The University of Delhi (DU) has released the entrance test pattern and syllabus for candidates seeking direct admission to PhD programmes after completing a four-year undergraduate (UG) course with research or entrepreneurship. The notification, issued on October 14, outlines the eligibility requirements, examination structure, qualifying marks and selection process for applicants.Candidates who have completed a four-year or eight-semester UG programme under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022, with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 7.5, are eligible to apply. For candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories, the minimum requirement is 7 CGPA.Applicants must also have completed a dissertation, academic project or entrepreneurship work during the fourth year of their undergraduate programme.
DU PhD entrance test pattern and marking scheme
According to the university’s notification, the PhD entrance test will be conducted for two hours and carry 100 marks. The examination will have two sections: Research Methodology and a subject-specific section.The Research Methodology section will carry 50 marks and consist of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The remaining 50 marks will be allotted to the subject-specific section, which will include descriptive questions related to the candidate’s research or entrepreneurship work.The university has also specified negative marking for the MCQ section. Candidates will lose 25% of the marks assigned to a question for every incorrect answer.
DU PhD admission 2026 selection process
Candidates must score at least 50% in the entrance test to qualify for the interview. The minimum qualifying mark for SC, ST and PwBD candidates is 45%.Shortlisted candidates will have to submit the dissertation, academic project report or entrepreneurship report used for their fourth-year assessment before the interview.The final merit list will be prepared by giving 70% weightage to entrance test marks and 30% to interview performance.
DU PhD entrance test syllabus
DU has released the common Research Methodology syllabus for PhD entrance tests across various subjects. Candidates can access the syllabus through the university’s official admission portal at admission.uod.ac.in.The university will announce the entrance test dates and other examination-related details in due course.
DU PhD admission 2026: Application deadline extended
Candidates who have already qualified examinations such as the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test (CSIR NET), Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED) or an equivalent national-level test are not eligible to appear for this entrance test.Such candidates are required to apply for PhD admission through the university’s admission portal using their qualifying examination scores.DU has extended the deadline for submitting applications for PhD admission to October 20. Eligible candidates can visit the official portal to complete the application process.