Four-year degree holders can directly pursue PhD: UGC

Students with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly appear for the National Eligibility Test (NET), as announced by UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar. This change aims to simplify the process for those interested in pursuing higher education.

In addition, individuals scoring a minimum of 75% aggregate marks or equivalent grades can now embark on a PhD journey. This alteration in eligibility criteria opens doors for more qualified candidates.

According to Kumar, those with four-year undergraduate degrees can sit for the NET and pursue a PhD, irrespective of their bachelor's degree discipline.

"The candidates completing a four-year or eight-semester bachelor's degree program must achieve a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade," emphasised the UGC chairman.

Furthermore, UGC may relax the marks requirement by five percent for specific categories like SC, ST, OBC, differently-abled individuals, economically weaker sections, and others.