I have qualified GATE. What are the career and higher education scopes abroad?

Courses
1

I have cleared GATE 2025 (Physics) with a low rank and qualified CSIR NET LS. My goal is a PhD with financial security.

  1. Is doing an M.Tech from an IIT first a good strategy to strengthen my profile for a PhD abroad?
  2. Or is pursuing a PhD in India directly with my current scores a better option?
  3. What is the financial assistance (stipends, living wages) like for PhD programs in countries like the USA, Germany, and Canada? Funding is critical for me.

Any suggestion would be helpful.

2

Congratulations on clearing both! That’s huge.
Speaking from experience (my cousin went through this), an M.Tech from a top IIT can be a game-changer for a PhD abroad. It gives you time to:

  • Improve your research profile.

  • Get strong LoRs from IIT professors.

  • Maybe even publish a paper.
    A direct PhD in India is great, but if your goal is ultimately to go abroad, the IIT route builds a much more robust application. Just my two cents!

3

hey @laromet Honestly, since you’ve already cleared GATE and CSIR NET LS, you’ve got a solid foundation. If your main goal is a PhD abroad with funding, doing an M.Tech from an IIT could definitely help—mainly because it strengthens your research profile, gives you access to good recommenders, and maybe even a publication or two. But it also costs 2 years, so if you’re already confident about your profile and can get into a PhD program in India, that’s not a bad option either, especially as a backup. In terms of money, PhD stipends in the US usually cover tuition + living (though it varies by state, ~$2k–$3k/month), Germany is great because PhDs are often salaried positions (so you get a decent living wage), and Canada is funded but usually a bit tighter compared to the US. If funding is critical, US and Germany are the best bets.

4

@laromet If your long-term goal is a fully funded PhD abroad, doing an M.Tech at an IIT first is a smart move since it gives you research exposure, strong recommendations, and publications that boost admission chances. With your current GATE/CSIR NET scores, you could also start a PhD in India (CSIR JRF provides about ₹37k/month), but it may limit international options later unless you build research output. Abroad, US PhDs usually come with full tuition waivers and stipends of $25k–$45k/year, Germany pays PhD students as employees with take-home around €1.8k–€3k/month, and Canada guarantees about CAD 24k–28k/year. Overall, if funding and global mobility are priorities, an IIT M.Tech followed by a PhD abroad is generally the stronger strategy.