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Most engineering aspirants know one route into IIIT Hyderabad: JEE Main. Fewer know that the institute runs its own entrance, UGEE, for a different kind of programme. If you enjoy open-ended problems and think you might want to do research, it is worth understanding before the application window opens. This post explains what UGEE leads to, how the test and interview work, and how to prepare.
What is UGEE and which programmes does it lead to?
IIIT Hyderabad lists several modes of undergraduate admission. UGEE, the Undergraduate Entrance Examination, is the mode "for all Dual-Degree Programmes". JEE (Main) is listed for single-degree programmes, and there are separate channels for olympiad winners, lateral entry, board scores and students abroad.
According to the UGEE 2025 page, the dual-degree graduates "earn two degrees: B.Tech and Master of Science by Research", the master's "requires completion of a research thesis", and the programme lasts five years. The 2025 page listed these programmes and seats:
ECD (20 seats): B.Tech and MS by Research in Electronics and Communication Engineering
CSD (30): B.Tech and MS by Research in Computer Science and Engineering
CLD (15): B.Tech in Computer Science, MS by Research in Computational Linguistics
CND (15): Computer Science with Computational Natural Sciences
CHD (15): Computer Science with Computing and Human Sciences
CGD (15): Computer Science with Geospatial Technology
That is 110 seats across six programmes in 2025. Seat numbers can change each year.
Who is eligible?
For 2025, candidates needed to have passed Class 12 or equivalent "with Maths, Physics and Chemistry by June 2025". Candidates who passed Class 12 in 2021 or earlier were not eligible. For the cycle you are applying in, check the current UGEE page, because the year limits move forward each cycle.
How is the UGEE test structured?
The 2025 test was a three-hour computer-based exam with two sections:
SUPR (Subject Proficiency), 60 minutes. Tests physics, chemistry and maths.
REAP (Research Aptitude), 120 minutes. The page says REAP has "an emphasis on testing critical and creative thinking abilities".
Both are based on Class 11 and 12 physics, maths and chemistry, at the level of CBSE and most state syllabi. The page states there is "negative marking of 25% in both the sections".
The order of use matters. Applicants "will be filtered based on the SUPR score, and then ranked on REAP score in order to shortlist for the interview". So SUPR works as a gate, and REAP decides your position among those who pass it.
What does 25% negative marking mean for guessing?
As an illustration, take a question with four options where a wrong answer costs a quarter of the marks a right answer earns. A blind guess has a 1 in 4 chance of being right, so the expected score is 1/4 × 1 − 3/4 × 0.25 = 0.25 − 0.1875 = 0.0625 of the question's marks. That is barely above zero. If you can rule out one option, it becomes 1/3 × 1 − 2/3 × 0.25 = 0.333 − 0.167 = 0.167. Rule out two and it rises to 0.5 − 0.125 = 0.375. The lesson: guess only after you have eliminated something. Check the actual question format in the official sample questions before applying this.
How does the interview and seat allotment work?
Shortlisted candidates face an interview; in 2025 these were held online. The UGEE process page says qualified applicants "are ranked based on their interview performance". Seats are then offered over several rounds. In each round you must accept by paying the required fee or decline, and you can lock the seat if you are satisfied. If you do not pay by the deadline, the seat counts as declined.
Two rules catch families out:
One seat only. You may apply through several IIIT Hyderabad modes, but you can accept and hold one seat in one mode at a time.
Switching modes. If you accept a UGEE seat and later get a JEE-mode seat, you must give up the UGEE seat first, and you then leave the further UGEE rounds.
The 2025 page also said the institute aimed for at least 25% women among candidates shortlisted for interview, with a lower application fee for women applicants.
How should you prepare for SUPR and REAP?
For SUPR, your board and JEE preparation already covers the content. Practise speed on mixed sets of physics, chemistry and maths, since the section is only 60 minutes. Our post on taking JEE Main in two sessions has tips on timed mixed practice that apply here too.
For REAP, practise unfamiliar problems where the method is not obvious. Read a short passage on an experiment and ask what conclusion the data supports, or try puzzles where you must spot a pattern and justify it.
Use the official samples. The UGEE page links sample questions for SUPR and REAP and a mock test. Do them under time limits.
Prepare for the interview by being able to explain, in your own words, a project or problem you worked on and why you found it interesting.
When a REAP-style problem stalls you, it can help to talk it through. Fermi's AI tutor holds a line of reasoning across a session and decides whether to explain, ask or show, which suits problems where the hard part is finding a way in.
Bookmark ugadmissions.iiit.ac.in and check the UGEE page for your year's dates and sample questions before the application window opens.
