Jawaharlal Nehru University is expected to start the second round of PhD admissions in December for the academic year 2025-26. The university announced in a circular that the selection process will take place through various fellowships including UGC/CSIR-JRF-NET, DBT-JRF, ICMR-JRF and others.
In a recent announcement, the JNU registrar has issued a notification extending hostel facilities for PhD scholars who are close to their submission of their thesis. The circular mentioned that students can seek an extension by submitting an undertaking approved by their supervisor, Chairperson, and the Dean of their school.
The university administration has said that these requests will be considered on humanitarian grounds and a case-by-case basis." Meanwhile, the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) has continued its hunger strike for the 10th day as they demand the return of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE) for all PhD programs.
Students are against the university's decision to exclude those who appeared for the June 2025 UGC-NET many of whom are fresh graduates. According to the JNUSU, this step has a major impact on the MA students by limiting their chances for research admission.
According to the JNUSU President Nitish Kumar, the extension of the hostel was a result of the hunger strike. "The administration which was unresponsive to our requests at first has now been forced to negotiate with the union and accept our demands. They had to issue a notice for the extension during the holiday period when their offices were closed. No one will be asked to leave the hostel while they’re still in their studies. We will keep fighting for the hostel until the PhD submissions are done," Kumar shared in a statement.
He stated, "This is just the beginning the battle must carry on and we will continue to press the administration to meet all our demands."
