UGC’s new guidelines for PhD Admission: 60% seats to be filled via NET/JRF, remaining through Entrance Test

University Grants Commission (UGC) has revamped the rules for PhD admission. The new
rules says inter alia, Sixty percent of the total vacant PhD seat of the academic year shall be
filled through NET/JRF qualified students, and the remaining forty percent through the
university/common entrance test qualified students on the basis of Interviews conducted by
the concerned Institute. For those who have qualified through NET/JRF, the selection will be
based on interview/viva-voce.
The new regulation is definitely putting more weightage to NET/JRF.
The draft of the revised regulations — ‘UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award
of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022’ will be share on the official website of the UGC.
NET/JRF exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). To apply for Assistant
Professors in Universities and Colleges NET/JRF is minimum eligibility qualification.
The PhD entrance test comprises of 70 marks (written test) and remaining 30 marks
(interview).
Qualifying marks in the entrance test will be 50%, provided that a relaxation of 5% of marks
(from 50% to 45%) shall be allowed for the candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC (Non-
creamy layers)/Differently-abled category in the entrance examination conducted by the
Universities. Provided further that, if despite the above relaxation, the seats allotted to
SC/ST/OBC (Non-creamy layers)/Differently-abled categories remain unfilled, the
Universities concerned shall launch a Special Admission Drive, for that particular category
within one month from the date of closure of admissions of General Category. The University
concerned shall devise its own admission procedure, along with eligibility conditions to
ensure that most of the seats under these categories are filled.