International Students

By 'International' we mean - Any person who is not an Indian Citizen or a Permanent Resident of India. Similarly, all Foreign nationals, Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card holders, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI - Dual citizens), Non-Resident of India (NRI)'s are considered under the category of International students.

We do not consider NRI Sponsored students or Indian students who have completed any previous Degree/ Diploma abroad if they have returned to India or hold an Indian passport under the category of International students. Such applicants have to apply through Indian Admission Channel.

Please note, students who are applying through NRI/ PIO/ OCI category have to make sure that they fullfil the following Govt. of India criteria to be eligible to apply. 

TISS follows the Govt. of India – Foreign Exchange Management Act - (FEMA) rules to access the eligibility:

(A) Definition of Person of Indian Origin - PIO (Regulation 2 (XII) of FEMA 5):

A citizen of a foreign country (other than a citizen of Bangladesh or Pakistan) is a PIO if

he/ she at any time held an Indian passport; OR
he/ she or either of his/ her parents or either any of his/ her grandparents was a citizen of India;
he/ she is a spouse (not being a citizen of Bangladesh or Pakistan) of an Indian citizen or (a) or (b) above.

(B) Definition of Non-Resident Indian – NRI (Regulation 2(vi) of FEMA 5):

A Non-Resident Indian (NRI) is

an Indian Citizen who resides in India for less than one hundred & eighty-two days during the course of the preceding financial year, or
one who has gone out of India or who stays outside India for the purpose of employment, or
who has gone out of India or who stays outside India for carrying on business or vocation outside India, or who has gone out of India or who stays outside India for any other purpose indicating his intention to stay outside India for an uncertain period.

(C) Definition of Overseas Citizen of India – OCI:

• An Overseas Citizen of India is a lifetime visa status. It is the closest thing to dual citizenship that India offers. This is applicable on
• A person who used to be an Indian citizen
• A person who holds an OCI card
• A person with at least one parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent who is/was an Indian citizen
• A person married to an Indian citizen or an existing OCI for at least two continuous years

(II) Programme Specific Eligibility and Other Requirements:

Please note, the International Admission Process is very different from Indian Admission process.

International students are allowed to apply for Max. 02 programmes – Across Schools/ TISS Campuses at the time of the application.

In order to apply, interested students have to apply through - https://iro-admissions.tiss.edu/login/  

It is the responsibility of the International applicants to ensure that they fulfill all the basic Eligibility requirements/ criteria for the interested (BA/ MA/ MPhil/ Ph.D.) programme as mentioned on the official TISS Admission website – www.admissions.tiss.edu.

In case of any queries/ clarification, International students can also write to iro.admissions@tiss.edu to clarify their doubts, check their eligibility or finalize their choice of course(s).

It is mandatory to fulfill the basic eligibility requirements related to interested/ applied programme(s) to be eligible to apply as incomplete applications or applications that do not fulfill the required background will be disqualified from the application process.

Kindly note, apart from the basic programme specific eligibility requirements – the International students have to also fulfill the following (additional) requirements for International admission process i.e.,

• Students/ applicants should have minimum 50% marks/ GPA in the 10+2/ Under-graduate/ Post Graduate or MPhil degree programme to be eligible to apply for the respective programme at TISS as an International student.
• International students interested in applying for M.A. in Human Resource Management and Labour Studies Programme and the M. A. in Organisation Development, Change and Leadership will additionally require a GMAT score of 650 and above (mandatory requirement). This certificate has to be provided before the end of Feb/ admission process to access the eligibility.
• International applicants who are interested in applying for Direct Ph.D. programme need to have min. 5 years of work experience - post the completion of their Masters/ Post-Graduate Degree Programme in the relevant field/ subject area to be eligible to apply as a Direct Ph.D. candidate or have min. 50% in MPhil degree.
• Proof of English Language Proficiency is essential only for an applicant who has studied in a University located in a non-English speaking country or whose mode of Instruction during previous Degree/ diploma was not English. Such a candidate has to provide any one of the following scores. The score should not be older than two years: 
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - Academic version-minimum score of 6.5 is required.
• Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL - iBT): a score of above 90/ or intermediate level performance.
• Or certification of the Proficiency in the English Language issued by the University/College/School from where the candidate has passed her/ his last qualifying examination.
• Kindly note, only those students who have qualified from foreign Universities or Boards of Higher Education, recognized as equivalent by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), are eligible for admission. When required, a reference will be made to the AIU to check the equivalence. The student should submit all the documents mentioned in the eligibility form in order to check the equivalence through the AIU, along with the application.