JEST Joint Admissions Committee / participating institutes

The Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) is a national-level screening examination conducted annually in Physics and Theoretical Computer Science. Its score is used by participating research institutes, together with their own eligibility and selection requirements, to shortlist candidates for PhD, Integrated PhD and MSc programmes in Physics, Theoretical Computer Science and related research areas including Computational Biology. JEST is not a single-university admission examination: participating institutes independently determine their programme eligibility and subsequent selection process. For 2026, IISER Tirupati served as the organizing institute.

JEST developed as a common national screening mechanism for advanced research admissions in Physics and related areas. The examination is recognized by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, formerly the Science and Engineering Research Board, as a National Eligibility Test. Its participating-institute model allows research institutions to use a common examination score while retaining their own programme-specific eligibility and selection requirements.

JEST is a coordinated national screening examination rather than a standalone university. The organizing institute changes by examination cycle; IISER Tirupati organized JEST 2026. Participating institutes include research organizations and academic institutions such as IISERs, IISc, TIFR, ICTS, NCRA, IUCAA, IIA, ARIES, PRL, HRI, NISER and other listed institutes. Each participating institute controls its own admission and selection process after using JEST scores for screening.