DRDO Internship 2026: DGRE Chandigarh Takes Final-Year BTech and PG Students for Six Months

DRDO's Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) in Chandigarh is taking final-year BTech and second-year MSc or MTech students for a six-month paid internship that starts on 1 January 2027. This DRDO internship has six seats across three branches. It pays Rs 5,000 a month and is open to Indian students with at least 75% marks or a 7.5 CGPA. Your application, along with a request letter from your college, has to reach DGRE by Speed Post by 6 December 2026.

If you're tracking other defence lab openings, our guide to DRDO internships collects them in one place, and the government internships hub has more public-sector options. Postgraduates thinking about a longer research stint can also read how DRDO JRF walk-ins work, or browse all opportunities on Talentd.

DGRE internship seats and branches

The six seats are split between an undergraduate and a postgraduate category. Every seat carries the same stipend and duration, and all interns work at DGRE, Plot No. 1, Sector 37-A, Chandigarh.

Keep your branch code handy, because it goes on the envelope. In both categories, the internship must count as part of your degree course. Branches outside these three are not covered by this advertisement.

DRDO DGRE internship eligibility

• You must be an Indian citizen.
• You must be pursuing a full-time graduate or postgraduate course in engineering or science in the respective discipline from a recognised Indian university or institute.
• UG applicants must be in the final year of BTech. PG applicants must be in the second year of MSc or MTech.
• The internship must be a part of your degree course.
• You need 75% and above marks (or 7.5 CGPA or more) from an AICTE/UGC approved college or university.
• You must be below 28 years of age.
• Your Principal, HOD or TPO must send a request letter recommending you.

That last condition is the one to sort out first. DGRE wants colleges to recommend only their most deserving students, so talk to your department now rather than chasing a signature in the first week of December.

Stipend, attendance and certificate rules

The stipend is Rs 5,000 a month, and it comes with conditions. You're paid only if you are at the lab for at least 15 working days in a month. The money arrives in two instalments, the first after three months and the second after you complete all six, directly into your bank account.

DGRE gives no boarding, lodging, transport or medical allowance. Students from outside Chandigarh will have to cover rent and food themselves, and the first stipend payment only comes after three months, so plan your finances before you accept.

You'll submit a progress report at the three-month mark and a project report at the end. The completion certificate is issued once your project work is evaluated and the report is submitted. If you leave midway, you get no certificate and no stipend. Leave is limited to sick leave backed by a valid prescription, and DGRE has no obligation to offer you a job after the internship.

Selection process and important dates

DGRE shortlists on merit using your CGPA or percentage across all previous semesters or years. Shortlisted students may have an online or telephonic interview, and every offer depends on document verification. If two candidates tie, marks from the lower examination are used as the tie-breaker.

Only selected students are contacted, by email to the address on the application form. Rejected applicants hear nothing, so keep checking your inbox through December. Applications that are incomplete, contain errors or arrive late are rejected, and any canvassing on a candidate's behalf leads to cancellation.

Documents to carry when you join DGRE

If you're selected, you'll need these on joining day. The NOC and Aadhaar card must be originals.

• Bonafide certificate from your college
• Original NOC on college letterhead stating you will be relieved for the internship at DGRE
• Police verification from your hometown or place of residence
• Undertaking to follow the Indian Official Secrets Act, 1923
• Undertaking to follow Ministry of Defence IT rules and regulations
• Bank details for the stipend transfer
• Original Aadhaar card and college ID card
• Three passport-size photographs
• Original mark sheets for all previous BTech, MTech or MSc semesters, or a college letter confirming it holds your originals

Originals are returned right after verification. At joining you'll also sign an undertaking on secrecy and non-publication of DGRE or DRDO data, and confirm that no other internship is paying you. Start the police verification as soon as the selection email arrives, since you can't join without it.

How to apply for the DRDO DGRE internship

1. Read the official DGRE notice on the DRDO website and note your branch code: CSE, CIE or RS.
2. Download Application Form. It sits at the end of the advertisement PDF. Fill in your name, date of birth, father's name, Aadhaar number, college details, discipline, branch code, degree and semester, average CGPA or percentage, any awards or memberships, addresses, phone numbers and email. Paste a recent passport-size photo and sign it.
3. Get the college request letter ready. The same PDF has the format: Download Request Letter Format. It must be printed on college letterhead and signed by the Principal, HOD or TPO with the office seal. It asks for your details, a faculty coordinator's details, and college details such as the AICTE Permanent ID, DTE code and affiliation. In it, the college confirms it has no objection to you being at DGRE for at least 15 working days a month and assures that you'll complete the full six months.
4. Attach the enclosures from the checklist: the reference letter, mark sheets showing your CGPA or percentage for all previous semesters or years, a copy of your Aadhaar card and a copy of your college ID card.
5. On top of the envelope, write "Application for Paid Internship: Starting 1st January 2027" and "Branch Code" followed by your code.
6. Send it by Speed Post to The Director, Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), Defence R&D Organisation, Sector-37A, Chandigarh 160036, marked for the attention of the HRD Division. It has to reach DGRE by 6 December 2026, so post it with several days to spare.

For queries, the notice lists director.dgre@gov.in and 0172-2699804. Selected students get joining instructions by email in the last week of December 2026.