NEST

Exam Announced? YES

Course(s) offered: 5 year Integrated M.Sc in basic sciences (Biological, Chemical, Mathematical and Physical sciences) in NISER & UM-DAE-CEBS

About the institutes: The courses are offered in the following 2 very premium institutes:

(a) National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) Bhubaneswar and

(b) University of Mumbai - Department of Atomic Energy, Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS) Mumbai.

Both NISER and CBS are autonomous institutions established by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, in 2007.

NISER is an off-campus centre of Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) and all academic programmes of NISER are affiliated to HBNI.

Although UM-DAE CEBS is a DAE institution, it is physically located on the Kalina campus of University of Mumbai and the degrees to students are awarded by Mumbai University.

These institutes were started with the mandate to provide high quality teaching in basic sciences by a faculty of distinguished scientists embedded in a vibrant research environment and to create a national pool of scientists ready to take up research challenges in the frontiers of basic and applied sciences.

Scholarship: The candidates admitted to the programme are eligible to receive annual scholarship of Rs.60,000 through DISHA program of Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive grant of Rs.20,000 per annum for summer internship. Candidates selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE program are endorsed for INSPIRE scholarship by NISER and CEBS. Alumni of the programme are presently pursuing PhD at the reputed universities and institutes in India & abroad.

Besides, top performers at NISER and CEBS, securing overall grades above certain threshold at the end of the programme, are eligible to appear directly for the interview for admission to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) training school.

No. of seats:  Total number of seats at NISER and CEBS are 200 and 57, respectively.

2 supernumerary seats are reserved at both NISER and CEBS for eligible candidates from Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh as per existing government regulations.

Reservations:  OBC (NCL) 27%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%, Divyangjan 5% in every category (horizontal basis).

‘Section–wise’ Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) or section-wise-cut–off marks

1. The total score of each candidate will be the sum of his/her best three scores out of the four sections.

2. For each section, “20% of the average of the best 100 scores in that section” will be considered as the Section–wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS).

For example, if the average of the best 100 scores in the Chemistry section is 48 out of 60, then SMAS for the Chemistry section would be 48*0.20 = 9.6 marks, similarly for other sections.

3. SMAS for different sections can be of different numerical values.

4. SMAS for OBC students would be 90% of the respective SMAS for general category students.

For example, if in the Chemistry section, the SMAS is 9.6 for general category students, then the SMAS for OBC students would be 8.64 (90% of 9.6).

5. SMAS for SC/ST/Divyangjan students would be 50% of respective SMAS for general category students.

For example, if in the Chemistry section, the SMAS is 9.6 for general category students, then the SMAS for SC/ST/Divyangjan students would be 4.8 (50% of 9.6).

Overall cut-off or Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP)

(a) In addition to SMAS, a candidate is required to score equal to or above a total Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP), to get a merit rank.

i. MAP for NEST 2025 is 95 percentile for general category candidates

ii. MAP for NEST 2025 is 90 percentile for OBC candidates

iii. MAP for NEST 2025 is 75 percentile for SC/ST/Divyangjan candidates

(b) A candidate scoring less than the above MAP would not be allotted any merit rank and would not be deemed eligible for admission, even if he/she secures SMAS in all sections.

Merit list preparation: The final ranking of the candidates will be based on percentile scores calculated from the best three section scores. The merit list will be published based on the following criteria:

1. A candidate is required to score more than SMAS in at least three subject sections. Then we say that the candidate is SMAS-qualified.

2. The total score of a SMAS-qualified candidate is the sum of the scores of her/his three best scores from the SMAS securing sections.

3. A candidate is required to score equal to or above a total Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) to get a merit rank.

4. If the percentiles of two or more candidates become equal (i.e., in the case of a tie), then the best scores in the sections of the two students would be compared. The student with the higher score would get a better rank.

5. If the tie persists, the students would be given the same provisional rank at the time of declaration of the result, and the tie would be broken by comparing class 12th marks during admission/counseling.

6. If the tie still persists, then the younger student will get a higher rank.

Admission: Getting a merit rank by satisfying SMAS and MAP criteria does not automatically entitle a candidate to a seat or to be called for admission/counseling. The details of the admission/counseling process will be uploaded on the website of the respective institutions sufficiently in advance.

Conducted by: Chief Coordinator NEST 2025, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar

Conducting organization type: Other

Additional info: The exam is popular across All India