Centre for Economic and Social Studies PhD Admission 2025-26

Centre for Economic and Social Studies Hyderabad (CESS), in collaboration with Telangana University, Nizamabad, invites applications for admission into the regular Ph.D. Programme with focus on Development Studies for the academic year 2025-2026.

About Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS)

• Established in 1980, the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) is an autonomous research institution supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi and the Government of Telangana.
• The Centre’s research revolves around issues related to the economy, polity and society, with a particular emphasis on India and Telangana, among others.
• The Centre has state of an art library, computing and other infrastructural facilities available for carrying out good quality research.
• It is situated on a beautiful campus on the premises of the Nizamiah Observatory at Begumpet in Hyderabad.

Research Areas

The main thrust areas of research of CESS are Agriculture- Structural issues- Tenancy- Allied Agriculture; Industry, Service Sector, International Trade and Services; Poverty, Food Security, Employment and Unemployment, Rural Labour Market; Social Sector-Education and Health, Migration, Ecological Economics, Natural Resources Economics and Management, Environment and Sustainable Development, Climate Change; Governance; Gender Studies, Tribal Studies, Social Inclusion and Inclusive Growth & Development, Public Policy.

Eligibility Criteria

The Ph.D. programme at CESS is in accordance with the UGC Regulations – 2022. Candidates qualified in the National Eligibility Tests, such as, UGC-JRF and UGC-NET are eligible to apply for admission.

Accordingly, the following categories of candidates are eligible to apply:

• Category 1: Candidates those who Qualified UGC-JRF
• Category 2: Based on UGC-NET Score

(1. JRF qualified candidates; 2. Candidates qualified for Assistant Professorship without JRF; and, 3. Candidates neither qualified for JRF nor for Assistant Professorship but appeared for NET and are eligible for admission to Ph.D)

Admission Procedure

• Admission to PhD Programme (2025-26) will be done on the basis of UGC-NET examination score, as per the UGC rule. The NET scores of June 2024 (result declared in October 2024) and December 2024 (results declared in February 2025) will be valid/used for PhD admission for the academic year 2025-26. Validity period of JRFs will continue as before.
• Admission under category 1 will be based on the performance in the interview, where 100% weightage will be assigned to marks obtained in the interview.
• Admission under category 2 will be based on the NET score and performance in the interview, where 70% weightage is assigned to NET score and 30% weightage assigned to marks obtained in the interview.

Number of seats & Reservations

A Total Number of 12 Candidates will be taken for admission for the year 2025-26. The Centre reserves the right to fill or not to fill all the seats if suitable candidates are not found. Statutory reservations will be followed as per Government of Telangana norms.

Research Proposal and Interview

• Candidates are required to submit a research proposal in not more than 1500 words along with the application. The proposal is expected to reflect critical understanding of the body of knowledge in the proposed research area, research objectives and tentative methodology. Applications without research proposal will NOT be considered.
• Shortlisted candidates will be called for the interview. The interview will focus on assessing the competence and interest of the candidate to undertake independent research work.

Financial Assistance/Fellowships

• The selected Scholars may avail of ICSSR fellowships on a competitive basis after registration. Scholars are encouraged to avail fellowship through national fellowships such as UGC–JRF, RGNF, Ministry of Tribal Welfare, and Savitribai Jyoti Rao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child. The selected candidates from SC/ST categories with annual income less than the prescribed limit may avail of the fee concession.
• The Inclusive Development Unit of the Institute [CESS] provides two fellowships to scholars working in the area of “Inclusive Development”.

Accommodation

Hostel accommodation is fully available for girls and moderately for boys on campus for the outstation students. The rent for the hostel room will be charged as per the rules.

Application Process

• The application form and the guidelines can be downloaded from the CESS website.
• Applications can be downloaded and duly filled in application forms along with self-attested copies of the above documents should be sent/ submitted to: “The Dean, Division for Graduate Studies, Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Nizamiah Observatory Campus, Begumpet, Hyderabad – 500 016” so as to reach on or before 1 st August 2025.
• Please send the filled-in application form, along with the necessary documents, to admissionsdgs@cess.ac.in .

• Application Submission Deadline: 1 August, 2025
• Interviews for Shortlisted Candidates: Personal Interview – 16 August, 2025
• Commencement of Programme: First Week of September, 2025

• Notification
• Prospectus
• Application Form
• CESS Hyderabad Website