BSc Entrance Exams in India: Check Eligibility, Courses Offered, Admission Dates

BSc, aka Bachelor of Science, is a versatile 3-year undergraduate degree that builds a strong scientific foundation for students. In today's generation, where the competition level has been escalated to an extent where choosing a good BSc College has become very important.

India has around 19,000 colleges that offer BSc programmes, and to render that, there are many entrance exams that a student needs to give or sometimes it's based on merit.

To cater for admissions, one should know the list of BSc entrance exams in India.  NTA has introduced the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for BSc admissions, providing a common platform and equal opportunity to candidates across the country.

Class 12 science students or droppers who either don’t want to pursue NEET/JEE or couldn’t qualify for these exams must have a valuable alternative in BSc programmes. Choosing a BSc course is both formal and motivational, as preparing for BSc entrance exams keeps science dreams alive.

A BSc degree covers a wide range of courses in the science domain, like physics and chemistry, biology, computer science, and these are the foundational stones for the groundwork for jobs or higher studies.

Having knowledge of BSc entrance exams in India will help science enthusiasts to confidently pursue their degrees. A strategic exam preparation at Sciastra for the BSc entrance exam can render desirable university/course opportunities and set the stage for a successful scientific career.

Types of BSc Entrance Exams

There are many entrance exams that an aspiring BSc student can aim for. It is important for candidates to understand that choosing the right college or institute for their undergraduate course based on their degree requirements is crucial. If a student aims to get into a research institute, a top NIRF-ranked institute, or a college in their locality, they must choose the B.Sc. entrance exam accordingly.

BSc Entrance Exam in India: List of Top Exams

Here is a curated list of the top BSc entrance exams in India that will surely meet your requirements. Candidates will be able to learn about the type of entrance exam, eligibility criteria, courses offered, and important dates for the upcoming academic session.

Also Read: Biology Research Institutes in India 

IISER Entrance Exam

IISER entrance exam is being conducted every year for the candidates taking admissions to the five-year BS-MS dual degree, four-year BS degree and BTech degree courses offered at seven IISERs participating institutes, IISc Bangalore and IIT Madras.

Interested candidates satisfying the IAT 2026 eligibility criteria need to fill out the application form and appear for the exam. IAT 2026 is anticipated to be held in online mode/CBT for a duration of three hours, spread across one shift, from 9 AM to 12 PM.

Courses offered through IAT 2026 Exam:

Check out the courses available by different IISER institutes below:

Also Read: IISER 2026 Cut Off

IISER Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria

Before applying for IISER entrance exam, the pre-requisite for a candidate must be to meet the minimum eligibility criteria mentioned by the exam officials. Check out the IISER 2026 eligibility criteria below:

Also Read: IISER Eligibility Criteria 2026

IISER Entrance Exam 2026: Important Dates

IISER entrance exam 2026 notification will be released by the exam officials in the last week of January 2026. For reference, candidates can check out the tentative timeline.

Note- please note that these tentative dates are based on the IISER 2025 exam timeline (previous year data).

Also Read:

NCET Exam

NCET, National Common Entrance Test, is a national-level exam that is conducted by NTA every year to provide admissions to the four-year integrated degree programmes like BScBEd, BA BEd, and BCom BEd courses at around 77 participating institutes.

Candidates qualifying the NCET 2026 exam will get the opportunity to enrol in the 4-Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) in selected Central/State Universities/Institutions, including IITs, NITs, RIEs and Government Colleges, etc.

Some famous NCET participating institutes are:

1. Regional Institute of Education (RIE Ajmer, Bhopal)

2. IIT Kharagpur, IIT Bhubaneshwar, IIT Ropar, IIT Jodhpur

3. NIT Agartala, Calicut, Hyderabad, Puducherry, Tiruchirappalli

4. Delhi University (Department Of Education, North Campus)

NOTE: Candidates must note that in future they wish to become a school teacher, the minimal degree qualification required by 2030 will be a Four-Year Integrated Degree like BSc BEd, BA BEd, BCom BEd.

What is an Integrated BSc BEd programme?

The 4-year integrated BEd is a dual-major holistic bachelor’s degree, in Education as well as a specialised subject (such as language, history, music, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, economics, art, physical education, etc.).

Beyond the teaching of cutting-edge pedagogy, the students will also get groomed in: a grounding in sociology, history, science, psychology, early childhood care and education, foundational literacy and numeracy, knowledge of India and its values/ethos/art/traditions, and more.

Candidates interested in taking NCET 2026 can check out the information brochure fo the exam from below:

NCET Eligibility Criteria

In order to have hassle-free admission, candidates must satisfy the minimum eligibility criteria mentioned by the exam officials. Check out the tentative NCET 2026 eligibility criteria from here:

What are NCET 2026 Exam Dates?

