Admission Criteria for PhD Program to include an entrance test apart from NET/JRF

 

University Grants Commission has proposed to make a change in existing PhD Admission Criteria as per National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. As per the revised rules for admission to PhD Program, 60% of the total seats for PhDs was filled by National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) or Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) Qualified students and the remaining 40% will be filled through the entrance test conducted by universities/colleges. Currently, candidates who qualify for NET or JRF are to enrol for a PhD Program on the basis of personal interviews.

UGC officials said the idea is to “reorient” PhD programmes across the country. As per the revised regulation, those who have qualified through NET/JRF, the selection will be based on interview/viva-voce and the candidates who will pass the entrance test, the selection shall be evaluated in the ratio 70 (written test) to 30 (interview). 

The UGC has also proposed a new norm that candidates having four-year undergraduate degrees with research with a minimum CGPA of 7.5 will be eligible for admission to PhD program.

Under the NEP 2020, universities and colleges will now offer 4-year undergraduate degrees with multiple exit and entry options. After completing a four-year degree program, the students will receive honours with a research undergraduate degree.

According to UGC chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar, the draft of the revised regulations (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Ph.D. Degree) 2022 has been approved in a commission meeting held on 10 March, 2022. Soon the rules will be put on the official website for public feedback. The commission will finalise the regulations based on the public feedback and then send it to the Education Ministry for approval.

 

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