NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027: Dates, Syllabus & Result

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 notification is awaiting official release by NIMHANS, Bengaluru; based on the previous-year pattern, it is tentatively expected in April 2027. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences conducts this national-level entrance exam for Ph.D., Super Speciality, Postdoctoral and Postgraduate courses, with a separate session in July 2027 for B.Sc courses. No official 2027 dates, fees or notification have been released as of now — every schedule on this page is marked Tentative (previous-year pattern) and will be updated once NIMHANS publishes the official advertisement at nimhans.ac.in.

Disclaimer: All 2027 dates are indicative (tentative, based on previous-year pattern) until the official notification is released by NIMHANS at nimhans.ac.in. Always verify from the official website before applying.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Key Highlights

2027 Notification Status

What to Monitor While Awaiting the 2027 Notification

Because no official 2027 announcement has been made, candidates should keep a close watch on the following:

• The official NIMHANS admissions page at nimhans.ac.in — bookmark it and check regularly from March 2027 onwards.
• The “Announcements” or “Recruitment / Admissions” section of the site, where the prospectus and online application link are first published.
• Any revision to eligibility conditions, seat matrix or application fee — these are confirmed only in the official prospectus.
• The exact exam dates for Session 1 (PG/DM/Ph.D.) and Session 2 (B.Sc/Diploma) — both are declared together in the notification.
• Sponsorship certificate format, if you are a sponsored or deputed candidate, as NIMHANS sometimes updates the prescribed format.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Important Dates

The table below compares the expected 2027 schedule with the 2023 reference cycle. All 2027 dates carry Tentative (previous-year pattern) status; none has been officially confirmed. The 2026 cycle dates were not publicly disclosed in full by NIMHANS and are therefore not reproduced here to avoid misinformation.

Session 1 Schedule — Expected vs 2026 Reference:

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Application Form

Eligible candidates can obtain the NIMHANS Application Form 2027 for all courses through online mode only, by visiting the official website at nimhans.ac.in. No other submission mode is entertained. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria may apply for a maximum of three courses only.

Step-by-Step Application Process

The online application process for NIMHANS 2027 involves the following steps:

• Online registration
• Subscription / course selection
• Entering basic personal and academic details
• Providing eligibility details
• Uploading photograph, signature and supporting documents
• Previewing the filled form before final submission
• Application fee payment via Debit/Credit card
• Printing a copy of the submitted application

Sponsored and Deputed Candidates

Candidates who are sponsored or deputed must submit their application through the proper channel in addition to completing the online form, and they must appear for the Common Entrance Test. Such candidates are required to produce the sponsorship certificate in the prescribed format and upload it along with the online application.

Common Application Mistakes to Avoid

Errors at the application stage can lead to rejection. Students frequently make the following mistakes:

• Applying for more than three courses in a single session — NIMHANS strictly allows a maximum of three.
• Uploading photographs or signatures that do not meet the prescribed size and format specifications.
• Failing to upload the sponsorship certificate when applying as a sponsored candidate.
• Paying the fee for the wrong category — General/OBC and SC/ST fee amounts differ for both PG and UG courses.
• Not printing and retaining a copy of the submitted application form before the deadline closes.
• Entering incorrect MBBS/PG degree completion dates, which can affect eligibility verification on admission day.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Application Fee

Candidates can pay the application fee online through Debit or Credit cards. The fee structure below is drawn from the previous cycle for reference; the 2027 fee will be confirmed in the official notification.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must satisfy the required eligibility criteria before applying for the NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027. Detailed information is provided below.

Educational Qualification

Age Limit

• For PG Medical and Super Speciality programmes, the upper age limit is 32 years for MBBS degree holders and 35 years for PG Medical degree holders. A relaxation of 5 years applies to SC/ST candidates and 3 years to OBC candidates.
• Sponsored or deputed candidates must not be older than 45 years as on the date of commencement of the course.
• NIMHANS employees applying for Ph.D. must have completed at least 10 years of service before registering.

