This decision aims to streamline the admission process and provide students with a single, national-level entrance examination as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
In a significant move, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that starting from the academic year 2024-2025, universities across India can utilize UGC NET scores for admission to PhD programs in lieu of their individual entrance tests.
This decision aims to streamline the admission process and provide students with a single, national-level entrance examination as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “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. NTA is working on launching the NET application process for June 2024 session sometime next week.”
As per the notice issued, the UGC stated that many universities conduct their entrance tests for admission to their PhD programmes which requires the students to write multiple PhD entrance tests. To make it easier and help the students with one national entrance test for PhD admissions as part of implementing NEP 2020, the UGC formed an expert committee to review the provisions of NEP and based on the expert committee’s recommendations, the UGC decided that NET scores can be used instead of entrance tests.
From June 2024 onwards, NET candidates will be declared eligible in three categories:
Category-1 Eligible for (i) admission to Ph.D. with JRF and (ii) appointment as Assistant Professor. Category 2- Eligible for (i) admission to Ph.D. without JRF and (ii) appointment as Assistant Professor Category 3- Eligible for admission to Ph.D. programme only and not for the award of JRF or appointment as Assistant Professor.
UGC also informed that the result of NET will be declared in percentile along with the marks obtained by the candidate which will be used for admission to PhD programmes. The students who qualify in Categories 2 and 3, 70 percent weightage will be given for test scores and 30 percent for interview for admission to PhD. The admission will be based on the combined merit of NET marks and marks secured in interview/viva voce. The marks obtained in NET by the candidates in second and third categories will be valid for one year for PhD admission.