JNU PhD admission 2025 begins amid hunger strike for JNUEE, UGC NET June aspirants

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has invited applications for PhD admissions for the academic session 2025-26, amid an indefinite hunger strike launched by JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU). As per the JNU PhD admission 2025 schedule, eligible candidates can apply on the official website, jnuee.jnu.ac.in by July 7, 2025.

As per the eligibility criteria, candidates in all three categories of the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) or Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test (CSIR NET) will be eligible. The NET scores of June 2024 cycle onwards will be taken into consideration.

JNU students are protesting against the exclusion of UGC NET June 2025 aspirants and are demanding reinstatement of JNU Entrance Examination (JNUEE) which was previously used for admissions.

Calling the admission process "exclusionary" and "undemocratic”, the student body condemned the university administration for prohibiting candidates appearing for the June 2025 session of the UGC NET exam, many of whom are MA pass-out batch. The students’ union also reiterated its long-standing demand to reinstate the entrance exam , which it views as a better mode of admission.

NET replaces JNUEE

In an open letter to JNU vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, JNUSU alleged that the administration has refused to engage with elected student representatives. Accusing the VC of favouring ABVP and RSS-affiliates, JNUSU office-bearers, including president Nitish Kumar, vice-president Manisha and general secretary Munteha Fatima, vowed to continue their hunger strike until the demands are met.

As per JNU PhD prospectus 2025, admission through UGC or CSIR NET categories will be done on the basis of NET percentile in place of the entrance examination as per UGC notice last year. The weightage for NET percentile and for viva-voce will be 70% and 30% respectively.

Last year, JNU decided to use the NET scores for PhD admissions instead of the entrance exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), after UGC gave a green signal.

JNU PhD admission 2025 schedule

A candidate can opt for a maximum of three fields of study in order of preference in JNU PhD application form 2025. Here’s the admission schedule: