IIIT Hyderabad B.Tech + M.S Geospatial Technology by Research: Fees 2026, Course Duration, Dates, Eligibility

Content Curator | Updated 3+ months ago

The B.Tech (Hons.) in Computer Science + M.S. in Geospatial Technology by Research (CGD) is a 5-year dual degree programme offered by the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H). This programme integrates Computer Science with Spatial Informatics, training students to address complex challenges in areas such as GeoAI, Spatial Data Science, satellite data processing, digital twins, geovisualization, urban planning, environmental management, and location-based services. Upon successful completion, students earn two degrees: a B.Tech (Hons.) in Computer Science and an M.S. by Research in Geospatial Technology (requiring a thesis defence). The programme is offered in full-time on-campus mode and is backed by IIIT-H's Lab for Spatial Informatics (LSI), one of India's leading research centres in geospatial science. With India's National Geospatial Policy 2022 driving significant investments in the sector, this programme is well-positioned to meet growing industry demand.

Admissions for the 2026 batch are currently open via the UGEE (Undergraduate Entrance Examination) mode. The UGEE 2026 application portal is open until 31st March 2026, with the entrance exam scheduled for 2nd May 2026 and interviews from 4th to 6th June 2026.

Key Points

The CGD programme is one of IIIT Hyderabad's newest dual degree offerings, launched in 2024, combining Computer Science with Geospatial Technology for a research-focused career in spatial informatics.
Students earn two degrees: B.Tech (Hons.) in Computer Science and M.S. by Research in Geospatial Technology, with the M.S. requiring a full research thesis.
The curriculum covers 51 courses across Computer Science (15), Geospatial (12), Mathematics (4), Science (4), Humanities (4), and other subjects (6), plus a thesis (6 credits).
The programme is backed by IIIT-H's Lab for Spatial Informatics (LSI), which conducts cutting-edge research in Remote Sensing, Geospatial Data Sciences, and Modelling and Simulation of Land, Water, and Environmental changes.
Career prospects span diverse sectors including urban planning, environmental management, agriculture, disaster management, defence, and the rapidly growing geospatial technology industry.
India's National Geospatial Policy 2022 is driving significant government and private sector investments in geospatial technology, creating strong demand for skilled professionals in this field.
The programme emphasises multidisciplinary learning, integrating spatial thinking with advanced computing skills including GeoAI, satellite data processing, and spatial data science.
Admission is exclusively through IIIT Hyderabad's UGEE; JEE scores are NOT accepted for this programme.

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06 Apr, 2026 IIIT Hyderabad BTech Fee Structure 2026 is out. The total academic fee is ₹ 31.73 Lakhs.

IIIT-H CGD Fees

The total tuition fee for the B.Tech + M.S. (CGD) dual degree programme at IIIT Hyderabad is INR 22,50,000 for the full 5-year duration, charged at INR 4,50,000 per annum. In addition to tuition, students pay a one-time non-refundable admission fee and a refundable caution deposit at the time of joining. Hostel accommodation is available on campus but is not mandatory; hostel and mess charges are levied separately. The institute also charges nominal annual fees for library, laboratory, and examination purposes.

Fee Components

Fee Component	Amount (INR)
Tuition Fee (per annum)	4,50,000
Tuition Fee (5 years total)	22,50,000
Admission Fee (one-time, non-refundable)	10,000
Caution Deposit (one-time, refundable)	10,000
Library and Laboratory Fee (per annum)	5,000
Examination and Registration Fee (per annum)	5,000
Other Charges (5 years total)	50,000
Total Academic Fees (5 years)	23,10,000
Hostel Fee (per annum, optional)	~48,000
Hostel Fee (5 years, optional)	~2,40,000
Total Fees (with Hostel, 5 years)	~25,50,000

The caution deposit of INR 10,000 is fully refundable upon successful course completion or withdrawal.
Hostel accommodation is not mandatory; students may opt for off-campus accommodation.
Fees are paid semester-wise; no monthly instalment option is available.
A late fee of INR 500 per week is charged for delayed payments; registration is not permitted after 3 weeks of the deadline.
Fee revision of approximately 5-10% per annum may apply; the fee for AY 2026-27 will be announced before the academic year begins.
SBI Scholar Loan of up to INR 40 lakhs is available without collateral for all admitted students.

