Patna: Lok Bhavan has issued a major directive restructuring the PhD admission process across universities in Bihar, mandating that admissions to doctoral programmes be based exclusively on UGC-NET scores and prohibiting the conduct of university-level PhD Admission Tests (PAT).
The order, issued on Tuesday by Deepak Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor, has been communicated to all universities in the state and applies to the 2024 and 2025 academic sessions.
Under the directive, universities will no longer be permitted to conduct their own entrance examinations for PhD admissions and must instead rely on scores obtained in the University Grants Commission’s National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET).
Decision Based On UGC Guidelines
According to a letter issued by Lok Bhavan, the decision has been taken in accordance with directives issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on March 28, 2024, and subsequent orders of the Chancellor.
The move is aimed at standardising doctoral admissions across universities and bringing admission procedures in line with national regulations governing higher education and research programmes.
Universities have been instructed to ensure that future PhD enrolments are carried out solely on the basis of national-level UGC-NET scores.
Existing Admissions To Continue Unaffected
The directive clarifies that universities which have already completed PhD admissions for the 2024 or 2025 academic sessions through PAT examinations will not be affected by the order.
Students who have already secured admission through those processes will continue their academic programmes as scheduled.
However, institutions that have issued notifications or advertisements for PAT examinations but have not yet conducted the tests have been directed to withdraw them immediately.
Ongoing Admission Processes Must Be Revised
Universities that are currently in the process of conducting admissions have been instructed to cancel PAT-based procedures and revise their admission criteria.
According to the order, institutions must either refund application fees collected from candidates or modify the admission process to adopt UGC-NET scores as the basis for eligibility and selection.
All universities have been directed to submit compliance reports to Lok Bhavan at the earliest.
Warning Against Non-Compliance
Lok Bhavan has warned that strict action will be taken against any university found violating the new guidelines.
Officials said the decision is intended to establish a uniform, transparent and merit-based framework for doctoral admissions while ensuring compliance with national academic standards.
The move is expected to affect thousands of PhD aspirants across Bihar and marks a significant shift in the state’s higher education admission system, ending the long-standing practice of universities conducting their own entrance examinations for research programmes.
