Getting a doctorate is considered the highest academic qualification and pursuing it from extremely recognized institution like Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is highly valued. BHU is a public central university established in 1916 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
PhD program at BHU is highly regarded due to its support for high-quality research. BHU has a history of producing the most prominent personalities in India and the world.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) offers doctorate programs in numerous academic disciplines. It provides PhD programs in Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Science and Engineering.
BHU is well known for its cutting research facilities and highly experienced faculty support who have significant research experience. PhD candidates enrolled in Banaras Hindu University are guided and mentored by these faculty members.
If you get an opportunity to pursue your doctorate from BHU, you will also get supervision from these faculty members to conduct independent and high-quality research.
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When we think of pursuing PhD from a highly reputed university like Banaras Hindu University(BHU), the first thing that strikes our minds is how to get admission and what is the admission process. To clear all the doubts regarding PhD admission, we will discuss the admission process for PhD in BHU in this blog.
Why Pursue PhD from Banaras Hindu University
As discussed above, Banaras Hindu University is considered among some of the finest universities in India for its focus on research. If you are interested in pursuing a doctoral degree, BHU should in the list of your prospective universities.BHU has every facility that students require to produce high-quality research in their areas.
Here are some of the most prominent reasons why you should consider BHU for pursuing your PhD degree:
- BHU PhD offers advanced research facilities to support exceptional research in a wide range of academic domains.
- BHU provides opportunities to integrate various academic fields by supporting interdisciplinary research.
- PhD Scholars get mentorship and guidance in their research from highly experienced faculty to conduct research in the right direction.
- BHU is considered a prominent university for its research output.
- BHU ranked 5th in the NIRF 2024 ranking under the university category.
No Separate Research Entrance Test for BHU PhD Admission
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has decided to remove the Research Entrance Test (RET) for admission to its PhD programs. It has adopted the latest amendments of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to govern its PhD admissions.
Previously, BHU used to conduct its PhD admission on two grounds. The first was based on its Research Entrance Test (RET Mode) and RET Exempted Mode for JRF Qualified Students.
Now this admission process is replaced by the latest notification of UGC and BHU PhD admissions will be based on the UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET examinations.

“Based on the Public Notification dated 27th March 2024 of the University Grants Commission, the Banaras Hindu University has decided that Score of UGC/CSIR NET Examination, June 2024 shall be used for admission to Ph.D. programme for the academic session 2024-25 and no separate Research Entrance Test will be conducted by the University.”
BHU has notified this decision by a notification on the official website. Now PhD candidates who are willing to pursue their doctorate from BHU and other universities are not required to take multiple entrance tests.
BHU has decided not to conduct any separate entrance exams for admission to its PhD program. From the session 2025-2026, BHU PhD admission will be based on the performance of the applicants in the UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET exams.
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Here is a detailed explanation of the latest PhD amendments in Banaras Hindu University (BHU):
- Category 1: Banaras Hindu University has decided to replace its RET Exempted mode with Category 1 of the University Grants Commission. Now this category will include all the applicants who have qualified for JRF (Junior Research Fellowship). Previously, there was the same provision for the JRF-qualified students and they were exempted from the entrance test. Now this has been re-defined as Category 1. JRF-qualified students will get more weightage in BHU PhD admissions compared to other applicants.
- Category 2: All those students who have not qualified for JRF but have qualified for Assistant Professorship will be considered for BHU PhD admission under Category 2. This category replaces the admission based on RET Mode. Applicants who qualify for NET in UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET 2024 will be considered in this category. They can directly appear for viva voice (Personal Interview) without taking any entrance exams.
- Category 3: PhD applicants who have neither qualified for JRF nor Assistant Professorship but appeared for UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET will be considered for BHU PhD admission under Category 3. These applicants will also not be required to take the BHU PhD admission entrance test and can directly appear for Viva Voice.

Additional Information:
- BHU PhD Admission for the session 2024-25 will be based on the UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET June 2024.
- Earlier, UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET scores will not be considered for BHU PhD admission for the 2024-25 session.
