New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has changed the eligibility criteria for pursuing a PhD in India. According to UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar, students who have a four-year undergraduate degree can now directly pursue a PhD of their liking. They can take the National Eligibility Test (NET), with the requirement of a master’s degree with a minimum of 55% marks.
The new rules state that candidates aiming for a PhD, with or without a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), need at least 75% marks in their four-year undergraduate program. This aims to make it easier for undergraduates to move into doctoral studies.
“The candidates with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly pursue PhD and appear for NET. Such candidates are allowed to appear in a subject in which they want to pursue a PhD irrespective of the discipline in which they have obtained the four-year bachelor’s degree,” Chairman Kumar told media houses.
The UGC has also made provisions to allow a five percent mark relaxation for candidates like SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer), differently-abled individuals, and economically weaker sections.