Pre-Application Checklist for Candidates

Before filling in the NIMHANS 2027 application form, go through this checklist:

• Confirm that your qualifying degree is complete and your result/certificate is available for upload.
• Verify your age against the applicable limit (32 years for MBBS holders; 35 years for PG degree holders; 45 years for sponsored candidates).
• Identify the correct category (General/OBC/SC/ST/PwD) and keep the relevant certificate ready.
• Check that you are applying for no more than three courses in one session.
• Arrange the sponsorship/deputation certificate (in NIMHANS prescribed format) if applying as a sponsored candidate.
• Keep scanned copies of photograph, signature and educational documents in the required size and format.
• Ensure your Debit/Credit card is active for online fee payment.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Question Format and Exam Pattern

The NIMHANS entrance examination is conducted in online CBT mode and consists of multiple-choice objective-type questions. Key details of the exam pattern are as follows:

• The paper has 100 MCQ-type questions, each carrying equal marks.
• Negative marking: 0.25 marks are deducted for each incorrect response; no marks are deducted for unanswered questions.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• Mode: Online — Computer-Based Test (CBT).
• A common entrance test is conducted for all courses. NIMHANS then publishes a separate merit list for every course.
• The exam is held twice a year — for the January admission session and the July admission session.
• Courses covered in Session 1 include direct M.Ch. Neurosurgery, DM Neurology, MD Psychiatry and allied PG programmes, among others.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam Syllabus Outline

NIMHANS does not prescribe a single unified syllabus document for all courses; the relevant subject matter is specified in the official prospectus for each course. The broad areas candidates should prepare are outlined below.

MD Psychiatry and DM Super Speciality Courses

Questions draw from the standard MBBS and PG-level curriculum. For MD Psychiatry, emphasis is on clinical psychiatry, psychopharmacology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and related basic sciences. DM courses such as Neurology and Neuroanaesthesia test advanced knowledge of the parent speciality (Internal Medicine/Anaesthesia) alongside neuroscience fundamentals.

Ph.D. and M.Phil Programmes

The entrance test for research programmes assesses research aptitude, biostatistics basics, and discipline-specific subject knowledge in areas such as clinical psychology, psychiatric nursing, neuroscience, public health and allied health sciences.

B.Sc and Diploma Courses

The B.Sc-level paper is conducted in July. It typically covers subjects from the 10+2 science stream relevant to the applied programme — Biology, Chemistry, Physics and general aptitude. Candidates should refer to the official NIMHANS prospectus at nimhans.ac.in for the course-specific syllabus once the 2027 notification is published.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Admit Card

The admit card for NIMHANS 2027 will be available online only at the official website nimhans.ac.in. Eligible candidates who have applied can download the NIMHANS 2027 admit card by entering their application number and password in the required fields. The admit card will not be dispatched by post.

On exam day, candidates must carry a printed copy of their hall ticket. The admit card is issued separately for Session 1 and Session 2. It contains essential details such as the test centre name and address, test date, reporting time and instructions for the NIMHANS CBT 2027. No candidate will be permitted entry to the exam hall without a valid admit card.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Result

Candidates may check the details regarding the NIMHANS Result 2027 below.

• Results are published on the official website at nimhans.ac.in. Students can check their outcome online.
• The result is declared a few days after the examination, in the form of a selection list in PDF format — separately for each admission session.
• After results are declared, Ph.D. candidates must appear for an interview, while shortlisted candidates for other courses are called for document verification.

Tie-Breaking Criteria

If two or more candidates secure identical marks, the following sequence of criteria is applied:

• The candidate who has made fewer attempts in the exam is preferred.
• If the number of attempts is equal, the candidate with a higher overall score is ranked higher.
• If scores remain the same, the older candidate (by date of birth) is preferred.
• If candidates share the same date of birth, the one with fewer negative marks is ranked higher.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Selection Criteria

Mode of Selection: For PG courses, selection is based on the Online Entrance Test plus verification of original certificates on the day of admission. The table below summarises the selection mode for each category of course.

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Seat Matrix

The seat matrix below is based on the previous year’s pattern. The official 2027 seat matrix will be published with the NIMHANS 2027 notification and may differ. All figures carry previous-year reference status.

Doctorate in Medicine (DM) — Previous-Year Reference Seats

• Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology: 04 seats (01 for sponsored candidates)
• Neurology: 10 seats
• Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: 04 seats (02 for sponsored candidates)
• Addiction Psychiatry: 02 seats
• Neuroanaesthesia: 04 seats
• Neuropathology: 02 seats (01 for sponsored candidates)
• Geriatric Psychiatry: 02 seats

M.Ch. — Previous-Year Reference Seats

• Neurosurgery: 06 seats

MD — Previous-Year Reference Seats

• Psychiatry: 37 seats, distributed as follows:
  1. 21 seats — All India selection
  2. 08 seats — Karnataka domicile candidates
  3. 06 seats — Candidates with domicile in Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand
  4. 02 seats — Sponsored candidates (one seat reserved for Karnataka domicile; if sponsored candidates are unavailable, these revert to the general pool). Allocated on overall merit, not state-wise.
• Neurology: 04 seats
• Neurosurgery: 04 seats

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 Analytics

The table below presents verified data points from previous exam cycles to help candidates understand competition levels, seat availability and exam-pattern constants. All figures carry previous-year reference status; the 2027 values will be confirmed after official notification release.

