This marks an important step in streamlining the admission process and enhancing accessibility for aspiring doctoral candidates.
Students with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly appear for NET and pursue PhD, according to University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Jagadesh Kumar.
To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
To pursue a PhD with or without a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), the candidates will require a minimum of 75 percent marks or equivalent grades in their four-year undergraduate course.
ALSO CHECK: Custom Official Nabbed for Smuggling
So far, a candidate for the National Eligibility Test (NET) needed a master’s degree with a minimum of 55 percent marks. The application process for the exam began on Saturday and will end on May 10.
The exam this year will be conducted in offline mode instead of a Computer-Based Test. Tests for all subjects will be conducted on June 16.
UGC-NET is an exam to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for the “award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as assistant professor”, “appointment as assistant professor and admission to PhD” and “admission to PhD only” in Indian universities and colleges.
The NET is conducted twice a year — June and December. Its scores are currently used to award Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and as eligibility for appointment as an assistant professor for those with a Master’s degree.
Kumar said, “The candidates with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly pursue PhD and appear for NET. Such candidates are allowed to appear (for tests) 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.”
“Candidates having passed a four-year or eight-semester bachelor’s degree programme should have a minimum of 75 percent marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed,” the UGC chairman said.
A relaxation of five percent marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer), differently-abled, economically weaker sections and other categories of candidates.
Earlier this year, the UGC announced that the NET scores will be used for PhD admissions from 2024-25 to eliminate the need for separate entrance tests.
