Varsities in state asked to end PhDentrance tests, use UGC-NET scores

B K MishraPatna: The chancellor’s secretariat on Tuesday asked all universities in Bihar to discontinue the pre-PhD Admission Test (PAT) and mandatorily adopt UGC-NET scores as the basis for admission to PhD programmes.In a directive issued to vice-chancellors of all universities and signed by principal secretary Dipak Kumar Singh, it was stated that no university in the state will advertise or conduct PAT for the academic sessions 2024 and 2025. The move aligns PhD admissions with the latest University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.However, universities that have already completed admissions to PhD programmes through PAT for the 2024-25 session may continue to run those programmes without affecting the admitted batches.The letter further stated that universities which have already issued advertisements for admissions through PAT, but have not yet conducted the examination or are in the process of initiating it, must immediately withdraw such advertisements, revoke the ongoing process and refund application fees collected from candidates, if any.Universities have also been directed to use UGC-NET scores as the eligibility and selection criterion for PhD admissions in place of PAT.The chancellor’s secretariat has instructed all universities to ensure strict compliance with the notification and submit a compliance report at the earliest.Patliputra University registrar Abu Bakar Rizwi said the university had already completed admissions through PAT and had also begun course work.“However, it would not hold any PAT henceforth in strict compliance of the chancellor’s directive in the light of the UGC letter,” Abu Bakar told this newspaper.