New Delhi: Big news for the candidates planning to do PhD in universities this year. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has brought about a major change in the admission process for research courses (PhD) conducted in universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) across the country. According to the notification issued by the Commission on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, admissions to research programs of universities (PhD Admission 2024) will now be conducted twice a year (June and December) by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Universities will not conduct separate entrance exams
Also, the PhD Admission 2024 notification released by the UGC states that universities and other HEIs will not conduct separate entrance exams for admission. However, these institutions have been given the freedom to conduct interviews at the second level to select candidates for admission. In this sequence, UGC has given 70 and 30 weightage to NET score and interview in the selection process for PhD admission.
UGC NET result will be declared in 3 categories
UGC in its notification to make NET mandatory for PhD admissions has also announced that from the next session i.e. June 2024, UGC NET results will be declared in 3 categories. This category, along with the earlier eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor recruitment, will now also be eligible for PhD admissions. Also, UGC NET result will now be released by NTA on the basis of percentage and marks of the candidates.
type 1 Candidates declared successful in JRF will be eligible to apply for the recruitment of JRF and Assistant Professor.
category 2 Candidates will be eligible to apply for the recruitment of Assistant Professor and Ph.D.
grade 3 Only successful candidates will be eligible to apply for PhD admission.