PhD admission in Delhi

Which Delhi universities admit PhD scholars on NET scores alone?

Only DU, JNU and AUD work this way. The table has all nine institutions in the city which run a regular PhD call.

Cite this data: PhD Desk, “PhD admission in Delhi”, last reviewed 1 November 2026, https://phddesk.in/guides/phd-admission-in-delhi

For Delhi University and for JNU we have kept separate guides. Each one covers the full admission process from that university’s regulations and its latest notification.

Look at the third column carefully. At DU, JNU and AUD your NET score itself acts as the test, and it is 70% of your total mark. At Jamia, DTU and Jamia Hamdard the NET only exempts you from writing the paper. GGSIPU does both things, depending on which NET category you have. On the NSUT website we could not find any current PhD brochure. If NSUT is in your plan, please check nsut.ac.in on your own.

How does Delhi University’s two-phase NET admission work?

The revised Ordinance VI of August 2026 has now made this part of the rules itself. As per Clause B.1 the process has two stages, a national test first and then an interview. Clause B.2 allows two rounds in a year, timed as per the NET results. The 2025–26 Bulletin of Information shows how it runs in practice. Annexure III of that bulletin is a Registrar’s notification dated 19 August 2025, and it lays down three rules.

• Seats are split 60:40. In Phase I each department puts 60% of its seats on offer. The balance 40% comes in Phase II, along with whatever seats stayed empty after Phase I.
• JRF holders come first. JRF qualifiers (Block A) are given seats ahead of Block B, that is candidates whose qualification is for Assistant Professor or PhD admission only.
• Block B scores last one year. For Phase I of 2025–26, NET results of December 2024 and June 2025 were taken. By Phase II the window had shifted to June and December 2025.

Every department is also putting extra conditions, and scholars mostly underestimate them. The English department wanted a proposal of 1,500 to 2,000 words at the time of registration, and applicants without one were not called. Sociology even warned that proposals mostly written with AI tools will be disqualified. All interviews happen in person at the department only, and no travel allowance is paid.

There are two smaller routes also. DU’s own teachers and staff go directly to the interview on supernumerary seats, and the 2026 Ordinance limits these to 10% of a department’s seats. Then for 2026–27, DU had a separate call for its own four-year undergraduate students, open from 27 August to 16 September 2026. It needed a CGPA of 7.5 (7.0 for reserved categories). These students write a department test in place of NET. Clause B.6(iii) wants a Scopus-indexed paper from them as well. The public notice is silent on this point, so better discuss about it with your department first. For the thesis rules, see our Delhi University thesis format guide.

What do JNU and Ambedkar University ask for in 2026–27?

Out of all of them, JNU has the strictest rule. The 2026–27 e-prospectus says it very plainly. Even with the correct master’s degree, you are not eligible if NET, JRF or GATE in the relevant subject is missing. There are three categories under which JNU takes scholars.

• NET category (all three NET categories): Your NET percentile counts for 70% and the viva for 30%. Only results from June 2025 onwards are accepted.
• JRF category: JRF holders of UGC, CSIR, ICMR, DBT or NBHM fill a separate form, and the viva alone decides selection. A lectureship-only NET will not qualify here. DST INSPIRE does not qualify either, and the same goes for fellowships like NFSC or NFOBC given on a lectureship.
• GATE: open only for the computer science, electronics and mechanical PhDs in the School of Engineering.

You can give up to three fields in your order of preference. Once you get selected in a higher preference, your claim on the lower ones is gone. A JRF holder is allowed to apply in both the JRF and NET categories, and it is wise to do both.

Ambedkar University Delhi comes under the Government of NCT of Delhi. It has campuses at Kashmere Gate, Lodhi Road, Karampura and the Qutub Institutional Area. Its 2026 PhD bulletin showed 187 seats in 12 schools, from 27 seats in vocational education down to just 2 each in sociology and performance studies. Along with the form you have to send research proposal and a statement of purpose. At the interview you present that same proposal. Merit is 70% NET/JRF or equivalent score plus 30% interview. Part-time applicants must give an NOC from the employer. The form was open from June till an extended deadline of 31 July 2026. First-semester fee is ₹28,600 (₹51,000 in management). The university has also noted that its PhD fee waiver scheme ended from 2026–27.

Which Delhi universities still hold their own PhD entrance test?

There are four. Without NET, these four are mostly what Delhi offers you.

