Kerala University offers admission to Ph.D. programs in 31 specializations. The duration of the curriculum is 3 years and the program is offered in both Full-time & Part-Time modes. A Master’s degree with a minimum of 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/SBC category) is the minimum requirement for applying. Application forms can be filled online and an application fee of INR 525/- (265 for SC/ST category) should be paid through Net Banking/Debit/Credit Card.

Admission to the Kerala University PhD is based on the previous qualifying degree, entrance test score and merit secured in an interview. Check: Kerala University Fees.

Kerala University PhD Key Highlights

  • Kerala University offers a PhD program for the duration of 3 years including course work.
  • Candidates can complete the program in a maximum duration of 6 years. 
  • It is an on-campus course, offered in both full-time & part-time mode. 
  • Candidates for the PhD program shall be granted admission through an entrance test conducted by the University. 
  • The registration for the Ph.D. course at Kerala University shall be granted only subject to the availability of seats and as per the norms and regulations framed by the UGC. 

Kerala University PhD Important Dates 2023

Events Dates
Application form release date To be notified

Kerala University PhD Eligibility

  • Candidates must have a Master’s degree in relevant subject with minimum 55% marks.
  • 50% marks should be scored by Reserved category candidates in the qualifying degree.

Kerala University PhD Admission Process

Kerala University PhD Admission is based on the scores secured in the previous qualifying exam and entrance exam.

A merit list will be uploaded by the university on the basis of performance in the entrance examination. Further, the qualified candidates for the entrance exam will be called for an interview followed by documents verification.

On successful verification of documents and payment of program fees, the university will confirm the admission.

Weightage for different components

Components Marks(%)
Qualifying Exam 50
Entrance Exam 40
Interview 10

How to Apply?

The application form can be filled online from the official account of Kerala university.

  • Visit www.research.keralauniversity.ac.in
  • Tap “Register Here”
  • Enter Email id and Phone number 
  • Type all required personal information
  • Enter academic details
  • Upload supporting documents
  • Upload scanned photograph and signature
  • Pay application fee of INR 525/-(general category) and INR 265/- (SC/ST category) through Net Banking/Debit/Credit Card
  • Take a printout of the application form for future reference

Required Documents-

  1. Marksheet of qualifying examination
  2. 10th and 12th mark sheet
  3. Transfer Certificate (if applicable)
  4. Domicile of Kerala (if applicable)
  5. Migration Certificate (if applicable)
  6. Research proposal 
  7. UGC NET/JRF scorecard

Check: Kerala University Admission

Kerala University PhD Course Details

Kerala University PhD is a 3-year research level program which is offered in full-time as well as part-time mode. Candidates can complete the program in a maximum duration of 6-years.

Kerala University offers 31 specializations in PhD which are tabulated below:

Aquatic Biology and Fisheries Archeology Bio-Chemistry 
Bio-Technology  Botany Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Chemistry Demography Economics
Education Environmental Sciences English
Geology Hindi Geography
Islamic Studies Linguistics Mathematics
Optoelectronics Physics Physical Education
Political Science Psychology Public Adminsitration
Russian Sociology Social Work
Statistics Tamil Zoology
Chemistry - -

FAQs

Ques. Can candidates whose results are awaited can also apply for the PhD program of Kerala University? 

Ans. Yes, Candidates who have written their Post Graduate Degree Examination and awaiting results can also apply. But such candidates should upload their PG marks/ CGPA information on or before the last date for uploading the form. 

Ques. Who all are exempted from the entrance test for PhD at Kerala university? 

Ans. Exemption from the Ph.D. Entrance Test candidates are with UGC-NET/JRF, UGC-CSIR-NET/JRF, SLET recognized by UGC, GATE, and research fellowships of central and state government departments/agencies as approved by the University from time to time.

M.Phil /Ph.D. Degree and teacher fellowship holders. However, candidates who have qualified M.Phil in subjects other than the subjects in which he/she seeks registration for a Ph.D. would be required to qualify for the Eligibility Test, Candidates awarded with DBT-JRF in the subject Biotechnology and candidates with DST-INSPIRE fellowship are exempted. 

Ques. How are the faculties of Kerala University for the PhD curriculum?

Ans. The faculty members of the Ph.D. curriculum at Kerala University are well-versed & accomplished and provide all kinds of support & guidance that a student will be required. All the professors have done higher studies & done research in their respective fields to give proper leadership to the students. Check: Kerala University Faculty

Ques. How many seats are available for each M.Phil Degree programme in Kerala University? 

Ans. Number of Seats for each M.Phil programme shall be decided based on the number of 

research supervisors available in the department. A Professor as Research Supervisor/Co-Supervisor, at any given point of time, shall guide not more than three M.Phil scholars. An Associate Professor as Research Supervisor shall guide up to a maximum of two M.Phil scholars, and an Assistant Professor as Research Supervisor shall guide only one M.Phil scholar.

Ques. Candidates whose results are awaited can also apply for M.Phil/ Ph.D program of Kerala University? 

Ans. Yes, Candidates who have written their Post Graduate Degree Examination and awaiting 

results can also apply. But such candidates should upload their PG marks/ CGPA in 

form on or before the last date for uploading form. 

Ques. Is mathematics a necessary subject for taking admission in Demographics elective of Ph.D program in Kerala University? 

Ans. Yes, Only those Demography students who have passed with Mathematics or Statistics at Degree level shall be considered.

Ques. If I write the exam in tamil, will I be considered for admission to M.Phil in Manuscriptology at Kerala University? 

Ans. The candidates who appear for the entrance examination in Malayalam and Tamil shall be considered for admission to M.Phil in Manuscriptology. The option should be given at the time of registration. 

Ques. Who all are exempted from entrance test for P.hD at Kerala university? 

Ans. Exemption from Entrance Test

Candidates with UGC-NET/JRF, UGC-CSIR-NET/JRF, SLET recognized by UGC, GATE and research fellowships of central and state Government departments/agencies as approved by the University from time to time.

M.Phil /Ph.D Degree and teacher fellowship holders. However candidates who have qualified M.Phil in subjects other than the subjects in which he/she seeks registration for Ph.D would be required to qualify the Eligibility Test.

Candidates awarded with DBT-JRF in the subject Biotechnology.

Candidates with DST-INSPIRE fellowship