Candidates can check out the tentative NCET 2026 exam dates from here:

Also Read:

CUET UG Exam

CUET, Central University Entrance Exam, is a national-level exam that is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Every Year CUET exam is conducted to provide admissions to the UG courses like BSc, BA, BCom, BFA, BCA and other courses at more than 180 participating institutes. Candidates taking this exam will be getting admissions to University of Delhi, Banaras Hindu University, Allahabad University and many other CUET 2026 participating universities.

The exam will be conducted for 23 domain subjects, 13 languages and 1 General Test section. Interested candidates can opt for up to 5 subjects while filling out the CUET 2026 application form. Test takers are highly advised to check the desired university and course criteria for CUET 2026 Subject Mapping.

CUET 2026 notification will be released in the first week of March 2026, tentatively. Check out the eligibility, courses offered and exam timetable here:

CUET Exam Eligibility Criteria 2026

To secure admission to the courses offered at CUET UG participating universities, one must satisfy the eligibility criteria set by the exam conducting body and the participating institutes. Here are the minimal CUET UG eligibility criteria 2026 that a candidate must check from here:

CUET 2026 Educational Qualification

Students need to pass their Class 12 or appear for the Class 12 examination from a recognised board or a relevant stream to be admitted to bachelor’s degree programmes in the Central Universities.

CUET UG 2026 Age Limit

As per the information available in the information brochure, there is no age limit to appear for the CUET UG exam. Although the candidates are required to fulfil the age criteria of the participating university, they wish to take admission.

CUET Courses Offered 2026

Here is the tentative list of courses offered through the CUET exam across various domains.

CUET 2026 Exam Dates

Candidates can check out the event-wise CUET 2026 dates from here:

Also Read:

ISI Admission Test

Indian Statistical Institute, ISI Admission Test 2026 is a national-level entrance exam that is conducted to provide admission to the BSc/MSc degree in Statistics and Mathematics courses. Interested applicants are advised to check the ISI Admission Test 2026 eligibility criteria before applying for the exam.

Note: Candidates must note that they are those who are interested in pursuing the Bachelor of Statistical Data Science (BSDS), admission to the ISI institutes will be based on the scores of the following exams:
(1) JEE Main 2026,
(2) JEE Main 2025,
(3) CUET 2026 (Mathematics as well as English), or
(4) CUET 2025 (Mathematics as well as English)

Also Read: ISI Admission Test

ISI Admission Test 2026: Courses Offered and Eligibility Criteria

Check out the domains in which ISI provide admissions to and their eligibility criteria in this section:

ISI Admission Test 2026 Important Dates (Tentative)

Candidates who wish to pursue their degree in mathematics and statistics from here:

Also Read: ISI Admission Test and CMI Entrance Exam Prep Tips

CMI Entrance Exam

Chennai Mathematical Institute conducts the CMI Entrance Exam every year to provide admissions to the BSc, MSc and PhD degree courses in Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics and Data Science courses.

The exam officials have announced the CMI Entrance Exam 2026 application date. Interested candidates will be able to register around March 1, 2026. The exam dates are yet to be announced by Chennai Mathematics Institute.

Note: Students with exceptionally good performance in the National Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics and Informatics are exempted from writing the BSc entrance examination.

Courses Offered and Eligibility Criteria

Candidates can check out the list of courses offered by Chennai Mathematical Institute and its eligibility criteria below:

• BSc (Hons.) Mathematics and Computer Science: 12th standard or equivalent

• BSc (Hons.) Mathematics and Physics: 12th standard or equivalent.

• MSc in Mathematics: Undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, …) with a strong background in mathematics.

• MSc in Computer Science: Undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, …) with a strong background in computer science.

• MSc in Data Science: Undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, …) with a background in mathematics/statistics/computer science.

• PhD in Mathematics: BE/BTech/BSc(Math)/M.Sc.(Math).

• PhD in Computer Science: BE/BTech/MSc(CS)/MCA

• PhD in Physics: MSc(Physics)

CMI Entrance Exam Dates 2026

Candidates can check out the tentative schedule of CMI Entrance Exam 2026 form here:

Also Read:

ICAR UG Exam

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) provides admissions to undergraduate courses in Agriculture and Allied Sciences at various ICAR institutes, including NDRI, ICAR-IARI, Dr RPCAU Pusa, and many other participating institutions.
All the courses that were earlier offered through the ICAR UG entrance exam have now been merged with the CUET UG exam. Interested candidates must fill out the CUET 2026 application form and appear for the exam. Based on their scores, candidates will be required to participate in the ICAR UG counselling process conducted by ICAR.

