Menu
×
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) program is offered in more than 3000 colleges in India. It is the highest academic for candidates pursuing their education in the field of research and development. The time span of PhD program can range from anywhere between 5-6 years. The PhD program is offered in various modes such as Government/ Semi Govt Fellowship recipient students, Institute Reasearch Scholars with Teaching Assistance, Self-Financed candidates (Indian/ Foreign Candidates), Sponsored, Study Leave Candidates, ICCR Awardees, Part Time researchers.
PHD admissions in India are based on the scores of national entrance tests like UGC NET, GATE, JEST, CSIR NET. Candidates having a valid score in the mentioned exams are eligible for scholarships while pursuing the PhD program. The monthly scholarships under various exams vary from 5 thousand ? 67 thousand rupees.
Aspiring NET candidates must register themselves for the exam by December this year. However, the final selection of students is based on written test and interview. Private universities may encourage direct admission on the basis of your academic qualifications, university entrance tests and interview.
PhD application requires a research proposal for admission to IITs or NITs. You must clearly describe your intent to research the topic within 1500-3000 words count. After PhD admission, you can get stipend from government at around INR 37,000 per month as a Junior Research Fellow. Further, you can get Teaching Assistantships of around INR 31,000-37,000 per month for the first two years and INR 35,000-42,000 monthly for remaining years.
PhD program is an advanced and highest academic degree that is offered in both full-time and part-time mode. Students willing to conduct deep research in a specific field aspire to earn a PhD degree. Here, given below the primary reasons to apply for PhD program:
PhD full form is Doctor of Philosophy that covers various specialization topics like Chemistry, Mathematics, Economics, Business Management etc. The table below states the lists of popular PhD specialization courses:
| List of Popular PhD Specializations | |
| PhD in Humanities | PhD in Chemistry |
| PhD in Economics | PhD in Bioinformatics |
| PhD in Psychology | PhD in Commerce |
| PhD in Mathematics | PhD Biotechnology |
| PhD in Civil Engineering | PhD in Engineering |
| PhD in Computer Science Engineering | PhD in Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering |
| PhD in Anthropology | PhD in Hospital Administration |
| PhD in Economics | PhD in Political Science |
| PhD in Clinical Psychology | PhD in Physics |
| PhD in Artificial Intelligence | PhD in Food Technology |
| PhD in Mechanical Engineering | PhD in Chemical Engineering |
| PhD Business Administration | PhD in Accounting and Financial Management |
| PhD in Logistics and Supply Chain Management | PhD in Management |
| PhD in Law | PhD in Legal Studies |
| PhD in Education | PhD in Teaching |
More than 1000 colleges in India offered PhD courses that includes both private and public or government colleges. Government colleges like IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, Hyderabad University etc. offer PhD at an affordable cost ranging from INR 13,050- 1.02 lakhs p.a. For studying at private colleges, you may be charged around INR 23,833- INR 1.20 lakhs yearly. The table below states the fees and entrance exam for top colleges offering PhD program:
| NIRF Ranking 2024 | Top Colleges | Entrance Exam Accepted | Annual Tuition Fee |
| 1 | IIT Bangalore | GATE | INR 1.54 lakhs |
| 3 | IIT Delhi | GATE/CSIR/ UGC NET/ICAR/ICMR | INR 59,800 |
| 4 | IIT Bombay | GATE/JEST, UGC NET | INR 1.02 l akhs |
| 7 | IIT Kanpur | GATE | INR 84,410 |
| 9 | IIT Roorkee | GATE / CEED / JEST / UGC-NET / CSIR-NET | INR 13,050 |
| 13 | VIT Vellore | VITREE | INR 40,00 0 |
| 18 | Jawaharlal Nehru University | UGC NET/CSIR-NET/ICMR/GATE | INR 1 lakhs |
| 23 | Manipal Academy of Higher Education | Manipal Entrance Test (MET), UGC / CSIR ? NET ? JRF / ICMR ? JRF / DBT ? JRF / JEST | INR 23,833 |
| 24 | SRM Institute of Science and Technology | UGC-NET/UGC- CSIR NET/GATE/CEED | INR 60,000 |
| 28 | University of Hyderabad | UGC NET | INR 30,92 0 |
| 44 | Lovely Professional University | LPUNEST | INR 1 lakhs |
| 47 | Amity University, Noida | UGC NET / CSIR / ICAR (ASRB), ICAR-AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) / GPAT / ICMR / GATE | INR 1 lakh s |
You can get direct admission to private colleges without NET clearance. However, students must appear for interview or university entrance test. You can take admission to government colleges like IITs, if you have 60% marks in MTech/ME/MD/MDes or equivalent. Here, given below the list of colleges to apply directly for PhD program:
| List of Colleges | |
| Amity University, Noida | Lovely Professional University |
| Symbiosis University, Pune | Thapar University |
| ICFAI University, Hyderabad | Chandigarh University |
| Christ University, Bangalore | Chitkara University |
You need to appear for national or university level entrance exams to apply for PhD course. UGC NET is the primary exam to pursue PhD programs in top colleges. The table below states the registration deadlines and cutoffs for PhD entrance exams:
| Entrance Exam | Cutoffs | Registration Deadline |
| UGC NET | 58-190 (varies as per different subjects) | 10 December 2024 |
| CSIR NET | 46-99 % | 21 May 2025 ( Tentative) |
| GATE | GEN: 25.2-37.1 OBC: 22.5-33.3 SC/ST:16.6-25.2 | 3 October 2025 (Tentative) |
| SET | GEN: 89 SC: 50 ST: 48 PwD: 45 | 12 April 202 5 (Tentative) |
| GPAT | GEN: 96 percentile SC: 75 percentile ST: 54 percentile OBC: 90 percentile | May 2025 (Tentative) |
| JEST | 90 percentile | Application will open in the 1st week of January 2025 |
| AIIMS PhD Entrance Exam | - | 26 January 2025 |
| VITREE | - | 25 November 2025 (Tentative) |
