The Central University of Karnataka has issued detailed instructions for admissions to various PhD programmes for the academic year 2026-27. Candidates eligible under various categories can register through the online SAMARTH portal and must appear for an interview.
Eligibility
Candidates eligible for PhD admission include:
- Qualified in national level exams like JRF (UGC/CSIR/DBT/ICMR/ICSSR), NET (UGC/CSIR), GATE or equivalent.
- Qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) under PhD only (Category-3).
- Holders of DST-INSPIRE Fellowship.
- Recipients of Central or State Government sponsored fellowships/ANRF-PAIR Project Fellow.
- National/State level Teacher fellowship holders.
- Candidates admitted under various research projects fulfilling any of the above criteria.
The detailed minimum qualifications for each PhD discipline are specified, generally requiring a Master’s or M.E./M.Tech degree with at least 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/OBC non-creamy layer, PWD, and Kashmiri migrants and non-migrants) in the relevant subject from recognized Indian or foreign universities. Examples include M.Phil or Master’s degree in subjects like Hindi, Kannada, English, Economics, Management, Psychology, Commerce, Social Work, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Zoology, Botany, Genetics and Genomics, Geology, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Computer Science, Linguistics, Mechanical Engineering, Media Studies, Arabic, Spanish, Music, Tabla, Public Administration, Folklore and Tribal Studies, Law, Tourism Management, History and Archaeology, Education, and Library and Information Science.
Registration and Fee
Candidates must register online via the SAMARTH portal (https://cukadm.samarth.edu.in/). Submission of the online registration form is mandatory.
Non-refundable registration fees are as follows:
| Category | Registration Fee (Rs.) |
|---|---|
| General, OBC (Non-creamy layer), EWS | 500 |
| SC/ST/PwD | 100 |
Fees are excluding transaction charges.
NAAC A
NIRF 151-200Central University of KarnatakaKalaburagi, KarnatakaAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2009View details
NAAC A++
NIRF #2 (2025)Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1969View details
NAAC A++
NIRF #4 (2025)Jamia Millia IslamiaNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1920 · 239 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #5 (2025)University of DelhiNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, JEE MainEst. 1922View details
NAAC A
NIRF #6 (2025)Banaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1916 · 1300 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #10 (2025)Aligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, NET/JRF, NEET UGEst. 1920View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #18 (2025)University of HyderabadHyderabad, TelanganaAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1974 · 2000 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #37 (2025)Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityLucknow, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1996View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #77 (2025)Central University of PunjabBathinda, PunjabAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2009 · 500 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #79 (2025)Tezpur UniversityTezpur, AssamAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1994 · 262 acresView detailsImportant Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration period | 06 November 2026 to 27 November 2026 |
| Declaration of eligible candidates | 30 November 2026 |
| Grievance redressal on eligibility | 30 November 2026 to 01 December 2026 |
| Interview period | 03 December 2026 to 09 December 2026 |
| Declaration of selected candidates | 10 December 2026 |
| Admission and fee payment | 11 December 2026 |
| Commencement of classes | 04 January 2027 |
Selection Process
The selection for PhD admission is based on a combined 70% weightage to JRF, NET and allied qualifications or PG programme marks and 30% to an online presentation and viva-voce. The marks distribution is:
| Criteria | Range | Max Marks |
|---|---|---|
| JRF (UGC/CSIR/DBT etc.) | JRF - 50 marks, DST-INSPIRE/ANRF-PAIR or other fellowships - 45 marks, NET (NET-PhD only) - 40 marks | 50 |
| PG programme marks | Above 80% - 10 marks, 60-80% - 8 marks, 50-60% - 6 marks | 10 |
| Online written test before interview | 10 marks | 10 |
| Online presentation on proposed research | 10 marks | 10 |
| Online viva-voce on domain knowledge | 20 marks | 20 |
Candidates scoring a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC, ST, OBC non-creamy layer and EWS) in the combined score will be considered for admission.
Additional Instructions
- Candidates shortlisted for the interview must submit the filled Annexure I form to the respective HoDs before the online presentation or viva-voce examination.
- Communication of interview credentials will be sent by the respective HoDs to candidates via the registered email provided during registration.
- Reservation and relaxation are applicable as per Government of India and University rules.
- The university reserves the right not to offer a program in any discipline due to administrative reasons or inadequate response.
- Ensuring eligibility and submitting the registration form and attending interviews is the sole responsibility of the candidate.
- These instructions are subject to modifications, and candidates should check the university website regularly for updates.
Contact Details
Contact emails for HoDs are provided for various disciplines such as Education (hodeducation@cuk.ac.in), Business Studies (hodbs@cuk.ac.in), Tourism and Hotel Management (hodthm@cuk.ac.in), Chemistry (hodchemistry@cuk.ac.in), Commerce (hodcommerce@cuk.ac.in), Computer Sciences (hodcs@cuk.ac.in), Economics (hodesp@cuk.ac.in), Electrical Engineering (hodee@cuk.ac.in), Electronics (hodece@cuk.ac.in), English (hodenglish@cuk.ac.in), Genetics (hodgenetics@cuk.ac.in), Zoology (hodzoology@cuk.ac.in), Botany (hodbotomy@cuk.ac.in), Geography (hodgeography@cuk.ac.in), Geology (hodgeology@cuk.ac.in), Hindi (hodhindi@cuk.ac.in), History and Archaeology (hodhistory@cuk.ac.in), Journalism and Mass Communication (hodjmc@cuk.ac.in), Kannada (hodkannada@cuk.ac.in), Law (hodlaw@cuk.ac.in), Library and Information Science (hodlibscience@cuk.ac.in), Linguistics (hodlinguistics@cuk.ac.in), Mathematics (hodmathematics@cuk.ac.in), Music and Fine Arts (hodmfa@cuk.ac.in), Physics (hodphysics@cuk.ac.in), Psychology (hodpsychology@cuk.ac.in), Public Administration (hodpa@cuk.ac.in), Social Work (hodsw@cuk.ac.in), Folklore and Tribal Studies (hodfts@cuk.ac.in).
Applicants should refer to these contacts for programme-specific queries.
Official webpage and application portal: https://cukadm.samarth.edu.in/
