Patna: Students graduating with a four-year Bachelor’s (Honours) degree with a research component from Bihar’s state universities will now be eligible for direct admission to PhD programmes without completing a Master’s degree, under new regulations approved by the Governor’s Secretariat.
The provision forms part of the Bihar State Universities PhD Ordinance and Regulations, 2026, which have replaced the 2017 PhD regulations. The new rules came into effect on July 4 and will govern doctoral admissions and research across all state universities.
Direct PhD Admission After Four-Year Undergraduate Degree
Under the new regulations, students who secure a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 7.5 or above across six semesters will be eligible to pursue a research component during the fourth year of their Bachelor’s (Honours) programme.
Those completing the research track will be eligible to apply directly for PhD admission without first obtaining a Master’s degree, as the fourth year will include the required doctoral coursework.
Students with a CGPA below 7.5 will receive a standard Bachelor’s (Honours) degree without the research component.
Eligibility Criteria Revised
Students holding a three-year Bachelor’s degree will continue to require either a two-year Master’s degree or a one-year Master’s degree after completing a four-year Bachelor’s (Honours) programme before becoming eligible for PhD admission.
Applicants in the general category must have obtained at least 55% marks, while relaxation for reserved categories will be provided in accordance with the norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Admissions To Be Based On National Eligibility Tests
The regulations provide that admission to PhD programmes will be limited to candidates who have qualified in UGC-NET, UGC-CSIR-NET or GATE.
Selection will be based on 80% weightage for the qualifying examination score and 20% weightage for the interview.
Research And Academic Requirements
The minimum duration of a PhD programme will be three years, while the maximum period will be six years.
Universities may grant an extension of up to two years in special circumstances. Women research scholars and candidates with disabilities of more than 40% will also be eligible for an additional two-year relaxation.
The new regulations require all doctoral scholars to undergo training in teaching, academic writing and research practices. Scholars will also be expected to contribute four to six hours each week through tutorials, laboratory work or research assistance within their universities.
Publication Mandatory Before Thesis Submission
Before submitting their thesis, every research scholar must publish at least one research paper and present a paper at a national or international academic conference.
The regulations also state that a thesis with plagiarism exceeding 10% will be returned for revision before evaluation.
New Rules For Research Supervision And Evaluation
Faculty members with fewer than three years remaining before retirement will not be permitted to register new PhD scholars, although they may continue supervising students already enrolled until their retirement.
Under the new system, each PhD thesis will be evaluated by two external examiners along with the research supervisor. Universities may conduct viva-voce examinations online where necessary, with the objective of completing the evaluation process within six months.
Universities Required To Adopt New Regulations
The ordinance, issued after approval by the Governor and Chancellor and signed by Additional Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar Singh, aligns Bihar’s doctoral education framework with the UGC Regulations, 2022.
All state universities have been directed to adopt the new regulations through their respective statutory bodies before implementing the revised PhD admission process.
