Students holding four-year bachelor’s degrees now have the opportunity to directly pursue a PhD and sit for the National Eligibility Test (NET), as per the announcement by University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Jagadesh Kumar.

To pursue your PhD, whether with or without a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), candidates will need to have secured a minimum of 75% marks or equivalent grades during their undergraduate course spanning four years.

Previously, candidates aiming for the National Eligibility Test (NET) were required to possess a master’s degree with at least 55% marks. This year’s exam will transition from a Computer Based Test to an offline mode, with tests scheduled for all subjects on June 16.

According to Kumar, individuals with four-year undergraduate degrees are now eligible to pursue a PhD and participate in the NET. They are permitted to sit for tests in the subject of their choice for pursuing a PhD, regardless of the discipline in which they obtained their four-year bachelor’s degree.

Kumar emphasized, “Candidates who have completed a four-year or eight-semester bachelor’s degree program must have attained a minimum of 75 percent marks in aggregate or an equivalent grade on a point scale, wherever applicable.”

He further mentioned that a relaxation of five percent marks or equivalent grades may be considered for candidates belonging to SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer), differently-abled, economically weaker sections, and other categories, as determined by the UGC.

The UGC-NET serves as an examination to assess the eligibility of Indian nationals for various purposes, including the award of a Junior Research Fellowship, appointment as an assistant professor, admission to PhD programs, and more in Indian universities and colleges.