Ph.D. Admission 2026-27 at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi through NET/JRF (Law and Governance, International Legal Studies, Human Rights Studies): Apply by 16 October

Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, by Notice No. Admission/5(i)/2026-27 dated 6 October 2026, invites online applications from eligible candidates holding a valid certificate of JRF, NET (including NET for admission to Ph.D. only) or GATE for admission to its Ph.D. programmes for the Academic Year 2026-27. Admission runs through three routes: the UGC/CSIR NET (all three categories, using NET percentile of June 2025 onwards), the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) of UGC, CSIR, ICMR, DBT and NBHM, and GATE (School of Engineering only). There is no separate JNU entrance test for these routes.

The e-Prospectus lists three law-related Ph.D. programmes. The intake is stated to be tentative and subject to change.

• Ph.D. Law and Governance (CLGH), Centre for the Study of Law and Governance: 19 seats through JRF (UR 8, SC 3, ST 1, OBC-NCL 5, EWS 2; PwD 1, horizontal). No seats for Indian candidates through the NET category; the NET table shows 17 seats for Foreign Nationals. The Centre states that all admissions to its Ph.D. programme will be made through the JRF route.
• Ph.D. in Legal Studies (ILGH), Centre for International Legal Studies, School of International Studies: 1 seat (UR) through NET; 3 Foreign National seats; no JRF seats.
• Ph.D. in Human Rights Studies (HRSH), Centre for International Legal Studies: 1 seat (UR) through NET; no JRF seats.

A candidate must hold both the prescribed educational qualification and NET/JRF in the relevant subject; either one alone does not make a candidate eligible. Relaxation to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/PwD/EWS is as per the UGC Regulations 2022.

• Law and Governance (CSLG): Master's degree in Law, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Sociology, History, Philosophy, Social Work, Development Studies or cognate disciplines in the Social Sciences or Humanities with at least 55% marks, or an M.Phil. in these fields with 55%, or a 4-year/8-semester bachelor's degree in these fields with 75%. Relevant NET subjects include Law (code 58), Political Science, Economics, Sociology, History, Philosophy, Social Work, Public Administration, Criminology, Women Studies and others listed in the e-Prospectus.
• International Legal Studies (CILS): Master's in Law with International Law or Human Rights specialisation, M.A. in International Studies, or M.A. in Political Science with International Law as a core course, with 55%; or M.Phil. in International Law with 55% and a Master's degree; or a 4-year bachelor's degree in International Studies or Political Science with International Law as a core course with 75%. Relevant NET subjects include Law (58) and Political Science.
• Human Rights Studies: Master's degree in human rights or allied subjects (Law, International Relations, Political Science) with 55%, or the M.Phil. or 4-year bachelor's routes set out in the e-Prospectus. Relevant NET subjects include Human Rights and Duties (92) and Law (58).

Only the NET percentile of the June 2025 or later UGC/CSIR NET examinations is considered. Candidates due to appear in the qualifying examination may also apply.

• NET category: merit list on 70% NET percentile and 30% viva-voce. Candidates are shortlisted for viva-voce at 8 times the intake for General category and 10 times for SC/ST/OBC (NCL)/EWS.
• JRF category: all JRF applicants are called for viva-voce, and selection is 100% on the viva-voce.
• CSLG specifically: final selection is through an interview. Candidates must prepare a 1,000-word research proposal with a bibliography and will be questioned on domain knowledge, work experience and the proposed research project.

Holders of Lectureship/Assistant Professorship (without JRF), and of NFSC, NFST, NFOBC or NFPWD fellowships awarded on that basis, are not eligible under the JRF category. DST INSPIRE Fellows are also not eligible under JRF. The JRF certificate must be valid at the time of physical verification of documents.

The application fee is paid through online payment mode as the last step of the online form; the amount is not stated in the notice or e-Prospectus. The processing fee is not refunded if the application is rejected for any reason or the candidate cannot appear in the viva-voce. On selection, Indian candidates pay Rs 325 online for Ph.D. (all Schools except Engineering and ABVSME) on the pre-enrolment portal while accepting the offer of admission.

• Read the e-Prospectus for Ph.D. 2026-27 for eligibility, seats and NET subject codes before applying.
• Apply online only on the JNUEE portal, jnuee.jnu.ac.in, from 6 October 2026 up to 11:50 PM IST on 16 October 2026. No offline application will be considered.
• Apply separately for the NET category and the JRF category; there are separate online forms. A JRF holder may also apply separately under NET.
• A candidate may choose a maximum of three fields of study in order of preference. Options once exercised are final.
• Upload a JPG/JPEG photograph (10 kb to 200 kb) and signature (4 kb to 30 kb), then pay the fee online.
• Corrections to the submitted form are allowed on the website only on 17 and 18 October 2026.

Foreign nationals apply through a separate procedure described in the e-Prospectus.

Several dates in the official schedule are marked tentative: invitation for viva-voce by 22 October, viva-voce from 26 to 30 October, and the first merit list on 9 November 2026. The deadline for admission and registration is 10 December 2026. Applicants should check www.jnu.ac.in regularly for updates.