BHU PhD admission 2023 is ongoing. NTA has released the entrance test schedule for PhD admissions. NTA PhD Entrance Test 2023 for BHU PhD admission will be held on October 26, 27, 30, and October 31. Check BHU Admission 2023 

At BHU, PhD is 3 years long and includes both coursework and research work. Also, PhD is offered under various disciplines of Arts, Commerce, Education, Social Sciences, Medicine, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, Science, Dental Science & Law. There are different types of courses and their eligibility varies with the course combinations. All those applicants who have all their subject combinations, aggregate score and fulfilment of basic eligibility criteria can apply for PhD admissions at BHU. Admissions will be offered on the basis of the Research Entrance Test (RET), conducted by BHU. Candidates who qualify the entrance examination will be called for a personal interview by the respective department. Candidates having UGC NET or JRF or other equivalent scores are exempted from appearing for the BHU RET exam.

BHU PhD Admission Dates 2023

Event Dates
NTA PhD Entrance Test Registrations Start Date August 09, 2023
NTA PhD Entrance Test Registrations Last Date September 22, 2023
PhD Entrance Test Application Form Correction September 23 – September 24, 2023
NTA PhD Entrance Test October 26, 27, 30, and 31, 2023

In order to be able to write the Entrance test, candidates must be holding a Master’s degree in any field. A candidate must have passed the qualifying exam with the minimum required marks i.e. 50% marks in the academic record. Since there are more than 15 BHU Departments offering PhD in different set of courses which further vary in terms of eligibility criteria. The table below tabulates the basic eligibility criteria along with the subjects offered for BHU PhD admission:

Faculty / Departments Courses Offered Eligibility Criteria
Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, Science 
  • Languages: Arabic / Bengali / English / Chinese / French / Tamil / Linguistics, etc.
  • Social Sciences: Economics / History / Political Science / Psychology / Socio etc.
  • Science: Biochemistry / Computer Science / Chemistry / Geography / Geology
  • Master’s degree in any of the allied subject(s) with 55% aggregate.
  • Applicants must have studied common subject combinations as well.
Faculty of Management Studies

Management Studies

  • MBA / MMS / MIBA / MBA-Agriculture / PGDM / PGP degree with 60% aggregate. 
  • 1st class graduates with professional degrees like CA / CS can also apply.
Faculty of Medicine Anatomy / Anaethesiology / Cardiology / General Surgery / CEMS / Medicine / Pediatric

Master’s degree in any of the allied subject(s) with 55% aggregate.

Faculty of Dental Sciences Dental Sciences
Faculty of Education Education
Faculty of Law Law / Human Rights & Duties
Faculty of Performing Arts

Instrumental Music / Dance / Vocal Music / Musicology, etc.

Faculty of Sanskrit Vidya, Ayurveda
  • Sanskrit Vidya: Veda / Vyakaran / Jyotish / Sahitya / Dharm Shastra / Vedanta
  • Ayurveda: Medicinal Chemistry / Samhita / Sangyaharan

BHU PhD Admission Criteria

Admission to BHU PhD course is based on either:

  • BHU RET scores OR
  • Those applicants who are NET or JRF qualified are exempted from appearing for BHU RET exam.
  • Qualified students are then shortlisted for BHU RET Counselling which includes seat allocation and final admission formalities upon applicant’s personal interview.

BHU releases a list of applicants who are exempted from appearing for BHU RET exam after prospective applicants submit their applications. This list is released upon checking the applicants scores or rank in the national level exams like NET / JRF / SLET or other related exams.

BHU PhD Entrance Exam

Admission to the PhD Course in BHU is done through the Research Entrance Test (RET) which is conducted by the University itself. The test is divided in two sub-sections:

Test A: This test is based on the subject knowledge of the candidates. Logical reasoning and research capabilities are checked in the same.

Test B: The second test is conducted to check the level of research intense and personal interview for research. 