- For BHU PhD admission to the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Services Recruitment Board (ASRB) Examination 2024 scores will be considered. e Agricultural Services Recruitment Board (ASRB) Examination.
If you are a business executive or working professional, you may not get enough time to clear the UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET exams to enroll in a PhD program. Moreover, these PhD programs are mostly inflexible due to their fixed schedules.
If you are looking for a flexible PhD program from a globally recognized university, you can enroll in Online DBA (Doctorate of Business Administration). This program is highly flexible and equivalent to an On-campus PhD in India and worldwide. Moreover, you can complete an Online DBA in just 3 years and obtain a “Dr” title.
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Admission Process for PhD in BHU
The applicants who have qualified for the UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET 2024 can apply for BHU PhD admissions. Interested candidates can follow the admission process mentioned below to secure admission to the BHU PhD program.
- Application form: The PhD admission process at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), begins with the application form submission. Despite qualifying for UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET exams, students are required to fill in the BHU PhD application forms. Only those students will be considered for BHU PhD, who have qualified for UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET and submitted the application form.
Here is the detailed guide to filling out and submitting an application form:
- Step 1: Go to the official website of Banaras Hindu University.
- Step 2: Select the admission section from the BHU website.
- Step 3: Click on register and fill in the mobile number and email id to register.
- Step 4: Log in with the application number and password generated after registration.
- Step 5: Fill in the application form by providing all the required details.
- Step 6: Attach all the required documents
- Step 7: Review the application form and proceed with the payment of application fees.
- Step 8: Select the payment method and pay the application fees.
- Step 9: Once the payment is successful, application submission is completed.
- Step 10: Save the admission confirmation mail for future reference.
- Viva- Voice (Personal Interview): All the applicants who have applied for PhD course at BHU will be invited for Viva Voice cum Personal Interview. BHU Admission Committe shortlists the eligible candidates and processes their application for viva voice. Shortlisted applicants are required to prepare a detailed research proposal before appearing for the viva voice. Applicants will have to defend their research proposal before the selection committee.
- Merit List: Based on the performance of the applicants in UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET exams and Viva Voice, a merit list will be prepared by the BHU Admission Committe.
- Admission offer: Applicants will receive an admission offer based on their rank in the merit list.
- Fee Payment: Applicants who received an admission offer can accept it by paying the admission fees.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) PhD Subjects
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) offers PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in numerous academic disciplines.
Here is the list of all the PhD subjects offered at BHU:
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List of All BHU PhD Subjects |
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Ph.D in Agad Tantra |
Ph.D in Dravyaguna |
Ph.D in Kayachikitsa |
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Ph.D in Kriya Sharir |
Ph.D in Medicinal Chemistry |
Ph.D in Panchakarma |
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Ph.D in Prasuti Tantra |
Ph.D in Rachana Sharir |
Ph.D in Rasa Shastra & Bhaishjya Kalpane |
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Ph.D in Samhita & Sanskrit |
Ph.D in Shalakya Tantra |
Ph.D in Shalya Tantra |
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Ph.D in Siddhanta Darshan |
Ph.D in Swasthavritta & Yoga |
Ph.D in Vikrit Vigyan |
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Ph.D in Applied Microbiology |
Ph.D in Biochemistry |
Ph.D in Biotechnology |
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Ph.D in Bioinformatics |
Ph.D in Botany |
Ph.D in Chemistry |
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Ph.D in Computer Science |
Ph.D in Environmental Science |
Ph.D in Geography |
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Ph.D in Geology |
Ph.D in Home Science |
Ph.D in Human and Clinical, Genetics |
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Ph.D in Mathematics |
Ph.D in Mathematical Sciences |
Ph.D in Molecular and Human Genetics |
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Ph.D in Physics |
Ph.D in Statistics* |
Ph.D in Zoology |
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Ph.D in A.I.H.C. & Arch. |
Ph.D in History of Art |
Ph.D in Journalism & Mass Communication |
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Ph.D in Bhojpuri evam janpadiya adhyan |
