Hyderabad: Osmania University, one of the oldest universities in India, has announced that it will no longer conduct entrance tests for PhD admissions. Moving forward, students aspiring to pursue PhD programmes at the university will need to qualify through the University Grants Commission (UGC) – National Eligibility Test (NET).
The decision comes in response to a directive from the UGC, which has instructed universities to use NET scores for PhD admissions instead of conducting separate entrance exams.
Prof. P Laxminarayana, Registrar of Osmania University, confirmed the change, stating, “As per the instructions from the UGC, PhD admissions will now be based solely on NET scores, and the university will not conduct PhD entrance tests. We have already begun PhD admissions under category – I JRF.”
Starting June 2024, the UGC will declare NET eligibility in three categories:
- Category I: Candidates eligible for PhD admission with Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and appointment as an assistant professor.
- Category II: Candidates eligible for PhD admission without JRF and for appointment as an assistant professor.
- Category III: Candidates eligible only for PhD admission without JRF and the assistant professor position.
Previously, Osmania University admitted students into PhD programmes under three categories: Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), NET/SET qualified, and PhD entrance test. The university’s PhD entrance tests have faced criticism in the past, with students demanding the qualifying mark be reduced to as low as 15 for admission.
