DU PhD Admission 2026–27: The University of Delhi (DU) has released details of the entrance examination pattern and syllabus for PhD admissions for the 2026–27 academic session. The examination route is intended for eligible candidates who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree and wish to pursue doctoral studies directly after graduation.
The provision covers students who completed a four-year or eight-semester course under the university’s Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022. Candidates must fulfil the prescribed academic criteria and must not have qualified national-level examinations such as UGC-CSIR NET, GATE, CEED or an equivalent test.
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Applicants should check the eligibility requirements, examination structure, and subject-specific syllabus before preparing their applications.
DU PhD Entrance Exam 2026: Pattern And Marking Scheme
The entrance test will be conducted for a total of 100 marks, with a duration of two hours. The paper will have two sections, each carrying 50 marks.
The first section will assess candidates on research methodology through multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The second section will comprise descriptive questions related to the research project, dissertation, or entrepreneurship work completed by the candidate during the undergraduate programme.
Negative marking will apply to the MCQ section. Candidates will lose 25% of the marks allotted to a question for every incorrect answer, making accuracy an important consideration during the examination.
Eligibility Criteria For Direct PhD Admission
Candidates must have obtained a minimum CGPA of 7.5 in their four-year undergraduate programme to meet the general eligibility requirements.
For applicants belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories, the minimum required CGPA is 7.
In addition to meeting the academic criteria, candidates must have completed at least one eligible piece of work during the fourth year of their undergraduate course. This may include a dissertation, an academic project other than translation work, or an entrepreneurship project.
DU PhD Entrance Test: Qualifying Marks And Interview
Candidates must score at least 50% in the entrance examination to become eligible for the interview stage. The qualifying requirement is lower for reserved categories, with SC, ST and PwBD candidates required to secure at least 45%.
Applicants who qualify for the interview must submit the dissertation, academic project report or entrepreneurship report that was considered during the assessment of their fourth-year undergraduate work.
The final merit list will be prepared using a combined assessment of the entrance examination and interview. The written test will carry 70% weightage, while the interview will account for the remaining 30%.
DU PhD Entrance Syllabus 2026: Research Methodology Topics
For candidates applying in Commerce, Humanities, Social Sciences, Home Science, Psychology and Applied Psychology, the research methodology syllabus covers several stages of academic research.
The topics include research fundamentals, literature reviews, research design, sampling techniques, data collection and analysis, as well as publication ethics. Candidates should also prepare qualitative and quantitative research methods, research questions, hypotheses, questionnaires, interviews, and statistical analysis.
Other areas include plagiarism, citation formats, and the use of artificial intelligence in plagiarism detection.
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DU PhD Entrance Exam 2026: Syllabus For Science And Other Disciplines
For Physical Sciences, Natural Sciences, Applied Sciences, Electronics, Information Technology, and Mathematical Sciences, the syllabus includes research methods, statistics, and experimental design. Candidates must also prepare topics related to intellectual property rights, scientific communication, research software, and publication ethics.
The research methodology syllabus for History, Philosophy, Music and Languages will be based on the corresponding courses taught under the University of Delhi’s four-year undergraduate programmes.
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