Ph.D in Chinese |
Ph.D in English |
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Ph.D in French Studies |
Ph.D in German |
Ph.D in Hindi |
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Ph.D in I.P.R. |
Ph.D in Pali & Buddhist Studies |
Ph.D in Philosophy |
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Ph.D in Physical Education |
Ph.D in Russian |
Ph.D in Sanskrit |
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Ph.D in Hindi Translation |
Ph.D in Urdu |
Ph.D in Experimental Medicine & Surgery |
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Ph.D in Community Medicine |
Ph.D in General Surgery |
Ph.D in Geriatric Medicine |
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Ph.D in Nephrology |
Ph.D in Pediatrics |
Ph.D in Pediatrics Surgery |
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Ph.D in Surgical Oncology |
Ph.D in Vocal |
Ph.D in Economics |
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Ph.D in Psychology |
Ph.D in Subaltern Studies |
Ph.D in Women Studies |
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Ph.D in Education |
Ph.D in Law |
Ph.D in Human Rights & Duties Education. |
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Ph.D in Management Studies |
Ph.D in Commerce |
Ph.D in Environment Sciences |
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Ph.D in Integrated M.Phil-Ph.D. Programme in ESD |
Ph.D in Agricultural Statistics |
Ph.D in Entomology |
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Ph.D in Fruit Science |
Ph.D in Floriculture and Landscaping |
Ph.D in Vegetable Science |
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Ph.D in Plant Physiology |
Ph.D in Plant Pathology |
Ph.D in Genetics and Plant Breeding |
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Ph.D. in Biochemistry |
Ph.D in Computer Science & Engineering |
Ph.D in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Track - 1 (TROH) |
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Ph.D in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Track - 2 (TRTH) |
Ph.D in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Track - 3 (TRDH) |
Ph.D in Ph.D. in Sociology |
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Ph.D. in History |
Ph.D. in Political Science |
Ph.D. in Instrumental (Sitar) |
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Ph.D. in Instrumental (Flute) |
Ph.D. in Instrumental (Tabla) |
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Eligibility Criteria for BHU PhD Admission
If you are willing to enroll in a BHU PhD program, you must fulfill all the eligibility requirements set by the university. You must go through all the eligibility criteria before applying.
If you do not meet the eligibility requirements, your PhD application will not be considered by BHU.
The Eligibility criteria for BHU PhD admission are mentioned below:
- Completed Master’s degree or equivalent in relevant discipline from a recognized university/institution with at least 55% marks.
OR
- Completed 4 Year/ 8 Semester Bachelor’s degree from a recognized University/Institution with a minimum 75% in aggregate.
- Must have qualified UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET within one year of application.
- Students in their final year with UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET qualification can also apply.
Duration of PhD at BHU
The duration of PhD(Doctor of Philosophy) at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) ranges between 3 years to 5 years. This duration can be further extended for 1 or 2 years after prior approval of the Departmental Research Committe and the supervisor. PhD Scholars failing to submit their Thesis/Dissertation within this stipulated time will not be getting any further extension and their candidature will be suspended.
However, if you are looking for a doctoral degree that can be completed within less time and offers flexibility, you can join the Online DBA program. The duration of this program is 3 years. This program is designed for working professionals and business executives who cannot quit their jobs to pursue on-campus PhD programs.
How Difficult is the BHU PhD Admission Process?
Being a central university, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is among the top choices for pursuing a doctorate. This attracts thousands of applications every year for PhD admission. With the limited number of seats for PhD in BHU, most of the students are eliminated in the admission process. The admission process for PhD in BHU is highly competitive and difficult.

From the session 2024-25, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is adopting the amendments of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in PhD admission exams. Now BHU will not conduct separate entrance exams for PhD admissions, it will be now based on the performance in the UGC NET/CSIR UGC NET.
BHU has abolished the Research Aptitude Test (RET) from the 2024- 25 session. This made the PhD admission more complex and challenging. However, with continuous dedicated preparation and persistence, one can easily secure a PhD seat at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).


















