Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata

Latest Admission Updates (2026)

As of June 2026, admission to the Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata is built entirely around the ISI Admission Test (ISIAT), which was held on 10 May 2026 for the flagship B.Stat (Hons), B.Math (Hons), M.Stat, M.Math, M.S. (Quantitative Economics), M.Tech and PhD programmes. The single most important development right now: the post-exam selection cycle is live, so applicants who sat the test should be tracking their shortlist and interview status daily on the official ISI admission portal.

• 1 June 2026 (DONE): Interview shortlist published on the ISI admission portal for candidates who cleared the written stage.
• 11 June 2026 (DONE): Results and merit list released for B.Stat (Hons) and M.S. (Quantitative Economics) candidates.
• Third week of June 2026 (IN PROGRESS): Interviews scheduled for shortlisted B.Stat, B.Math, M.Stat and M.Math candidates at the respective ISI campus.
• 21 May 2026 (DONE): Final answer key for ISIAT 2026 released; the answer-key challenge window had remained open until 19 May 2026.
• Fourth week of June 2026 (UPCOMING): Final merit lists for B.Stat, B.Math, M.Stat and M.Math expected to be published.
• 10 May 2026 (DONE): ISI Admission Test 2026 conducted in offline mode.
• 26 March 2026 (CLOSED): Last date to submit the online application (extended from the original deadline); the window had opened on 12 February 2026.

If you have already appeared in the test, your immediate next step is to confirm whether your name appears in the interview shortlist and to keep all original documents ready for verification. Fresh aspirants targeting the next cycle should note that the Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata does not run a rolling or management-quota intake; the only doorway is the annual ISI Admission Test, so the February-to-March application window is the date to watch.

Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata Admission 2026: Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility at the Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata is programme-specific and unusually mathematics-heavy, because every course is selected through the ISI Admission Test rather than board marks alone. The table below answers the most common question aspirants ask: "Am I eligible to apply for B.Stat, M.Stat or M.Tech at ISI Kolkata in 2026?" It maps each programme to its qualifying degree, the minimum academic requirement, and the accepted entrance test. Read it row by row against your own qualification before paying any fee, because ISI rejects ineligible candidates at the document-verification stage even if they clear the written test. All criteria below reflect the 2026 cycle as published for the test held on 10 May 2026.

The key takeaway: Mathematics at the 10+2 level is non-negotiable for the undergraduate B.Stat and B.Math programmes, and a quantitative degree is the baseline for every postgraduate stream. Note that the PhD route is the only one that explicitly imposes a numeric floor (minimum 55% in the Master's degree), and the Maths-at-10+2 M.Tech track is the sole programme that additionally recognises a valid GATE score alongside the ISI Admission Test. We have stated only the base eligibility that is verifiable for 2026; ISI applies standard reservation norms during selection, but candidates should confirm category-specific relaxations in the official notification rather than assume a fixed percentage.

Course-Wise Admission Status

This section answers a question every applicant types into Google in June: "Is admission still open at ISI Kolkata, and how many seats are there?" The table below summarises the live application status for each programme as of June 2026, the mode of admission, and the entrance test accepted. Because the 2026 application window closed on 26 March and the test was held on 10 May, every programme is now in the post-exam selection phase rather than open for fresh applications. ISI does not publish a fixed public seat matrix the way central universities do; intake is governed by merit and campus capacity, so seat counts are shown as "merit-based intake" where an exact number is not separately verified.

The practical takeaway: there is no fresh-application route left for the 2026 intake at the Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata, so candidates who missed the 26 March deadline must plan for the 2027 cycle. For the B.Stat and M.S. (QE) merit lists already out, shortlisted candidates should report for document verification at the assigned campus; everyone else should monitor the portal for the B.Math, M.Stat and M.Math lists due in the fourth week of June 2026. Keep checking admission.isical.ac.in because allotment movements and waitlist calls happen quickly once interviews conclude.

Application Fees

One of the most misread parts of the Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata admission process is the difference between the one-time ISI Admission Test application fee (paid to ISI as the conducting body) and the much larger programme tuition fee (paid only after you secure a seat). The first table below breaks down the 2026 application fee category by category, because ISI charges different amounts by gender and reservation status. The second table separates the programme/tuition fee so you do not confuse the two. Read the category that applies to you exactly; paying the wrong slab can invalidate your form.

The standout point: ISI Kolkata gives a fee concession to female General candidates (₹1,000 against ₹1,500 for General males), and a flat reduced fee of ₹750 to all reserved categories (EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD). These application-fee slabs were unchanged from the prior cycle, so no year-on-year increase applies for 2026. Now compare this with the programme tuition fee below, which is an entirely separate payment due only after admission.

