Set up in 1988, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is a scientific society of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, carrying out Research and Development (R&D) in IT, electronics and associated areas. Different thematic areas of C-DAC's research include high performance computing, grid and cloud computing, multilingual computing, professional electronics, software technologies, cyber security, health informatics, ubiquitous computing, and education & training.

As an institution for high-end R&D, C-DAC has been at the forefront of the IT revolution in the country, constantly building capacities in emerging technologies, and innovating and leveraging its expertise, calibre and skill sets to develop and deploy IT products and solutions for diverse sectors. It has resulted in the emergence of a high-quality intellectual resource base at C-DAC in the form of expert teams with specialised knowledge of various facets of advanced computing.

With such a rich resource base at its command, C-DAC set up the Advanced Computing Training School (ACTS) in 1993 to meet the ever-increasing skilled manpower requirements of the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) industry as well as supplement its intellectual resource base for cutting-edge research and development. Over the years C-DAC has designed and delivered various postgraduate and undergraduate degree and diploma programmes. In addition, C-DAC imparts ICT training to state and national governments and agencies, strategic sectors, corporate and industries, foreign countries and international students, based on specific requirements.

Presently C-DAC is offering postgraduate diploma courses through its training centres located in cities such as Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Silchar, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Karad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, Patna, Pune, and Thiruvananthapuram. Each year, thousands of students and professionals are trained at these centres, enhancing their knowledge-base and equipping them with the latest methodologies in advanced computing so as to make their mark in the ICT industry. So far more than 3 lakh students have passed out from C-DAC. Many of them are successful employees of multi-national and premier Indian ICT companies today, and many more have become booming entrepreneurs.

C-DAC has made strong presence globally by providing visibility and brand name for India through establishing state-of-the-art IT Training Centres and projects in many developing countries like Ghana, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Myanmar, Tanzania, Belarus, Armenia, Lesotho, Seychelles, Syria, Grenada, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Ecuador, Palestine, Egypt, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Panama, Commonwealth of Dominica, Morocco, Guyana, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Cook Islands, Namibia, Sao Tome & Principe and Jordan, in close association with Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Electronics & IT, Government of India.

C-DAC has been awarded as the 'Most Popular Training Institute in India' at the Electronics For You Awards.

C-DAC received ‘Manthan 2019 Award’ for outstanding contribution in the Skill Ecosystem - Training Category by the Telecom Sector Skill Council.

C-DAC's Post Gradate Diploma courses are full-time courses of 6-month duration. The list of PG Diploma courses along with their eligibility criteria and fees is given in Table 1. Details of these courses are given in Section 17 of this Admission Booklet.

For the initial two months, all PG Diploma classes of March 2021 batch will be held in online mode. Students are required to have laptops/PCs with high-speed uninterrupted internet connection, webcam and microphone to effectively participate in the course from their homes or personal places. It is not advisable to join the online classes from mobile phones. After the first two months, depending on the pandemic situation, the PG Diploma classes will be continued in physical mode at the respective training centres. All C-DAC training centres will adhere to the safety precautions issued by the government.

In addition to the common eligibility criteria given above, candidates with the course-specific qualifications mentioned in Table 1 are ALSO ELIGIBLE for the particular courses. Minimum percentage of marks required in the qualifying examination is also stated in Table 1. The minimum percentage of marks will be considered as per the norms of the university from where the candidate has graduated.

Laptop/PC configuration, and hardware, software and network specifications required for the online classes are given in Section 18 of this Admission Booklet.

There is no age restriction for admission to C-DAC’s PG Diploma courses. Candidates who have appeared for the final examination of their qualifying degree in 2020 will also be considered for admission to the above courses. By qualifying in C-DAC's admission tests of January 2021, such university result-awaiting candidates can apply for provisional admission in March 2021 batch, subject to the condition that:

(a)   All parts of their qualifying degree examination shall be completed by the date of joining the course, and

(b)   Proof of having passed the qualifying degree with at least the required minimum marks shall be submitted at C-DAC by 30 June 2021.

• Well established courses with excellent placement records.

• 6-month full-time courses with 900 hours' theory + lab + project.

• 6-8 hours per day theory + lab sessions on 6 days a week in most centres.

• Continuous lab and internal assessments during the course.

• Centralised mid-course and course-end theory exams across all centres.

• Courses designed and developed in consultation with the domain experts in C-DAC, academia and ICT industry.

• Syllabus regularly updated with the latest trends in the ICT industry.

• Expert faculty from C-DAC and ICT industry with widespread domain knowledge.

• Tutorials, hands-on and projects relevant to the standards of the ICT industry.

• Well equipped computer labs with internet that can be accessed most of the time.

• Special training on aptitude, effective communication and interview skills.

• Extensive placement orientation and region-wise common campus placements.

• Excellent participation from top ICT companies in campus placements.

Across India, C-DAC is offering postgraduate diploma courses through its training centres located in cities such as Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Karad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, Patna, Pune, Silchar, and Thiruvananthapuram. The address and contact details of these training centres can be found at http://cdac.in/index.aspx?id=cdaccenters and also in Section 19 of this Admission Booklet. Candidates are advised to visit the training centres of their preference and see the facilities offered before opting for courses at these centres. Table 4 shows the courses offered and the seat capacity at various training centres of C-DAC in the March 2021 batch.

Table 4: PG Diploma seat capacity at C-DAC’s training centres.