Bihar universities will now admit students to PhD programmes solely through UGC-NET scores, following a directive from the Chancellor’s Secretariat that replaces university-level PhD Admission Tests (PAT) for the 2024 and 2025 academic sessions.
The directive, issued in pursuance of a University Grants Commission (UGC) communication dated March 28, 2024, states that no university in the state shall advertise or conduct PAT examinations for the ongoing admission cycles. Instead, institutions have been instructed to mandatorily use UGC-NET scores as the basis for admission to PhD programmes.
According to the order, the decision has been taken in light of directions issued by the Chancellor, who is also the Governor of Bihar.
The notice clarifies that universities which have already completed admissions to PhD programmes through PAT for the 2024 or 2025 academic sessions will be allowed to continue running those programmes. The admissions already granted will not be disturbed.
However, institutions that have issued advertisements for PAT-based admissions but have not yet conducted the examination have been directed to immediately withdraw such notifications. Universities that are in the process of initiating PhD admissions through PAT have also been instructed to halt the process.
The order further states that universities must either refund the application fees collected from candidates for PAT or suitably amend the admission process to ensure that UGC-NET scores are used as the eligibility and selection criterion in place of university-level entrance examinations.
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The Chancellor’s Secretariat has asked all universities to ensure strict compliance with the directive and submit a compliance report at the earliest.
The move is expected to bring greater uniformity in PhD admissions across Bihar’s higher education institutions and align the state’s admission procedures with the UGC’s revised framework, which allows the use of UGC-NET scores for doctoral admissions.
The notice also warns that any non-compliance with the directions will be viewed seriously by the authorities.