Jawaharlal Nehru University to start selling forms next week for admissions under new UGC policy

Jawaharlal Nehru University is likely to start its admission process, under the new University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. The university is expected to start selling the forms next week.

Jawaharlal Nehru University is likely to start its admission process, under the new University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. The university is expected to start selling the forms next week.

JNU Students have been protesting the UGC guidelines which they say suggests draconian eligibility criteria and entry rules and seat cut in PhD/MPhil admissions.(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

The move comes after the Delhi high court dismissed as infructuous a plea by some students challenging the admission policy for MPhil and PhD courses under the new UGC guidelines. The court said the UGC guidelines for MPhil and PhD courses are binding on all varsities.

“We will start the admission process with bringing out the prospectus next week. We are already late by over a month as prospectus should have been out in February but due to the court case we could not start the process,” said JNU registrar Pramod Kumar.

The UGC guidelines give 100% weightage to viva-voce (interview) marks and make the entrance test the sole qualifying criteria for viva in MPhil and PhD admissions. Currently, JNU follows a 70:30 formula for written test and viva.

Kumar said they will go ahead with the admission policy as per UGC guidelines as the HC has said the guidelines are binding on all universities.

Students claim this will lead to seat cut and may also do away with deprivation points given to students who come from marginalised sections.

Kumar said university’s admission committee will have a meeting soon to discuss the final policy regarding the viva weightage for research courses and deprivation points.

Under the existing admission policy, deprivation points are given to students from backward regions and women.

“The admission committee will decide if we can give deprivation points for admission to courses. We will also seek UGC’s opinion on deprivation points so as to conduct admissions within UGC guideline framework,” he said.

Students are also worried if the university’s earlier decision to keep the written test and viva weightage at 80:20 will change. “It was only after our protest that the university changed the written and viva weightage to 80:20 from 100% weightage to viva. Also UGC guidelines say nothing about deprivation points so we don’t know what’s going to happen,” said a student.

JNU students’ union president Mohit Pandey said, “Students will challenge this verdict in Supreme Court. The admission policy in this form will lead to seat cut in research courses.”