According to the guidelines, for enrolling into the PhD programmes, a candidate must have been awarded a research fellowship in the subject concerned by national organisations such as University Grants Commission, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Biotechnology etc., or should be a teacher fellowship applicant. 

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The admissions will also be given if a candidate is qualified in the UGC-NET/CSIR-NET/SET-TS/AP/JEST/GATE/GPAT examination or obtained MPhil degree through regular mode. Since conducting and fixing the cut-off marks for the PhD Eligibility Test had become troublesome for varsities, the expert committee had recommended the government to do away with it.

“Every year, a large number of candidates are cracking JRF, NET and SET. So, there is no need to have a PhD eligibility test of the varsity,” a senior professor at Osmania University said.
These new guidelines will now reduce the pressure exerted on the varsity administration, deans and professors for a seat by the candidates who qualified in the test. This apart, it will bring in more transparency and eligible, genuine applicants will get admission. According to the UGC’s categorisation of varsities guidelines, universities listed in category-I and II have been granted permission to hold the PhD eligibility test. The universities under category-III will have to make PhD admissions only through the national fellowship or NET/SET.

Only three universities, including Osmania University, Kakatiya University and Telangana University from the State, fall under I, II and III categories respectively.

“Now all the universities will follow new guidelines issued by the TSCHE. This will bring down pressure on the faculty members and also the administration when the admission list is announced,” an OU official said.