Kolkata: The state higher education department is scrapping PhD entrance test conducted by respective universities and made the National Eligibility Test (NET) mandatory for admission to PhD programmes in state and private universities, as well as aided institutions. The department issued an order to this effect on Monday.Higher education department officials said the state govt wants to follow nation-level parameters for PhD admissions to ensure uniformity, transparency, and quality so that students do not face any trouble in the future. Earlier, different universities held separate entrance tests, and, in some cases, individual departments conducted their own exams.“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, CEED, or similar national-level tests, followed by an interview, for admission to PhD programmes,” the notice read.It also instructed universities not to advertise or conduct PhD admission tests, Research Entrance Tests (RET), or any other test related to PhD admissions. Previously, around 20%-30% of candidates gained admission to PhD programmes by clearing the RET or the State Eligibility Test (SET). Following the 2024 UGC regulations, some state universities stopped admitting candidates who did not qualify for NET. Rabindra Bharati University discontinued this practice in 2024, and Calcutta University stopped accepting applicants clearing SET or RET. CU vice-chancellor Asutosh Ghosh said, “We have already stopped PhD admissions for those who do not qualify NET because it had created lot of trouble before.”However, Jadavpur University conducted its PhD admissions under the previous regulations.The order has triggered a debate among stakeholders. Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) issued a statement saying, “For PhD programmes, UGC guidelines must be followed. However, unilaterally imposing this directive on universities is an attempt to infringe upon their autonomy. The question is: what will happen in the case of disciplines where NET or GATE examinations are not available? Many new courses in engineering and technology still do not have provisions for GATE. How will vacancies be filled if there are insufficient NET/GATE applicants in a given discipline? In this scenario, won’t the Supreme Court’s order regarding the reservation policy be compromised? There is no mention of the status of SET-qualified candidates. Will the SET examination be discontinued in the future?”A department official said, “The order is aligned with the UGC regulation and follows NEP 2020. If the aspirants from certain subjects face trouble, then the matter would be placed before the UGC to find a solution.”