IIIT-H CGD Admission 2026

Admissions to the B.Tech + M.S. (CGD) programme at IIIT Hyderabad are conducted exclusively through the institute's own Undergraduate Entrance Examination (UGEE). The UGEE 2026 application portal is currently open, with the last date to apply being 31st March 2026. Shortlisted candidates are called for an on-campus interview, and the final admission offer is based solely on interview performance. The programme also accepts students through the Olympiad and Boards channels without requiring UGEE. Candidates are expected to have an interest in multidisciplinary studies combining computing and geospatial sciences.

IIIT Hyderabad CGD Admission Dates

Event	Date
UGEE 2026 Application Portal Opens	11th February 2026
UGEE 2026 Application Portal Closes	31st March 2026
UGEE 2026 Admit Card Release	22nd April 2026
UGEE 2026 Entrance Exam	2nd May 2026
UGEE 2026 Result Declaration	8th May 2026
UGEE 2026 Interviews (On Campus)	4th to 6th June 2026
Batch Commencement (Tentative)	July/August 2026

Entrance Exam Dates

Exam	Registration Deadline	Exam Date	Result Date
IIITH UGEE 2026	31st March 2026	2nd May 2026	8th May 2026

The dates mentioned above are tentative and subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must have passed Class 12 or equivalent with Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry between 2023 and June 2026. Candidates who passed Class 12 in 2022 or earlier are not eligible.
Olympiad channel: Students selected to represent India in International Olympiads (Science/Mathematics) during Class XI or XII are eligible without UGEE.
Boards channel: Students with exceptional Class 12 Board scores may be admitted without UGEE (details on the official admissions portal).
Candidates are expected to have an interest in multidisciplinary studies combining computing with geospatial and environmental sciences.

Admission Process

Register online on the IIIT Hyderabad admissions portal (admportal.iiit.ac.in) and pay the application fee (INR 3,100 for male applicants; INR 1,550 for female applicants).
Appear for the UGEE computer-based exam (3 hours): Section 1 - SUPR (Subject Proficiency, 60 minutes) and Section 2 - REAP (Research Aptitude, 120 minutes). Negative marking of 25% applies in both sections.
Candidates are shortlisted based on SUPR performance and then ranked on REAP scores for interview shortlisting.
Shortlisted candidates attend an on-campus interview at IIIT Hyderabad; the final admission decision is based solely on interview performance.
Offer letters are issued after interviews; accepted candidates complete the fee payment and document verification process.

Note: JEE (Main/Advanced) scores are NOT accepted for the CGD dual degree programme. Admission is only through UGEE, Olympiad, or Boards channel.

IIIT-H CGD Scholarships 2026

IIIT Hyderabad strongly believes that financial constraints should not be a barrier to quality education. The institute offers multiple avenues of financial assistance to admitted students, including alumni-funded support on a pay-it-forward basis and guaranteed SBI Scholar Loans. Need-based support is available from the 2nd semester onwards for students with family income below INR 8 lakhs per annum, and exceptional cases above this threshold may also be considered by a committee.

Scholarship Details

Scholarship / Financial Assistance	Eligibility	Amount / Benefit
IIIT-H Alumni Fund (Pay-it-Forward)	Family income below INR 8 LPA (from 2nd semester); exceptional cases above threshold also considered	Partial to full tuition support; student agrees to fund a future student after graduation
SBI Scholar Loan	All admitted students	Up to INR 40 lakhs without collateral, even if family has existing loans
Need-Based Tuition Support (ISFAS)	Students with demonstrated financial need	Partial tuition fee waiver on a need-cum-merit basis

The Alumni Fund is NOT a scholarship; it is a pay-it-forward scheme where the beneficiary agrees to support a future student after graduating and starting to earn.
Financial assistance is subject to availability and meeting stipulated criteria; it is not guaranteed to all applicants.
Applications for financial assistance are processed after admission; students must submit income documents and appear before a committee.
SBI Scholar Loan details are available at the IIIT Hyderabad admissions portal (ugadmissions.iiit.ac.in/financial-assistance/).

IIIT-H CGD FAQs

Ques. What exactly is Geospatial Technology and why should I consider the CGD programme?

Ans. Geospatial Technology (also called Spatial Informatics) is an interdisciplinary field that combines computer science with the study of spatial and geographic data. It powers technologies like Google Maps, satellite navigation, urban planning tools, climate modelling, precision agriculture, and disaster management systems. The CGD programme at IIIT-H is one of the very few undergraduate-level dual degree programmes in India that offers a structured, research-oriented curriculum in this field, backed by the Lab for Spatial Informatics (LSI), which has been conducting cutting-edge research in remote sensing, GeoAI, and spatial data science for over a decade.

Ques. Is the CGD programme a new programme? How established is it?

