR 3 LPA

Check: M.Tech Course

Ques. What is the counselling procedure for admission in UG courses at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology?

Ans. The admission to undergraduate courses is done through personal counseling based upon merit which is strictly governed by the reservation policy laid down by the Government.

  • Register yourself online on the IIST website.
  • IIST generates an admission list based upon the same.
  • Only those candidates who have registered online will be considered eligible for this admission list.
  • This admission list will include JEE (Advanced) All-India Rank (including category rank of the candidates).