The key takeaway: the application fee is a small one-time cost (₹750 to ₹1,500), while the programme tuition for the 3-year B.Stat and B.Math is ₹6,15,000 and the postgraduate M.Stat/M.Math/PhD tuition is a nominal ₹5,000. Crucially, ISI Kolkata offers generous stipends that offset cost: B.Stat and B.Math students receive ₹5,000 per month, while M.Stat, M.Math and M.S. students receive ₹8,000 per month, which makes the net financial burden far lighter than the headline tuition suggests. Budget for the application fee now and the tuition only after you have a confirmed seat.

Entrance Exam Requirements

Admission to every single programme at the Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata runs through one gateway: the ISI Admission Test. This section answers "Which exam does ISI Kolkata accept and what score do I need?" The table below maps the test to each programme, gives the 2026 exam date, and indicates the competitive score band based on the institute's published selection logic. ISI uses a two-paper format on test day - an objective paper (UGA, 120 marks for undergraduate) and a subjective paper (UGB, 80 marks) - and only the objective qualifiers get their subjective paper evaluated. Treat the "typical qualifying score" as guidance, not a guaranteed cutoff.

The takeaway: there is no alternative to the ISI Admission Test for any course here, and a strong subjective (UGB) performance is what separates shortlisted candidates from the rest, since the objective paper is only a screening filter. For the undergraduate programmes, aim well above the General composite band of roughly 150-180 marks to be safe, and for postgraduate programmes prepare equally for the 40-minute interview that follows the written test. One M.Tech track additionally values a GATE score, so engineering graduates should keep their GATE result handy.

Cutoff Analysis (2024-2026)

Cutoffs at the Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata are not published as simple rank numbers; they are derived from a rank-position rule, which is why aspirants find them confusing. This section answers "What is the ISI cutoff for B.Stat and B.Math?" The institute sets the General/EWS qualifying score at the marks obtained by a fixed rank-holder, and then applies category multipliers below that. The table maps this logic across 2024, 2025 and 2026 so you can see the mechanism is stable year on year even as the absolute marks drift with paper difficulty. Read the multiplier column carefully because it is the only verifiable, official relaxation structure.

The trend to note: ISI Kolkata's cutoff design is deliberately position-anchored, so the qualifying mark rises in years with an easier paper and falls when the paper is harder, but the relative bar - top 450 for stage I screening and top 160 for the composite stage in the undergraduate stream - stays constant across 2024, 2025 and 2026. The category multipliers (0.9x for OBC-NCL and 0.7x for SC/ST/PwD of the General score) are the official, verifiable relaxations; do not assume any other percentage. Because absolute marks vary with difficulty, target the upper end of the 150-180 composite band rather than the minimum to stay safely inside the merit list.

Counselling Process

The Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata follows a centralised, campus-based selection flow rather than a multi-round online choice-filling system. Here is the exact 2026 sequence:

1. Apply online (12 February to 26 March 2026): Register on admission.isical.ac.in, fill the form, upload documents and pay the category-wise application fee.
2. Admit card (third week of April 2026): Download the hall ticket from the admission portal.
3. Written test (10 May 2026): Appear for the ISI Admission Test in offline mode (objective Paper I and subjective Paper II).
4. Answer key and challenge (final key 21 May 2026; challenge window until 19 May 2026): Review the released key and raise objections if needed.
5. Interview shortlist (1 June 2026): Check whether your name appears in the list of candidates called for interview.
6. Interview (third week of June 2026): Attend the roughly 40-minute interview at the relevant ISI campus; the interview carries weight in the final composite.
7. Result and merit list (B.Stat and M.S. QE released 11 June 2026; B.Math, M.Stat, M.Math expected fourth week of June 2026): Verify your position on the programme merit list.
8. Document verification and fee payment: Selected candidates report to the assigned campus with all originals, complete verification, and pay the programme fee to confirm the seat.

Because there is no separate online seat-allotment portal, the merit list plus on-campus document verification effectively is the counselling at ISI Kolkata. Keep originals of your 10+2 / degree certificates, mark sheets, category certificate and photo ID ready well before your verification date.

Important Dates (2026)

This master schedule answers the single most searched question - "What are the ISI Kolkata admission 2026 dates?" - in one place. It lists every canonical milestone from application start to document verification, with each event's status as of June 2026 so you can instantly see what is done and what is still pending. Dates confirmed from the official 2026 cycle are stated exactly; where ISI announces a window rather than a fixed day (for example, the admit card or the upcoming merit lists), the published window is shown. Use this as your countdown checklist.

The headline deadline has already passed - applications closed on 26 March 2026 - so the 2026 action now centres on interviews in the third week of June and the B.Math, M.Stat and M.Math merit lists due in the fourth week of June 2026. If you are shortlisted, prioritise document readiness immediately. If you are aiming for 2027, mark mid-February as your application-opening target and start UGB subjective preparation early, since that paper decides the merit list.