Ans. The CGD dual degree programme was launched at IIIT Hyderabad in 2024, making it one of the newer additions to IIIT-H's dual degree portfolio. While the programme itself is new, it is backed by the well-established Lab for Spatial Informatics (LSI) at IIIT-H, which has a strong track record of research, publications, and industry collaborations in geospatial science. The programme benefits from IIIT-H's overall strong placement ecosystem and research culture.

Ques. What are the career prospects after completing the CGD programme?

Ans. CGD graduates can pursue careers in a wide range of sectors: geospatial technology companies (ESRI, Trimble, Hexagon), government agencies (ISRO, Survey of India, National Remote Sensing Centre), urban planning and smart city projects, environmental consulting, agriculture technology, defence and intelligence, and location-based services companies. With India's National Geospatial Policy 2022 driving significant investments in the sector, demand for skilled geospatial professionals is growing rapidly. Graduates can also pursue PhD programmes at top universities globally in geospatial science, remote sensing, or related fields.

Ques. How does the CGD programme differ from a regular B.Tech in Computer Science at IIIT Hyderabad?

Ans. The CGD programme is a 5-year dual degree (vs. 4-year B.Tech CSE), with a mandatory M.S. by Research thesis in Geospatial Technology. The curriculum is multidisciplinary, covering both CS and Geospatial Technology (51 courses total), whereas B.Tech CSE is purely computer science focused. CGD students work closely with the LSI research lab and gain expertise in areas like GeoAI, satellite data processing, spatial data science, and geovisualization that are not part of the standard CSE curriculum. The admission process also differs: CGD requires UGEE (not JEE).

Ques. What is the Lab for Spatial Informatics (LSI) at IIIT Hyderabad?

Ans. The Lab for Spatial Informatics (LSI) at IIIT Hyderabad is one of India's leading research centres in geospatial science. It conducts research in Remote Sensing, Geospatial Data Sciences, and Modelling and Simulation of Land, Water, and Environmental changes. LSI has collaborations with international institutions and has published over 239 research papers. CGD students work directly with LSI faculty and researchers, gaining hands-on experience in real-world geospatial research projects. The lab also has partnerships with organisations like OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) India.

Ques. Since CGD is a new programme, how can I assess its quality and future prospects?

Ans. While CGD is a new programme (launched 2024), several factors indicate strong quality and prospects: (1) It is backed by IIIT-H's established LSI lab with a strong research track record; (2) IIIT-H's overall placement ecosystem is excellent, with 96-100% placement rates and strong industry connections; (3) The geospatial technology sector is growing rapidly in India, driven by the National Geospatial Policy 2022 and increasing adoption of GeoAI and spatial data science; (4) The dual degree structure with an M.S. by Research ensures graduates have both technical depth and research credentials. Students interested in this niche but high-growth field will find CGD a strong foundation.

IIIT Hyderabad: 2 Answered Questions

How is IIIT Hyderabad's MSIT course for a non it student ? What sort of companies recruit from the MSIT course??

Anupama Chauhanstudied at International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad

IIIT Hyderabad MSIT course is perfect for someone who has a flawed academic profile like a gap year or something. People like these have very limited opportunities so this course might uplift their chances of getting placed decently. However, since you specifically asked, this course is not a good option if you have an IT background. This is because the curriculum is repetitive and covered in a shorter duration. Also, if you are employed, it’s better to invest your efforts in improving your work experience than wasting time on this course.

The placements are decent and in fact, during the first phase, you might get into top IT giants like Amazon, Salesforce, American Express, etc. But if you fail to get placed in these then the only option left is to get into service sector-based companies.

So, this course is best suited for those who are looking for a means to upgrade their academic profile.

Which college should I choose between IIT, Hyderabad & IIIT, Hyderabad for a CSE course?

Divya SarafLives in Hyderabad

Had I been in your place, I would have chosen IIIT Hyderabad over IIT Hyderabad. While both colleges offer a good CS program, IIIT Hyderabad is the clear winner when it comes to CS. Consider the following points of comparison

IIT Hyderabad is a new IIt, so choosing it just because of the IIt tag would be a blunder.
IIT Hyderabad is still in its development phase and its campus still needs a few more facilities to become full-fledged operating.
IIIT Hyderabad has a better religion and brand name among the IT giants and therefore its placement scenario is way better than IIT Hyderabad.
IIIT Hyderabad is well-known for its achievements in competitions like ACM ICPC and GSOC.

I have my cousins in both the institutes and from their discussions I have concluded that IIIT Hyderabad leads in CS opportunities.