Chandigarh University Vice Chancellor & other Officials felicitating Sarvesh Gupta for topping IIT JAM 2026 (Physics) Exam with All India Rank 1
Chandigarh, India: In remarkable display of academic brilliance, a Chandigarh University student, Sarvesh Gupta, has made history by securing All India Rank (AIR) 1 in IIT JAM 2026 (Physics), one of India’s most competitive postgraduate entrance examinations in which over 12,000 candidates appeared for admission to Master of Science, Ph D and other post-graduate programs at 22 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
Reflecting exceptional conceptual mastery in Physics, Sarvesh Gupta – a final-year student of B Sc (Hons.) Physics program at Chandigarh University who hails from Nepal – also qualified two other prestigious national-level examinations including Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Graduate School (TIFR GS) exam which draws 20,000 to 25,000 applicants and IUCAA National Admission Test (INAT-2026) conducted by Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune for M Sc (Physics with Astrophysics) programme admissions-2026.
“I am really pleased to have cleared all these three national level competitive examinations. But since I want to do research in Theoratical Physics and become a scientist, I have opted for Integrated Ph.D. (I-Ph.D.) programme in Theoretical Physics from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai for which 22 students have been selected. As a Chandigarh University student, I had the opportunity to visit TIFR Mumbai for a Ideathon competition through the IEEE Student Chapter at CU where we got the 1st prize. I saw the research labs and infrastructure there during this visit, so it’s dream come true for me to get an opportunity to study at TIFR. Students receive a monthly fellowship of Rs 25,000 for the first year and the fellowship is enhanced to Rs 37,000 per month (further raised to Rs 42,000 after registration for PhD) at the end of the first year, upon satisfactory performance under TIFR GS,”.
Joined CU’s B Sc (Hons) Physics program in 2023
Son of a government school teacher father and homemaker mother in Nepal, Sarvesh’s academic journey at Chandigarh University began in 2023 when he took admission in B Sc (Hons) Physics program after completing his Class XII education at Budhanilkantha School in Kathmandu.
“When I was exploring options for higher education after Class XII, one of my cousin brothers, who had studied mechanical engineering at Chandigarh University, suggested me to take admission at CU for world-class quality education. Then I did some research about the CU and really liked everything being offered here. As CU also provides scholarships to meritorious students to pursue our academic dreams and goals, it was an easy decision for me to take admission at Chandigarh University. I got 50 % scholarship at CU which made my education very affordable for my parents,” Sarvesh, a resident of Vishnupura village in Nepal’s Lumbini who has three siblings (two sisters and a brother), said.
On his time at Chandigarh University, Sarvesh said, “I have always been a physics student with a deep curiosity about how the universe works — and more importantly, how the ideas behind it evolved. But my vision cleared after coming to Chandigarh University. Professors in our department are very approachable and we can reach out to them for any assistance —whether it’s a doubt, a discussion, or even if you need personal guidance—not just regarding academics. The research labs and libraries are also excellent at Chandigarh University. This fostered an environment where I could focus on my studies and concentrate on my goals. I knew there was always someone there to assist me with whatever came up, the Chandigarh University provided me great environment and support to excel in academics and pursue my dreams.”
“In fact, it’s my teachers here who motivated me to prepare for competitive examinations and provided the right guidance and all help for competitive test preparations. My teacher went extra mile for helping in clearing the all three competitive examinations by arranging even mock interview sessions which led to a significant improvement in my performance. So I had interest in physics, but I needed specific guidance for pursuing research. This is the kind of direction one ideally needs to find their path was somewhat lacking, but this is something I found here at Chandigarh University,” he added.
