Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday said that the scores of National Eligibility Test (NET) can be used by students for admission to PhD programmes in place of entrance tests conducted by the different universities/HEIs.
In a public notice, UGC secretary Prof Manish R Joshi said, “Many universities conduct their entrance tests for admission to their PhD programmes requiring the students to write multiple PhD entrance exams. To help students with one national entrance test for PhD admissions as a part of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, an expert committee was constituted to review the provisions of the NET.”
“Based on the recommendations of the committee in a meeting held on March 13, it was decided that from the academic year 2024-2025, the NET score could be used by students to seek admission to PhD programmes in place of entrance tests conducted by the different universities/HEIs,” the public notice reads.
NET scores will be declared in percentile along with the candidate's marks to utilise the marks for admission to PhD, informed the public notice.
UGC also informed that for candidates who qualify in categories 2 and 3 70% weightage will be given for test scores and 30% weightage for the interview for admission to PhD programmes.
The admission will be based on the combined merit of NET marks and the marks obtained in the interview/viva voce. The marks obtained in the NET by the candidates in Categories 2 and 3 will be valid for a period of one year for admission to PhD.
The JRF-qualified students are admitted into the PhD programme based on an interview as per the UGC Regulations 2022.
Three categories
From June 2024 onwards, therefore, the NET candidates will be declared eligible in three categories:
Eligible for (i) admission to PhD with JRF and (ii) appointment as assistant professor
Eligible for (i) admission to PhD without JRF and (ii) appointment as assistant professor
Eligible for admission to PhD programme only and not for the award of JRF or appointment as assistant professor
