The National Eligibility Test (NET) results will henceforth be used by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in lieu of the National Testing Agency (NTA) entrance exam for PhD admissions.
JNU issued a notice in this regard on March 27, 2024. The notice clearly states that the institute will be opting for NET as part of NEP 2020. This will helps students as there will only be one common entrance exam. Earlier, admissions into PhD courses were taken through entrance exams of the institute.
The notice stated that the National Eligibility Test (NET), administered by UGC and CSIR, can be used by Universities/HEIs for PhD admission in lieu of entrance exams. This was stated in the notice released by JNU on Saturday. The notice cited that the UGC decided to vide its Public Notice dated March 27, 2024, in order to help the students with one national entrance test as part of the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
In compliance with the instruction, JNU chose to substitute the NET score for the NTA entrance exam for admission to PhD programmes beginning in the 2024–2025 academic year.
Admission Criteria
1) JRF qualified (Category 1) only, and NET Score categories (Category 1: JRF qualified candidates, Category 2: A candidate qualified for an assistant professorship but not a JRF, and Category 3: A candidate eligible for a PhD only based on NET score but not a JRF or Assistant Professorship qualified candidate).
2) Admission under the JRF Category will be conducted in accordance with current guidelines, with viva-voce receiving 100% of the weight. On the other hand, applicants may also apply under NET Score categories if they have a valid JRF.
3) For the purpose of applying to PhD programmes, candidates’ results from the UGC and CSIR-conducted NET Examination shall be valid for a year, as determined by UGC. The JRF award letter will specify the JRF’s validity.
4) For PhD programmes where UGC/CSIR does not conduct NET examinations in the designated subjects/disciplines, the University may hold admission exams.