Note: There is no provision for direct nomination to any bachelor’s degree programme in Agriculture and Allied Sciences through ICAR without qualifying in CUET (ICAR-UG).

Courses Offered by ICAR UG

Check out the list of programmes offered at IACR UG through CUET exam 2026:

ICAR UG Courses: Eligibility Criteria

Check out the eligibility criteria for the courses offered by the CUET UG exam:

PU CET UG Exam

PU CET, also known as Panjab University Common Entrance Test which is conducted by the university itself to provide admission to the four-year BSc Hons/ Pharma degree under the framework of the Hons School System and B Pharmacy. Interested candidates seeking admission to the courses offered are advised to follow the website cetug.puchd.ac.in for the procedure and guidelines for admission.

Courses Offered and Eligibility Criteria

Check out the list of courses offered by PU CET UG exam and its eligibility criteria that a candidate needs to satisfy to get admission:

PU CET UG 2026 Exam Dates

Check out the exam and other events schedule of PU CET UG 2026 from here:

IACS UPST Exam

IACS UPST is an undergraduate programme science test, conducted by the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata. Being one of India’s premier research institutes, it provides admission to the Integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programme in Science. It also provides courses in Integrated Masters and a PhD degree in science.

The IACS UPST exam is designed in such a way to test candidates’ knowledge and aptitude in core science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology.

IACS Exam 2026 Application Form:

Applications are invited from bright and motivated Indian nationals for admission to the Integrated Bachelor's and Master's Program in Science 2026, likely to begin from the First week of August 2026, tentatively.

NOTE: The applicants who are due to complete their 10+2 level Board Examinations are eligible to appear in a UG Pre-Interview Screening Test (UPST).

Having Mathematics at the 10+2 level is a mandatory eligibility criterion for appearing in the UPST. 

IACS UPST 2026 Exam Date:

IACS UPST exam 2026 is anticipated to be conducted in a fully computer-based test mode in the first week of June 2026 (from 9.00 AM -12.00 noon) in various cities across India.

NEST Exam

NEST is a national-level entrance exam that provides admission to the five-year integrated BSc-MSc degree programme at NISER Institute and UM-DAE-CEBS (University of Mumbai).

Candidates who are enrolled in the courses offered through the NEST 2026 exam will be offered an annual scholarship and summer internship grants. Check out the details from here:

1. DISHA Program: Students will be eligible to receive an annual scholarship of INR 60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.

2. Scholarship recipients receive a grant of INR 20,000/- per annum for summer internships.

3. Candidates selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE program are endorsed for the INSPIRE.

Eligibility Criteria and Seat Intake

Only the candidates meeting the minimal NEST 2026 eligibility criteria will be able to appear for the examination. NEST eligibility criteria 2026 stipulate the educational, national and age limit criteria that a candidate needs to satisfy. Check out the NEST eligibility from the section below:

Educational Requirement: 

1. Any Indian student who has passed the XII standard board examination in the science stream in the academic years 2023 or 2024 or has appeared in 2025 from any recognised Board in India. The provisional certificate declaring the aggregate should be from a single board.

2. Candidates need to secure at least 60% in aggregate in the XII standard board examination. For SC/ST/Divyangjan candidates, this requirement is 55%.

Age limit: There is no age limit for appearing in the NEST 2025 examination and admission to either NISER or UM-DAE CEBS.

Subject Combination: In their Class 11, Students need to choose the Science stream and must have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Mathematics.

Check out the category and institute-wise seat intake for NEST exam from the section below:

NEST 2026 Exam Dates

Check out the complete list of important dates of the events from here:

Also Read: NEST 2026 Syllabus

Conclusion

Having knowledge of BSc Entrance Exams in India will help aspiring students in shaping their academic and professional journey. These exams serve as a gateway for science enthusiasts/ Class 12 or droppers to study amongst the prestigious universities and colleges. These exams will also provide the opportunity to pursue quality education in diverse fields such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, and Computer Science.

It is important for the Class 12 students, droppers, and parents to understand the exam patterns, eligibility criteria, and preparation strategies for effective planning and success.

With increasing competition, it is highly advisable for aspirants to start their preparation early, focus on their studies, and be aware that college-specific requirements can make a significant difference.

Check out IAT/NEST 2026 Exam Preparation Courses for Class 11 of Sciastra from here:

Check out IAT/NEST 2026 Exam Preparation Courses for Class 12 of Sciastra from here:

Check out IAT/NEST 2026 Exam Preparation Courses for Droppers of Sciastra from here: