Applications have been invited for the National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2025, the Entrance test for admission to 5-year Integrated MSc Programme, 2025-30 at National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and University of Mumbai - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai

NEST is a compulsory computer-based test for admission to the five-year Integrated MSc programme in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, at these institutes. 

Both NISER and UM-DAE CEBS are autonomous institutions established by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. NISER is an off-campus centre of the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), and all academic programs of NISER are affiliated with HBNI. UM-DAE CEBS is a DAE institution and is physically located on the Kalina campus of the University of Mumbai. The degrees to students are awarded by the University of Mumbai. The integrated MSc programme at these institutes is residential, and follows a semester–based course structure. The latter has continuous assessment within a flexible and innovative academic curriculum, exposing the students to research early in the program. All the students are accommodated in hostels on campus and are provided with an environment conducive to their success in classroom learning and research. 

Those admitted to the programme are eligible to receive an annual scholarship of Rs 60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of Rs 20,000/- per annum for summer internships. Those selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE program are endorsed for the INSPIRE scholarship by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. Besides, top performers at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS securing overall grades above a certain threshold at the end of the program, are eligible to appear directly for the interview for admission to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) training school. 

The details of the Integrated MSc program, list of courses, research activities of the individual schools, institute facilities, and faculty profiles at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS may be found on their respective websites www.niser.ac.in and www.cbs.ac.in  

Eligibility: Applicants should be from the regular science stream in classes XI and XII. They must have passed the class XII examination from any recognised Board in India in the years 2023 or 2024 or should be appearing for the same in 2025. Those appearing for the board examination in 2025 must pass it by the time of admission into the programme. Applicants must secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination. For those belonging to SC, ST and Divyangjan categories, the minimum requirement of marks is relaxed to 55% in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination. 

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

NEST 2025: NEST 2025 will be conducted on June 22, 2025 (Sunday), from 9 am to 12.30 PM. It will be a Computer-Based Test (CBT/online exam). The question paper will consist of 4 (four) sections of objective (MCQ) type questions. Each section is of 60 marks and will contain subject-specific questions from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Each section will have 20 questions, with exactly one correct answer. Marking a correct answer will fetch 3 marks, choosing an incorrect answer will lead to a deduction of 1 mark. It is in the interest of the candidate to attempt all sections. The merit list for both institutes will be prepared using the best three scores out of the four sections, and the section with the lowest score will not be considered. Scores out of 180 marks will be considered for preparing the merit list. 

Question papers of NEST of the last few years and Syllabus for NEST 2025 are available at www.nestexam.in. The language of the question paper will be Hindi and English. Candidates must choose 3 (three) centres in order of their preference while filling out the application form.

Based on the performance in NEST 2025, a merit list of the candidates will be prepared as specified in the Information Brochure at the website and posted at www.nestexam.in by July 10, 2025. Admission is based on the Merit List of NEST 2025.

Application: Applications can be submitted online at www.nestexam.in by 11.45 pm on May 09, 2025.  

Application Fee: The application fee for all female candidates and candidates in the SC/ST/Divyangjan categories is Rs. 700/–. The application fee for the male candidates of the General and OBC categories is Rs. 1,400/–. Payments can be made using credit card/debit card/net–banking through an online payment gateway. Candidates need not send any document to the NEST office in the entire application process.

Admit card: The admit card for NEST 2025 will be available for download from June 02, 2025. The download link will be available only till the day of the examination.

For more details, visit www.nestexam.in