In a significant move aimed at streamlining the process of PhD admissions, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared that scores obtained in the National Eligibility Test (NET) will be accepted starting academic session 2024-25. This decision comes as a relief to students who previously had to go through multiple entrance exams conducted by various universities for PhD admissions.
Following recommendations from an expert committee, the university body made this decision in the 578th meeting held on March 13.
The NET, conducted biannually in June and December, serves the dual purpose of awarding Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) and selecting Assistant Professors among master's degree holders.
Under the new directive, from June 2024 onwards, UGC NET qualified candidates will now be eligible for PhD admissions in three categories:
- Admission to PhD with JRF and appointment as assistant Professor.
- Admission to PhD without JRF and appointment as assistant professor.
- Admission to PhD programme only and not for the award of JRF or appointment as assistant professor.
UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said, "From the academic session 2024-2025, all universities can use NET scores for admission to PhD programmes, replacing the need for separate entrance tests conducted by individual universities or Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)".
"NTA is working on launching the NET application process for the June 2024 session sometime next week," he added.
The NET result will be announced in percentile along with the marks obtained by each candidate, facilitating their use for PhD admission.
According to the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022, candidates who qualify for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) undergo an interview for admission into PhD programmes.
For students falling under Categories 2 and 3, PhD admissions will consider 70 per cent weightage for test scores and 30 per cent weightage for the interview. Admission to PhD programmes will be determined by the combined merit of NET marks and interview/viva voce performance.
NET marks obtained by candidates in Categories 2 and 3 will remain valid for one year for PhD admissions.
The JRF-qualified students are admitted into the PhD programme based on an interview as per the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022.
"For students qualifying under Categories 2 and 3, 70 per cent weightage will be assigned to test scores, while 30 per cent will be allocated to the interview for PhD admission. The admission process will be determined by the combined merit of NET marks and interview/viva voce performance. NET marks attained by candidates in Categories 2 and 3 will remain valid for one year for admission to PhD," the university body specified in an official release.