IIM Kozhikode PhD Admission 2026: Registration begins; three-stage selection process

The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM Kozhikode) has started accepting applications for its Doctoral Programme in Management (DPM) and PhD for the academic year 2026-27. Designed for working professionals and scholars, the registration link for the management programmes is active at iimk.ac.in. CAT 2025 Answer Key Out LIVE.

The institute will be hosting the application facility to apply for management programmes until January 23, 2026.

Applicants who will be selected for the DPM course will receive an initial monthly fellowship of Rs 42,000, which will increase to Rs 50,000 as candidates progress.

Notably, selected individuals will be exempted from tuition fees. “Each scholar is also eligible for up to ₹5,00,000 in contingency and conference support,” according to an official press release.

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IIM K's DPM Programme: Selection process, course details

As per the selection process, candidates will have to go through a three-stage round, including a screening test, a written ability exam, a doctoral orientation conversation, and a final doctoral area conversation.

The DPM course is a full-time, research-intensive programme that prepares scholars for academic careers and research leadership.

“The programme equips scholars –practitioners to investigate practice-relevant questions and generate evidence-based insights for industry and policy. Twelve scholars have graduated from this pathway to date,” the IIM Kozhikode said in an official statement.

The DPM and PhD programmes in management are offered across several specialisations such as decision sciences & operations management, economics, finance, accounting & control, humanities & liberal arts in management, information systems, marketing management, organizational behaviour & human resource management, and strategic management.

The course includes coursework, a qualifying examination, a thesis-proposal seminar, a pre-submission seminar and a final doctoral defence. Doctoral scholars benefit from close faculty mentorship, a vibrant research environment and generous academic support. Across the two doctoral pathways, scholars are also supported by a research enhancement scheme that rewards high-quality publications.

Debashis Chatterjee, director, IIM Kozhikode, said: “The doctoral pathways — the Doctoral Programme in Management and the Doctoral Programme in Management (Practice Track), are designed to nurture scholars and scholar–practitioners who can generate impactful knowledge and shape institutions of the future.”