# DU sets direct PhD entry rules for four-year UG students 2026-10-19T07:49:03+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Delhi University has released the entrance exam pattern and syllabus for direct PhD admission for students who have completed a four-year undergraduate course. The pathway is open to students who did a dissertation, academic project or entrepreneurial work in the fourth year but did not pass national-level exams like UGC-CSIR NET or GATE. Only students who completed eight semesters under the UGC Curriculum and Credit Framework (UGCF-2022) are eligible, with a minimum CGPA of 7.5 for general category and 7 for SC, ST and disabled candidates. The PhD entrance exam will be of 100 marks over two hours, split into research methodology (50 marks) and subject-specific questions (50 marks). There will be a 25% negative marking for wrong answers. General category students need at least 50% marks in the entrance to qualify for the interview, while reserved category students need 45%. Final selection will give 70% weight to the entrance score and 30% to the interview. Candidates must also submit their research or project report before the interview. The exam date and application details will be announced later on the DU website. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Delhi University has opened a direct PhD admission pathway for four-year undergraduate students who lack national-level exam scores like NET or GATE, but only those with a high CGPA, 7.5 for general category and 7 for SC/ST/disabled candidates, need apply. The entrance exam carries 100 marks and a two-hour duration, split equally between research methodology and the subject, with a 25% negative marking penalty for wrong answers. Final selection gives 70% weight to the entrance score and 30% to an interview, for which general candidates must score at least 50% and reserved category candidates 45%. The exam date and application process remain unannounced, so eligible students must watch the DU website for the next update. ## Coverage - tv9hindi.com Leads with exam pattern details, no stance beyond neutral reporting This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Delhi University, PhD admission, UGC, UGCF-2022 Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/du-sets-direct-phd-entry-rules-for-four-year-ug-students/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/du-sets-direct-phd-entry-rules-for-four-year-ug-students/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/