The pattern is shown below in a tabulated manner:

Categories Test A Test B
Duration 120 Mins 30 Mins
Maximum Marks 300 Marks 50 Marks: 
  • Research Proposal: 25 Marks
  • Personal Interview: 25 Marks 
Marking Scheme Correct: 3 Marks
Incorrect: 1 Mark
Performance-Based
Total Questions 100 (MCQ Based) Descriptive Type Questions

The qualifying percentage for BHU RET overall is 35%. Any applicant scoring below 35% will not be shortlisted for the next round of personal interview. It is mandatory for applicants to qualify for both the entrance and consequent counselling rounds for final BHU PhD admission.

Click: BHU Courses & Fees

BHU PhD Application Process

The application for the admission in a PhD course offered by BHU can be filled online on the official admission application website. The stepwise process for applying online is given below:

  • Register yourself on the official website if you visited the site for the first time.
  • You have to enter the identification details for registration completion.
  • Fill the form with required details and select the course of your choice.
  • You will be required to upload the recent passport size photo and signature.
  • To complete the online application process. Pay the online application fee. The application fee is INR 600 and INR 300/- for SC/ST category
  • Take the print out of the paid receipt for future reference.

Documents Required

The following documents are required for the admission process:

  • Aadhar card
  • Passport size photograph
  • Application processing fee receipt
  • Category certificate
  • Certificate of work experience if available 
  • Mark sheets and certificates of academic records
  • Voter ID/ Bank passbook/ Driving license
  • Certificate of completion of Master’s degree
  • Admit Card 
  • Passport photo and scanned signature

Check: BHU Admission

BHU PhD Seat Reservation

There are seats reserved for BHU PhD admissions across Faculties and Departments offering research level courses. The table below has a category wise analysis for the percentage of seats reserved for PhD applicants at BHU:

Student Categories Seat Reservation
SC 15%
ST 7.5%
OBC 27%
EWS 10%
Physically Handicapped 5%

BHU PhD FAQs

Ques. Who conducts the RET at BHU for PhD admissions?

Ans. BHU conducts Research Entrance Test or commonly referred to as BHU RET test for PhD admissions annually. The test is conducted once every year for aspiring PhD students. BHU RET exam is important in order to be eligible to be called for a personal interview round for PhD admissions.

Ques. Where can one apply for BHU RET exam for PhD admissions?

Ans. To register for the examination, candidates need to go to the official website and follow the application process step by step and by going through all the instructions carefully they need to apply for the same.

Ques. I have qualified for UGC-NET in 2009 under SC category. Am I eligible to apply for BHU RET for PhD admissions?

Ans. If an applicant has qualified for any national level exam like UGC NET or JRF or SLET are eligible to directly appear for the interview round. These applicants are exempted from appearing for BHU RET exam for PhD admissions. A list of exempted candidates is released on BHU website for those applicants who are not required to appear for BHU RET exam. Thus, applicants must keep a tab on the recent notifications to avoid discrepancies.

Ques. What are the qualifying marks for RET at BHU?

Ans. The expected qualifying marks for the course is 35% for all categories. A candidate needs to score at least 35% in Part A in order to be able to write Part B of the admission entrance test.

Ques. Which documents are required for BHU RET Counselling?

Ans. The applicants who qualify for BHU RET for PhD admissions, are further shortlisted for Counselling. At the time of counselling the applicant must carry his/her BHU RET admit card, marksheets and certificates of qualifying examinations.

Ques. How is BHU RET designed for PhD candidates?

Ans. PhD candidates appearing for BHU RET exam must keep in mind the following pattern or structure of the exam conduction:
  • The BHU RET exam is designed for students who hold a master’s degree.
  • Also those who had pursued M.Phil degree can appear for this exam.
  • BHU RET exam structure is based on evaluating an applicant’s research aptitude including logical and analytical skills.
  • Only those who have some knowledge about research related work can apply and appear for this exam.