Central University of Odisha PhD Admission 2025-26

Central University of Odisha, Koraput invites application for PhD Admission 2025-26.

Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates who have completed a 1-year/2-semester master’s degree programme after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme or a 2-year/4-semester master’s degree programme after a 3-year bachelor’s degree programme or qualifications declared equivalent to the master’s degree by the corresponding statutory regulatory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale, wherever the grading system is followed Or Equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognised or authorised by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of the educational institution. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently Able, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.
• Provided that a candidate seeking admission after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme should have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale, wherever the grading system is followed.
• A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently Able, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.
• Candidates who have completed the M.Phil. programme with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of educational institutions, shall be eligible for admission to the PhD programme. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently Able, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.

Admission Process

The University Grants Commission (UGC), vide its notification dated 27th March 2024, has decided that from the Academic Session 2024-25 onwards, the score of the National Eligibility Test (NET) can be used for admission to PhD programmes in place of entrance tests conducted by different universities and higher education institutions (HEIs).

Accordingly, Central University of Odisha has decided to use National Eligibility Test (NET) or similar national level examinations scores for admission to PhD programmes from the academic session 2025-26, except for the some cases.

Based on the scores obtained in NET or similar national level examinations, the candidates will be eligible in three categories (As per the notification of UGC dated 27th March 2024):

• Category-1: Award of JRF
• Category-2: Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to PhD
• Category-3: Admission to PhD only

Note

• Candidates who have qualified for fellowship/scholarship in national-level examinations such as UGC-CSIR NET JRF (Category 1), ICAR-NET (JRF), or other equivalent national-level JRF/SRF, shall be considered for PhD admission strictly as per the provisions of the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022. Under these provisions, 100% weightage shall be given to the performance in the said national-level examination, subject to the validity period specified in the JRF Award Letter.
• For candidates qualifying under Category 2 and Category 3 through examinations such as UGC-NET, CSIR-NET, ICAR-NET, or similar examinations, 70% weightage shall be assigned to the normalised examination score, and 30% weightage shall be assigned to the interview/viva voce. The combined merit for admission shall be determined accordingly.
• The marks obtained in the National Level Qualified Examination (such as UGC-NET, CSIR-NET, ICAR-NET, or any other equivalent examination) by candidates under Categories 2 and 3 shall be valid only for a period of one (1) year from the date of issuance of the certificate for admission to the PhD programme at Central University of Odisha.
• The scores obtained in the NET or equivalent national-level examinations issued prior to one year from the date of notification shall not be considered valid for admission to the PhD programme at the Central University of Odisha for the academic session 2025–26 under Categories 2 and 3. However, in the case of Category 1 candidates, the validity of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) shall be governed strictly by the terms and conditions specified in the respective JRF Award Letter, and such validity shall be deemed acceptable provided it remains in force as on the date of admission.
• Candidates who have qualified for fellowship/scholarship under any recognized national-level examination conducted by agencies such as UGC, CSIR, ICAR, DBT ICMR, NBHM or any other equivalent national agency, including fellowships awarded by statutory bodies such as the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), National Commission for Women (NCW), and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), shall be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. programme at the Central University of Odisha, provided that the fellowship remains valid as per the terms and conditions stipulated in the respective award letters.
• The validity of JRF/SRF shall remain effective up to the date of admission. In the event the JRF/SRF expires prior to the admission date, the candidature shall be automatically cancelled, and the candidate shall not be eligible for admission under Category 1.
• A horizontal reservation of 5% shall be provided to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for admission to the PhD programme. In the event the PwBD quota is not filled under open merit within different categories, the remaining PwBD candidates shall be shortlisted based on merit, calculated as per the total score described in Table 2. The merit list for PwBD candidates shall be prepared university as a unit, and selected candidates shall be placed in the respective departments accordingly.
• The Central University of Odisha reserves the right to determine the number of candidates to be called for the interview, based on the number of PhD seats available in each department or discipline.

Application Process

• Candidates must apply through our online application system and it will be available in the University Website.
• Read instruction given there carefully before filling application form.
• Incomplete applications shall be liable to summary rejection without further notice. The University reserves the sole and absolute right to accept or cancel any application or admission at its discretion.

• Release of Admission Announcement: 25 September, 2025
• Commencement of Online Application Submission: 30 September, 2025
• Last Date for Submitting Online Application (Extended): 27 October, 2025
• Notification for the List of Shortlisted Candidates Called for Interview: 03 November, 2025
• Date of Interview: 10 November, 2025 – 13 November, 2025
• Notification for the List of Shortlisted candidates for admission: 17 November, 2025
• Date of Admission: 24 November, 2025
• Commencement of class for Coursework: 26 November, 2025

• Extension
• Prospectus
• Application
• Central University of Odisha Website