New guidelines have been issued by UGC for PhD Admission. It is necessary for the students to have knowledge about the process to be followed for taking admission in PhD. Apart from this, some other rules and instructions have been fixed. 1-year/2-semester master’s degree program (after 4 years bachelor’s degree) with those having four-year bachelor’s degree with a minimum CGPA of 7.5 under the New Education Policy (NEP) CURRENT_YEAR University Grants Commission (UGC) At least 55% marks in aggregate will be eligible for admission to PhD programs as per the revised norms proposed by
PhD Course Douration
Universities and colleges under NEP-CURRENT_YEAR will now offer 4-year undergraduate degrees with multiple exit and admission options. Other eligibility criteria are 2-year / 4-semester master’s degree program or 4-year / 8-semester bachelor’s degree. Candidate seeking admission must have a minimum CGPA of 7.5/10 with research.
PhD Entrance Exam
The syllabus of the entrance test will have questions that test research/analytical/comprehension/quantitative aptitude. The entrance test will be conducted at the center(s) notified in advance by the exam conducting organization. The qualifying marks in the entrance test will be 50% provided a relaxation of 5% marks (from 50% to 45%) will be given for candidates belonging to SC/ ST/ OBC/ Differently abled.
The University/College will maintain the list of all registered PhD Scholars on their website on year-wise basis. The list will contain the name of the registered candidate, the subject of their research, the name of their supervisor/co-supervisor, date of enrollment/registration.
PhD Relaxation and Equivalent
Candidates who have cleared M.Phil (Master of Philosophy) course with at least 55% marks in aggregate or persons whose M.Phil dissertation has been evaluated and provisional even before oral or final defense It has been recommended for award of degree. them Admission can be given to PhD program in any institute. UGC proposes a relaxation of 55% to 50% marks or SC/ ST/ OBC/ Differently abled, Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and other categories of candidates as decided by the Commission from time to time. Relaxation equivalent to grade may be allowed for
Earlier, UGC President Jagdish Kumar said that the four-year undergraduate program is beneficial for the students in many ways. Those who are interested in research can either do multidisciplinary research or focus on a single topic in their final year. Those who perform well in the 4-year undergraduate program will be eligible to join the PhD program. I am sure this will enhance the research ecosystem in our country.
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Program Duration
The PhD program will be for a minimum duration of two years and a maximum of six years, excluding course work. Extension beyond the above limits shall be governed by the relevant sections prescribed in the statute/Ordinance of the individual entity concerned, but not exceeding two years.
Women candidates and “Persons with Disabilities” (disability more than 40%) may be given a relaxation of two years in the maximum duration for Ph.D. In addition, female candidates may be granted Maternity Leave/Child Care Leave for up to 240 days once in the entire duration of Ph.D.
For exchange students, a leave of absence may be granted from the second year onwards, provided they make a significant contribution to the completion of the thesis.
Research Advisory Committee
There shall be a Research Advisory Committee or equivalent body for each PhD student for the same purpose as defined in the statutes/Ordinances of the respective Institute. The research supervisor of the scholar will be the convener of this committee. Its purpose is to review the research proposal and finalize the research topic.
Also Read: How to write a thesis | What is Research | Admission Notification
Admission Process
All universities will admit PhD scholars through National Eligibility Test (NET) or National Entrance Test or entrance test conducted at the level of individual universities. Admission will be based on the norms notified by the Institute keeping in view the guidelines/norms issued by the UGC and other concerned statutory bodies and taking into account the reservation policy of the Central/State Governments from time to time.
All universities will admit PhD scholars through National Eligibility Test (NET) or National Entrance Test or entrance test conducted at the level of individual universities. Admission will be based on the norms notified by the Institute keeping in view the guidelines/norms issued by the UGC and other concerned statutory bodies and taking into account the reservation policy of the Central/State Governments from time to time.
Also Read: PhD in India, Full Form, Entrance, Admissions & Courses Details