Fourth semester (final year) students of postgraduate courses at the Allahabad University and its constituent colleges are a worried lot. Reason: While the AU authorities have commenced the process for admission to PhD at its departments and those of its constituent colleges by starting accepting the applications for its Combined Research Entrance Test (CRET)-2021, the university says since the applications are open for 2021-22 session, the students who are in the final semester of their PG courses and would be completing them in just couple of months are not eligible and thus cannot apply for CRET-2021.
The admission process for the academic session CRET 2021 at AU has already commenced and the last date of application is May 16. Admission will be given against 614 seats on offer in 41 subjects. Of them, 227 seats are at AU and 387 seats are in colleges. Maximum 62 seats are in department of chemistry. At the same time, there are no seats in Urdu, Persian, agriculture botany and rural technology this time.
Through CRET-2021, admission will be given in PhD in AU, CMP Degree College, Allahabad Degree College, Iswar Saran Degree College, Jagat Taran Girls Degree College, SS Khanna Girls Degree College, Arya Kanya Degree College, Syama Prasad Mukherjee Government Degree College and Ewing Christian College.
However, the PG final year students at AU and its constituent colleges are demanding that they should also be given permission to apply for the PhD seats, vacant at AU and its constituent colleges, but the varsity authorities have maintained that the students who have passed PG till the academic session 2021-22 can only apply for CRET-2021.
“Since admission to PhD seats through CRET is one year behind its schedule and we are taking admission for 2021-22 session, the same year has been set as the bench mark year for eligibility. As last year these students (who are currently in final semester) were in their second/third semester, they cannot apply for CRET-2021. However, AU is trying its best to expedite the process and would be completing the process for PhD admission for last academic session after which admissions for academic session 2022-23 would be done and PG students, who are presently in their final semester, would be able to apply for CRET-2022”, said AU’s public relations officer prof Jaya Kapoor.
{{/usCountry}}“Since admission to PhD seats through CRET is one year behind its schedule and we are taking admission for 2021-22 session, the same year has been set as the bench mark year for eligibility. As last year these students (who are currently in final semester) were in their second/third semester, they cannot apply for CRET-2021. However, AU is trying its best to expedite the process and would be completing the process for PhD admission for last academic session after which admissions for academic session 2022-23 would be done and PG students, who are presently in their final semester, would be able to apply for CRET-2022”, said AU’s public relations officer prof Jaya Kapoor.
{{/usCountry}}However, students of final semester of PG course point out that CRET session running late is hardly their fault. “If we are presently eligible for appearing in UGC’s National Eligibility Test (NET), how can AU deny us the opportunity of applying for CRET-2021?,” asked one of the affected students of MA final semester of AU.
Candidates who are pursuing their master’s degree or equivalent course or candidates who have appeared for their qualifying master’s degree (final year) examination and whose result is still awaited or candidates whose qualifying examinations have been delayed may also apply for this test.
However, such candidates will be admitted provisionally and will be considered eligible for JRF/eligibility for assistant professor only after they have passed their master’s or equivalent examination with at least 55% marks (50% marks in case of OBC-NCL/ SC/ST/ persons with disabilities (PwD) /third gender category candidates).
Such candidates must complete their master’s degree or equivalent examination within two years from the date of NET result with required percentage of marks failing which they shall be treated as disqualified.