IAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Check Nationality, Age Limit, Aggregate Score & Qualifications

The IAT eligibility criteria 2026 will be prescribed by the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (conducting authority). Candidates should have qualified 12^th Standard or equivalent in the Science stream with the required passing marks to fulfill the eligibility criteria for this examination. Additionally, both Indian and Foreign students can apply for IAT.

Candidates can go through this article to obtain necessary information regarding the IAT exam eligibility criteria 2026 and its related aspects like academic qualification, age limit, Nationality, and so on.

The IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) is a National level examination conducted by the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research. Students need to pass the entrance test to get admission into the BS + MS dual degree, BS, and B.Tech program offered by the IISERs.

Candidates need to satisfy the requisite eligibility criteria to enroll for IAT 2026:

Academic Qualification

Aspiring students should have passed the 10+2 exam or equivalent with at least 3 subjects from Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics & Biology in 2024 / 2025 / 2026 from a recognised board by the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) in India.

Qualifying Marks

As per the IAT exam eligibility criteria, students need to obtain a minimum aggregate of 60% marks (55% for SC / ST / PwD candidates) in Class 12^th or equivalent.

Age Limit

The conducting body has not specified a lower or upper age limit.

Nationality

As per the IAT eligibility criteria 2026, Indian Nationals and OCI / PIO / Foreign Nationals can apply for this exam.

Special Notes to Consider

Following are some key points related to the eligibility requirements which students should know:

• Foreign Nationals are required to upload an equivalence certificate issued by Association of Indian Universities unless they have passed 12^th Grade or equivalent from a recognised board in India. Moreover, they are supposed to upload the equivalence certificate while submitting the IAT application form.
• Mathematics is mandatory in 12^th Standard or equivalent for seeking admission in specified degrees which are 5 years BS + MS in Computational and Data Sciences at IISER Kolkata, 4 years B. Tech. at IISER Bhopal, 4 years BS in Economic Sciences at IISER Bhopal and 4 years BS in Economic and Statistical Sciences at IISER Tirupati.

*Applicants who satisfy the above mentioned eligibility standards can proceed with IAT Registration 2026.

Below-given are the performance criteria that the applicants ought to satisfy in order to apply for the IAT Exam :

• Candidates who await results for Class 12^th or equivalent may apply for IAT. However, their admission is subject to satisfying the IAT eligibility criteria 2026.
• For the students who have taken Grade 12^th or equivalent exam in 2025 and reappearing in any subject in 2026, the better of the two performances will be considered as per the IISER entrance exam eligibility criteria.
• If a Board gives cumulative marks for Class 11^th and 12^th then only Class 12^th / equivalent scores will be considered. Similarly, if a student has pursued a 3 year Diploma or equivalent same duration program then only the marks of the final year will be taken into consideration as stated in the IAT eligibility criteria 2026.
• If a board awards only letter grades without providing the equivalent percentage on the marks card, the applicant needs to acquire a certificate from the board specifying the corresponding marks and submit before the last date of marksheet submission.

In accordance with the IAT eligibility criteria 2026, the authorities have reserved the seats for the students on the basis of categories for the students seeking admission in the UG courses of IISER and other participating institutions via entrance exam:

*Students can consider checking IAT Syllabus 2026 & IAT Exam Pattern 2026 to structure their preparation for the exam.