PhD admission in India takes place twice in a year in the Spring and Autumn semesters. Admission to the spring cycle begins in January and autumn session starts from July. Here, given below a step-to-step guide to apply for PhD program:
You must have master degree in related fields with 55% marks to apply for PhD program. Students having MPhil degree with 55% marks also can apply for the program. The table below highlights the PhD eligibility criteria for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 universities:
| Categories | Tier 1 Universities | Tier 2 Universities | Tier 3 Universities |
| Academic Qualifications | You must have master and 4-year bachelor degree in related fields | Hold a master degree and 4 years bachelor degree in related field from a recognized university | You must have 2-year master degree and 3-year bachelor degree in related fields or you can have 1-year master degree and 4-year bachelor degree in related fields. |
| Minimum Percentage | Secure 60% marks in masters and 70-75% marks in bachelors | Minimum 55% marks in masters and 75% marks in bachelor studies | Secure 55% in masters and 50% in bachelors |
| Entrance Exam | GATE/CSIR/ UGC NET/ICAR/ICMR | Either appear for PhD entrance test (PET) or qualify UGC NET / CSIR / ICAR (ASRB), ICAR-AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) / GPAT / ICMR / GATE | Either clear UGC NET or appear for PhD entrance test |
| Research Proposal | Required | Not mandatory | Not mandatory |
| Interview | Admission is based on written test and interview | Admission is based on written test or interview | Admission is based on interview only. Some universities may take written tests. |
Students can apply for research assistantships or teaching assistantships to afford the expenses of studying PhD courses. You can also get the benefit of scholarships that cover 50% of tuition fees of the program. The table below states the popular PhD scholarships offered by different universities:
| Scholarship Name | Eligibility | Award Amount |
| Amity Research Fellowships | You must have 55% marks in masters degree and 75% marks in bachelor degree. You must be 28 years of age when applying. | INR 37,000/month |
| IIT Bombay PMRF Fellowship | You must have strong academic qualifications and show potential for research | INR 70,000 per month |
| IIT Bombay Teaching Assistantship | You must have BE/BTech/BArch/MSc/MA or equivalent degree and GATE or national level test score | INR 37,000 per month for 1st two years. INR 42000 per month for remaining years |
| IIT Delhi Teaching Assistantship | You must have BE/ BTech/ MSc/ MTech or equivalent degree | INR 31,000 per month for the 1st 2 year of registration INR 35,000 per month for next 2 year of registration |
| VIT Vellore- SC & ST Adi-Dravidar Tribal Welfare Scholarship | Only SC and ST category students are eligible | INR 1.35 Crore |
| Manipal University- Dr. TMA Pai Scholarships | You must have master degree with 60% marks and bachelor degree with 75% marks | Varies |
The Ministry of Education offers a stipend to PhD research scholars that varies as per seniority. The monthly stipend has received a hike after 1st January 2023. Here, given below the stipend as per different designations of PhD students:
| Categories | Stipend |
| Junior Research Fellow | INR 37,000 per month |
| Senior Research Fellow | INR 42,000 per month |
| Research Associate-I | INR 58000 per month |
| Research Associate-II | INR 61,000 per month |
| Research Associate-III | INR 67,000 per month |
Students after securing PhD degree get opportunities to develop their career as lecturer, research scientist, associate professors and assistant professors. For pursuing the program, you must have a master degree or MPhil degree with 55% marks. You must be qualified UGC NET or GATE to apply to top colleges. You will get the chance to earn a government stipend of INR 37,000-67,000 as per your research level of experience.
Ans: PhD full form is Doctor of Philosophy. The PhD is the most advanced and highest level of academic degree that involves in-depth research on a particular topic. The program is based on various specializations like engineering, law, economics, artificial intelligence and mathematics.
Ans: For admission to PhD, you must have a master degree in related fields with 55% marks. You need to qualify UGC NET, GATE or other university level entrance examinations to be eligible for PhD.
Ans: PhD course duration varies from 5-6 years. For admission to PhD program, you must clear entrance examinations like UGC NET, CSIR NET, GPAT, JEST or GATE.
Ans: After PhD, you can get various career opportunities like Researcher, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Lecturers etc. Associate Professors in India can earn around INR 3 LPA-24.5 LPA, that is exceptionally high.
Ans: To apply to PhD program, you must hold a master's degree in a related field. You need to secure 55% marks or equivalent to pursue the program.
Ans: PhD program is based on various specialized courses like engineering, law, economics, artificial intelligence, mathematics, humanities, biotechnology. Among them, the popular specializations are Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Engineering and Economics.
Ans: With a PhD degree, you can get a chance to attain high-paying professions like associate profession, assistant professor, research scientist, lecturer, etc. The average salary of an associate professor may vary from INR 3 LPA to 24.5 LPA.
Ans: UGC NET is the primary entrance exam that is accepted by most of the colleges for admission to the PhD program. However, you can get direct admission to private colleges like Amity University, LPU, Symbiosis University etc. on the basis of a university entrance test and interview.
Ans: The fees for government colleges are affordable and range from INR 13,050- 1.02 lakhs per annum. The private colleges cost around INR 23,833- INR 1.20 lakhs yearly for pursuing PhD courses.
Ans: PhD program is a difficult and a long process. You need to do intensive research on a particular topic over 3-5 years to create and publish a paper on it.
