UGC NET scores to be used for PhD admissions from 2024-25 session: Jagadesh Kumar

UGC Chief, M Jagadesh Kumar, also announced that the registration process for UGC NET June 2024 is expected to begin next week.

BITS Hyderabad campus starts PhD admissions for Physics; last date Nov 18

Candidates who have cleared ME, MTech, MPhil, NET, and GATE will be exempted from the entrance exam. (Representative image)

The University Grants Commission (UGC) Wednesday announced that the National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) scores can now be used for PhD admissions, starting from the academic session 2024-25.

“Many universities conduct their entrance tests for admission to their PhD programmes, requiring the students to write multiple PhD entrance tests. To help the students with one national entrance test for PhD admissions as a part of implementing the National Education Policy 2020, the UGC constituted an expert committee to review the provisions of the National Eligibility Test (NET).

“Based on the expert committee’s recommendations, in its 578th Meeting held on 13 March 2024, the UGC has decided that from the academic session 2024-25, the NET score can be used for admission to PhD programmes in place of entrance tests conducted by the different universities/HEIs,” the official notice shared by the UGC Chief, M Jagadesh Kumar, stated.

From the academic session 2024-2025, all universities can use NET score for admission to PhD programmes in place of entrance tests conducted by the different universities/HEIs. NTA is working on launching the NET application process for June 2024 session sometime next week. pic.twitter.com/IVzKgu56gB

— Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (@mamidala90) March 27, 2024

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This change will be brought in from the 2024-25 academic session, and candidates will be deemed eligible in three categories:

— Category 1: Eligible for (i) admission to PhD with JRF and (ii) appointment as Assistant Professor.

— Category 2: Eligible for (i) admission to PhD without JRF and (ii) appointment as Assistant Professor.

— Category 3: Eligible for admission to PhD programme only and not for the award of JRF or appointment as Assistant Professor.

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As per the official notice, the result of UGC NET will be declared in percentile along with the marks obtained by a candidate to utilise the marks for admission to PhD.

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 who qualify in Categories 2 and 3, 70 per cent weightage will be given for test scores and 30 per cent weightage for the interview for admission to PhD programmes. The PhD 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.

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UGC Chief, M Jagadesh Kumar, also announced that the registration process for UGC NET June 2024 is expected to begin next week.