Jamia Millia Islamia. Its 2026–27 notification carries the date 7 May 2026. The form window was 11 May to 8 June, and the test happened on 20 and 21 June. Interviews started on 27 July and coursework on 11 August. The application fee was ₹2,000. As per its Ph.D. Ordinance 9 (IX) there are two papers. The first has 100 methodology questions in two hours. The second is a three-hour subject paper, half objective and half written answers. Clearing the test at 50% aggregate only makes you qualified, and after that you must get 40% in the interview. NET, JRF and GATE holders in a relevant area are exempt, and QIP teacher-fellows also.

GGSIPU. As per its 2026–27 brochure, the PET is held under 22 test codes, covering subjects from IT and law to history. That year there was no intake in sociology. The paper has 100 four-mark questions in two hours, half on methodology and half on the subject. No marks are cut for wrong answers. To qualify you need 50% in PET. Final merit takes 70% from the PET and 30% from the interview. NET Category 2 and 3 candidates get ranked on their NET marks instead, provided the score is still valid on the interview day. Fellowship holders through NET, GATE or CEED are ranked on the interview alone, scaled to 100.

DTU. The brochure for the August 2026 session first gave a test date in mid-June. Later DTU revised the schedule and extended registration till 14 June. Its Exam Cell finally conducted the computer-based test on 2 and 3 July 2026. There were 60 questions in 90 minutes, half of them on methodology, and the test carries 70% weight. The interview and a 7-to-8-slide presentation make up the other 30%. A NET Category 2 or 3 score is taken in place of the test.

Jamia Hamdard. It is a deemed university in Hamdard Nagar, and it takes scholars in two cycles. For 2025–26, the Cycle-II test was held on 1 May 2026. For the test exemption, the certificate had to be uploaded with the form itself. Cycle-I for 2026–27 opened on 3 September 2026.

How do IIT Delhi and IIIT-Delhi choose their PhD scholars?

For IIT Delhi, the Semester I 2026–27 brochure says selection is normally through an interview. The department’s research committee conducts it and may add a written test also. Minimum marks are 60% in a master’s or 70% in a B.Tech. On top of that, you need GATE, NET, JEST, CEED, INSPIRE or some similar qualification. M.Tech., M.E. and M.D. holders don’t need it, and nor do those with an MBA through CAT. Calls come out in March and October, and interviews are held in May and December.

IIT Delhi is a good option for working people as well. If you apply part-time from a PSU, government department, R&D organisation or approved company, the national test is not needed. And if your job is in the NCR or within 50 km of the Hauz Khas campus, there is no minimum residency. Those working further away have to stay on campus for at least six months.

IIIT-Delhi runs PhD programmes in computational biology, computer science, electronics, human-centred design, mathematics, and social sciences and humanities. They first go through your academic record and statement of purpose. After that only a limited number of applicants are called for a test or interview. A second cycle runs from September to November. Regular scholars receive an institute fellowship of ₹60,000 a month (from January 2025), but they have to resign from any job before joining. Employed candidates come in through the sponsored route.

What can a Delhi applicant without a NET score do?

Let us be honest about the numbers here. Without NET, DU’s regular call, JNU and AUD are closed to you this year. What remains is Jamia, GGSIPU, DTU and Jamia Hamdard, and IIT Delhi too if you have an M.Tech. In 2026 the tests of these four came between late April and early July, so one season is enough to attempt all of them.

Our suggestion is to apply to the test-based universities and, in parallel, keep writing NET in June and December. Even a Category 3 result (PhD admission only) lets you apply to DU and JNU. The JRF fellowship is a different matter altogether, and our PhD fellowships guide explains it.

These informations come from the latest notices we could read. Miss one Delhi window and you may end up waiting six months or a full year.

• March and April: the first-semester window at IIT Delhi (21 March to 11 April in 2026), the IIIT-Delhi monsoon call, Phase II at DU (10 to 24 March 2026) and the GGSIPU last date of 31 March.
• Late April to June: GGSIPU PET (starting 25 April 2026), the Cycle-II test at Jamia Hamdard (1 May), DTU registration (18 May, later extended to 14 June) and the JMI entrance (20 and 21 June).
• July to September: DTU’s test (2 and 3 July 2026), the extended AUD deadline (31 July) and its interviews (16 to 23 September), and then Jamia Hamdard’s Cycle-I forms from 3 September.
• October and November: Phase I at DU (in 2025 registration was open from 18 to 26 October) and IIT Delhi’s portal for the second semester, which as per the institute would open on 9 October 2026.

Test route or NET route, keep your proposal ready before you apply. DU departments, AUD and Jamia all want to see it before the interview. If you need help writing it, the research proposal guide on our site walks through it.