PhD Entrance Tests Cancelled After Allegations of Irregularities in University-Level Exams
Subhankar Chowdhury | 05 August 2026 | The Telegraph
The higher education department has directed universities to discontinue research entrance tests for PhD admissions following allegations of irregularities in the university-level examinations by RSS-affiliated teachers’ and students’ organisations.
The department has directed all universities — state-aided and private — to admit students to PhD programmes solely on their scores in the UGC-NET, UGC-CSIR NET, GATE and other national-level examinations, followed by an interview.
“In order to streamline the process and align with national standards, you are requested to utilise the scores of UGC-NET/UGC-CSIR NET/GATE and similar national-level tests, followed by an interview, for admission of students to the PhD programme,” an order issued by the higher education department on August 3 stated.
“Accordingly, you are hereby requested not to conduct PhD Admission Test (PAT)/Research Entrance Test (RET)/Research Eligibility Test (RET), etc., for the upcoming academic session,” the order stated.