Note: Applicant and appeared figures are not publicly disclosed by NIMHANS; the data above reflects official exam-pattern and seat-matrix information sourced from NIMHANS publications only.

Knowledge Graph: NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027

NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 — Frequently Asked Questions

When will the NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 notification be released?

No official 2027 notification has been released by NIMHANS as of now. Based on the previous-year pattern, the notification is tentatively expected in April 2027. Candidates should check the official website at nimhans.ac.in regularly from March 2027 onwards for the confirmed date.

How many times is the NIMHANS entrance exam conducted in a year?

NIMHANS conducts the entrance exam twice a year — once for the January admission session and once for the July admission session. Based on the previous-year pattern, the Session 1 exam (covering Ph.D., DM, M.Ch., MD Psychiatry and other PG courses) is typically held in May, while the Session 2 exam for B.Sc courses is held in July.

What is the NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 application fee?

Based on the previous cycle, the application fee for PG courses is Rs. 1,500 per course for General/OBC/Foreign applicants and Rs. 1,000 per course for SC/ST candidates. For UG courses, the fee is Rs. 1,000 (General/OBC/Foreign) and Rs. 750 (SC/ST). Candidates with disabilities (PwD) are exempt from the fee. The exact 2027 fee structure will be published in the official notification.

What is the NIMHANS MD Psychiatry entrance exam syllabus?

The NIMHANS MD Psychiatry entrance exam draws from the standard MBBS and PG-level curriculum in Psychiatry and related clinical subjects, including psychopharmacology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. NIMHANS publishes the course-specific syllabus with the official prospectus on its website. Candidates should consult standard Psychiatry, Neurology and allied-subject textbooks as their primary preparation resource.

What is the eligibility for DM Neurology at NIMHANS?

To apply for the DM Degree in Neurology at NIMHANS, a candidate must have completed either a five-year post-MBBS degree or a three-year Post MD/DNB course in Internal (General) Medicine or Paediatrics. The upper age limit for PG Medical degree holders is 35 years, with relaxations of 5 years for SC/ST candidates and 3 years for OBC candidates.

How many MD Psychiatry seats are available at NIMHANS?

Based on the previous-year seat matrix, NIMHANS offers approximately 37 seats for MD Psychiatry, distributed as All India selection (21 seats), Karnataka domicile (08 seats), specified North-Eastern states and hill-state domicile (06 seats), and sponsored candidates (02 seats). The official 2027 seat matrix will be declared in the notification and may vary.

What is the NIMHANS Ph.D. selection process?

Selection for the Ph.D. programme at NIMHANS is based on the Online Entrance Test, which carries 50% weightage, and a personal Interview, which carries the remaining 50%. Candidates who qualify in the written test are called for the interview, after which a final merit list is drawn up. The interview is typically held in late May, based on the previous-year pattern.

Can sponsored or deputed candidates apply for NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027?

Yes, sponsored or deputed candidates can apply. They must submit their application through the proper channel in addition to completing the online form, appear for the Common Entrance Test and upload the sponsorship certificate in NIMHANS’s prescribed format along with the online application. For sponsored candidates, the upper age limit is 45 years as on the date of commencement of the course.

What documents must a candidate carry to the NIMHANS 2027 exam centre?

Every candidate must carry a printed copy of the NIMHANS 2027 admit card to the exam centre — entry is not permitted without it. A valid photo identity document (such as Aadhaar card, passport or voter ID) should also be carried for identity verification. The admit card contains the test centre address, reporting time and exam-day instructions, so candidates should read it carefully before the exam date.

Official Sources

• NIMHANS Official Website — nimhans.ac.in
• NIMHANS Admissions Page — nimhans.ac.in/academics/admissions/

Conclusion

The NIMHANS Entrance Exam 2027 is one of India’s most competitive national-level examinations for admission to MD Psychiatry, DM Super Speciality courses, M.Ch. Neurosurgery, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellowship, M.Phil, M.Sc, PG Diploma and B.Sc programmes. Because no official 2027 notification has been released yet, every date on this page carries Tentative (previous-year pattern) status. Bookmark nimhans.ac.in, check it regularly from March 2027, verify your eligibility early, and submit your application within the stipulated deadline to secure a seat at this premier mental health and neuroscience institute.