IIT Bombay Caps PhD Duration at 8 Years; 620 PhDs Awarded in Record Graduation Year

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) has capped the duration of its PhD programmes at eight years for all new registrations after an internal review found that some doctoral programmes had remained pending for more than a decade.

The decision aims to address prolonged PhD timelines, identify reasons behind delays and establish a defined outer limit for completing doctoral programmes.

IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare said the institute reviewed ongoing PhD programmes to understand the factors contributing to delays and encourage candidates to complete their research within a reasonable timeframe.

The review found multiple reasons for prolonged PhD enrolment. These included supervisors being engaged in other projects, candidates moving to other jobs and external scholars leaving their programmes. The Covid-19 pandemic also contributed to delays, with some PhD registrations remaining pending for more than 10 years.

IIT Bombay Records Highest-Ever PhD Graduations

The move comes as IIT Bombay reported its highest-ever number of PhD graduates in a single academic year.

The institute is awarding 620 PhD degrees in 2025-26, marking the first time the number has crossed 500 in a year. The PhD graduates include 77 from Chemical Engineering, 62 from Electrical Engineering, 49 from Mechanical Engineering and 40 from Humanities.

The PhD degrees are being awarded during IIT Bombay's 64th Convocation, where the institute is conferring a total of 3,763 degrees on 3,442 students.

The graduating cohort includes 1,713 undergraduate, 1,430 postgraduate and 620 PhD students. Of the graduating students, 791 are women and 2,651 are men.

IIT Bombay Introduces 3-Year BS Exit Option

The convocation also highlighted another academic change at IIT Bombay: the introduction of a three-year Bachelor of Science (BS) degree as an early-exit option for students enrolled in four-year BTech programmes.

Students who complete the required academic credits can leave the BTech programme after three years with a BS degree.

The option is intended to provide greater flexibility to students who may want to pursue startups, entrepreneurship or other opportunities before completing the full four-year BTech programme. It may also benefit students who are unable to continue through the entire BTech course.

As IIT Bombay moves to address lengthy PhD timelines, the eight-year cap marks a significant change in how the institute approaches prolonged doctoral enrolment, while the BS exit option reflects a parallel push towards greater flexibility in undergraduate education.

The 64th Convocation also featured a medal distribution ceremony, with Umesh Waghmare, Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, attending as the chief guest.