JMI denied admission to around 80 PhD candidates after selection: Students claim

NEW DELHI: Several students have allegedly been denied admission in various PhD programmes at Jamia Millia Islamia citing the non-availability of supervisors despite their names being mentioned in the list of selected candidates. However, the administration has claimed that no students have been denied admission and every name mentioned in the "final list" was allotted a seat.

The students have claimed that there are around 80 PhD candidates across programmes who have been "denied" seats despite having all the documents and clearing written as well as the interview rounds. The problem has been reported in several departments, including the Department of Mathematics, Department of Mass Communication, Department of Geography, and Department of Psychology.

The students said their names appeared in the list of the selected candidates for the PhD programmes which is still up on the website. However, when they reached their respected dean's offices, they were told that they are not selected.

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"Our whole year has been wasted. Many of us left our jobs when we saw the list. Now we are knocking on the doors of officials. They are not listening to us," a PhD student, who did not wish to be named, said. The 26-year-old student wants to pursue PhD from the Geography Department of the university. The candidate left his full-time job in Rajasthan and shifted to Delhi when he got to know that he has been selected for PhD programme at Jamia Millia Islamia.

"The admission was already conducted late due to Covid. Now they abruptly denied us admission without any proper reason. They told us that there are no supervisors available for our topic. But before the interview round, we were asked to submit our research synopsis proposal. They knew our topics in advance but why then we were selected?" the student asked.

80 PhD candidates denied admission

Meanwhile, the administration said that the lists based on which the students are making claims were "provisional ones" and admissions were done on the basis of final lists.

PTI checked the official website for a "final list" of selected candidates for the PhD programme in the Department of Geography, but it did not have any. It only has a list of "selected candidates" dated August 11, which mentions that 20 students have been "provisionally" selected.

The notice mentions that the students have a three-day window to submit documents from August 24 to 26. "The following candidates (have been) provisionally selected for admission to PhD programme in the Department of Geography. The selected candidates are required to report in the office of the Dean, Faculty Of Natural Sciences from 24.08.2022 to 26.08.2022 for verification/submission of documents and to collect Offer Letter," the notice read.

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However, the students said they were later informed that the submission of the documents have been postponed and would be now done from September 7 to September 9. These dates were changed as well. "We were later informed that now the dates are September 12 to 14. We went to the Dean's office on September 12 and were made to sit for several hours. We took all the documents mentioned in the notice. But they said we have to submit an unemployment certificate also. So we went to bring it," the student said.

Students were later informed that the names of six of them were not on the final list and were denied admission despite having all the valid documents. "When we came back we were told politely that we are not among the selected students. We tried to reason with them but were of no use. We tried to meet the Dean, but they did not allow us," the student said.

The situation in the Mathematics department was far worse. Only two students out of 15 selected candidates were granted admissions, claim students.

"We were of the view that the selection has been done and this is the final list as there was no mention that we could be rejected despite having proper documentation. They have wasted our whole year. I was banking on Jamia and did not apply anywhere," said another candidate, who applied to pursue PhD in the Geography department at Jamia Millia Islamia.

In the Mass Communication department, of 19 selected candidates, only 10 have been granted admission. The students have questioned why they were only verbally informed that they have not been selected. "Why we were verbally informed and no final list was issued till today. Why the website only has lists which mention rejected students," a 25-year-old candidate said. The university issued a notice on September 12 night after students raised the issue of being denied admission.

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"The candidates are advised to check the final result from their concerned Department/Centre regarding their final selection in the PhD programme applied," the notice read. "The Deans of Faculties/ Directors of Centres are requested to display the list of final selected candidates as recommended by the Board of Studies/Committee of Studies on the notice board and the selected candidates may be informed accordingly," it added.

Speaking to PTI, Jamia Registrar Nazim Jafri said that no student has been denied admission. "The due procedure was followed and we issued a final list of students that were selected and based on it we admitted the candidates. Every name mentioned in the final list was given admission," Jafri said.