If you finished a master's degree this year and cleared NET, the next question is usually where to do the PhD. The University of Jammu has just answered part of it: the Office of the Dean Research Studies notified PhD admissions for the August–September 2026 session on 25 August, the online form opened on 27 August, and it closes on 15 September 2026.
This is a different intake from the one JammuBeat covered in July, which ran through an entrance test in early August. That round closed on 3 August. This is a fresh notification, with its own vacancy list and its own deadline.
How many seats are there, and where?
Annexure I of the notification lists vacancies department by department across 30 disciplines — by our count of that table, close to 190 seats in total. The spread is wide and not at all what you might guess.
The largest blocks sit in Electronics (17 seats across categories), Management Studies (17, including five at the Bhaderwah Campus), Home Science (15), Law (15), Economics (13) and Computer Science & Information Technology (13, including three at Bhaderwah). At the other end, Chemistry and ICccR & HRM show a single unreserved seat each.
In between there is genuine range: Bio-Technology, Botany, Commerce, Education, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Geology, History, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Library & Information Science, Museology, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Remote Sensing & GIS, Rural Development, Sanskrit, Sociology, Statistics, Urdu and Zoology all carry seats. Categories run across UR, SC, ST-1, ST-2, RBA, OSC/OBC, EWS, ALC/IB, PCP and, in four departments, a reserved College Teacher slot.
Two departments explicitly carry Bhaderwah Campus seats, which is worth knowing if you would rather not be in Jammu city.
Am I eligible?
You have to satisfy both of two conditions, not one.
First, a qualifying test or an M.Phil. That means UGC-NET (including JRF), UGC-CSIR-NET (including JRF), GATE, CEED or a similar national-level test; or SET/SLET; or an M.Phil completed with at least 55% marks in aggregate or the equivalent grade.
Second, the master's degree itself. A one-year/two-semester master's after a four-year/eight-semester bachelor's, or a two-year/four-semester master's after a three-year bachelor's, with at least 55% in aggregate or equivalent. A relaxation of 5% is allowed for SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer), differently-abled and EWS candidates, and other categories notified by the UGC and the UT of J&K.
One clause deserves a second read if you came through the new four-year degree: a candidate seeking admission after a four-year/eight-semester bachelor's must have a minimum of 75% in aggregate, with the same 5% relaxation where applicable.
Is there an entrance test?
The notification does not set one. It says admissions will be made strictly in order of merit under the statutes governing the university's whole-time and part-time PhD programmes, read with the Regulations governing the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2024. In practice, the national test or M.Phil you already hold is what gets you through the eligibility gate; the merit position does the rest.
If you are applying part-time, a No Objection Certificate from the competent authority authorised to issue it is mandatory. Not optional, not later — the notification calls it mandatory for seeking admission.
What does it cost, and what do I have to submit?
The application fee is ₹300, non-refundable, paid online through the payment gateway on the university website.
Then comes the step people miss. Applications are accepted online only — but a hard copy of the completed form, signed, with self-attested copies of supporting documents, must reach the concerned department within three working days of filling the online form. Miss that and the online submission does not carry you.
The documents to have ready: marksheets and degrees of your qualifying examinations, your M.Phil/NET/SLET/GATE/CEED result documents, a valid category certificate if you are claiming reservation, and the NOC if you are a part-time aspirant.
Who do I ask about my subject?
This is the most useful line in the whole notification, and it is easy to skim past. For specialisation details, discipline-wise vacancies, thrust areas and anything else specific, candidates are told to contact the department directly — and Annexure II lists an email address for each one, from hodchemistry@jammuuniversity.ac.in to hodlawdept@jammuuniversity.ac.in to directortbs@jammuuniversity.ac.in for Management Studies.
Thrust areas matter more than seat counts. A department may show four vacancies and have supervisors free in only one research area. A short, specific email to the HoD before 15 September is worth more than a fortnight of guessing.
The Office of the Dean Research Studies can be reached on 0191-2435248 and 0191-2435259 (extensions 2260 and 2236). The notification is signed by Prof. Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies, under No. DRS/PH.D/26/3506-3605 dated 25 August 2026.
The short version
- Online form open 27 August to 15 September 2026
- Fee ₹300, non-refundable, online
- Eligibility: NET/CSIR-NET/GATE/CEED or SET/SLET or M.Phil (55%), plus a master's at 55% — or 75% if you are entering off a four-year bachelor's
- Hard copy to the department within three working days of applying online
- Part-time applicants: NOC is mandatory
Sources: Notification for Ph.D admission for the Session August–September 2026, Office of the Dean Research Studies, University of Jammu, and the university's PhD admissions page.
