Free tool, planning and viva
PhD rules by university
One university’s PhD rules, or two side by side.
With this tool you can compare the PhD rules of 9 universities in our five cities, with each other and with the UGC 2022 minimum.
UGC regulations give only the minimum, and most universities add their own conditions over it. For example, one university asks for two Scopus papers before you submit the thesis. Another one asks for no paper at all. Some universities allow only 10%, and JNTU Hyderabad allows up to 24%. We have seen a Hyderabad scholar going by the ordinance his friend in Chennai was following, and he lost some months because of that. Select your university first. If you are deciding between two, add the second one also and see the differences in one table.
Rules, university by university
Open any university for its full card. Wherever the source gives a clause number, we have put that number also. Go straight to:
- Bangalore University
- VTU (Belagavi)
- Anna University (Chennai)
- University of Madras (Chennai)
- Bharathiar University (Coimbatore)
- JNTUH (Hyderabad)
- Osmania University (Hyderabad)
- University of Hyderabad
- University of Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram)
UGC 2022 minimum (applies everywhere)
- Master’s marks needed
A master’s at 55% qualifies you, as does a four-year bachelor’s at 75%. An M.Phil. at 55% is also accepted. Clause 3 gives a 5% relaxation to differently-abled, EWS, SC, ST and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates, and to other groups that UGC names.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
Clause 5(2) allows two routes. Holders of a fellowship through GATE, CEED, UGC-NET, CSIR-NET or a comparable national test join after an interview. Otherwise you sit the university’s own entrance test, half on the subject and half on research methodology. Reaching 50% (45% with relaxation) earns an interview. In the final selection, the test supplies 70% and the interview 30%. From 2024, NET scores may also be used just for PhD admission.
- Coursework
A minimum of 12 credits. These must include a course in research methodology and one in Research and Publication Ethics (clause 9(1)). Clause 9(3) sets 55% as the mark needed to continue. Online courses recognised by UGC may be counted if your Research Advisory Committee agrees.
- Full-time duration
Clause 4(1) sets three years as the minimum, coursework included, and six as the maximum. Up to two extra years are possible through re-registration, making eight in all. Clause 4(2) lets women and persons with a disability above 40% be allowed two more, making ten.
- Part-time duration
Identical to full-time. The minimum is three years including coursework, the maximum six, and up to two more years are possible by re-registering. A university is free to fix a longer minimum for part-time scholars.
- Publications needed
Not required. Nothing in the 2022 regulations asks you to publish before you submit. Under the 2016 regulations (clause 9.4), scholars needed two conference presentations and one refereed journal paper. Your own university may still require papers.
- Similarity cap
A separate set of rules governs this: the UGC plagiarism regulations of 2018. Similarity up to 10% is Level 0 and carries no penalty. More than 10% and up to 40%: you resubmit a revised thesis within six months. More than 40% and up to 60%: you cannot submit a revised script for one year. More than 60%: your registration is cancelled (Regulations 8 and 12.1).
- Layout of the thesis
No UGC 2022 clause sets a layout. Under clause 11, the thesis is submitted with an undertaking that it is free of plagiarism and a certificate of originality from the supervisor. The format is decided by your university.
Related guides:
Where these facts come from:
Bangalore University
- Master’s marks needed
A master’s at 55% qualifies you, as does a four-year bachelor’s at 75%. Clause 3 gives 5% relaxation to PwD, SC, ST, Category-I and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates. An M.Phil. is accepted only with 55%, and only if earned in regular mode in 2009 or earlier.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
The 120-minute, 100-mark test is half subject and half research methodology. Reaching 50% (45% if reserved) earns an interview, and the final score is the test at 70% plus the interview at 30% (clause 5.3). Fellowship holders are chosen on interview alone (5.1.1). Holders of NET, KSET, SLET or GATE are excused the test but still ranked (5.2). Each of the two streams gets half the seats (11.6.4).
- Coursework
One semester, attended full-time, with three papers of four credits each: Research Methodology and Publication Ethics, a core or cognate paper, and a paper in the field of your supervisor (clause 12). The pass mark is 50% per paper and 55% overall, and attendance must be 75%.
- Full-time duration
Clause 4.1 sets a three-year minimum, counting coursework, and a six-year maximum. The Doctoral Committee can add up to two years, and clause 4.2 gives two more to women and to scholars whose disability exceeds 40%. Under clause 17.1 a full-time thesis can go in once three years have passed, and must go in within five, counted from provisional registration.
- Part-time duration
Clause 17.1: a part-time scholar submits after four years and within six of provisional registration. Clause 4.5 also asks for at least 120 working days, outside coursework, at the supervisor’s department, college or research centre.
- Publications needed
Clause 17.10: proof of two articles with you as first author in refereed, peer-reviewed or UGC-CARE journals, or of two first-author papers presented at conferences or seminars. Reprints or certificates go in with the thesis. UGC stopped updating the UGC-CARE list in October 2024 and discontinued it in 2025, so ask which journals the university accepts now.
- Similarity cap
Under clause 17.5 the bound thesis carries three items: the University Library’s certified similarity report, your own undertaking, and the supervisor’s certificate of originality. The library policy is built on the UGC 2018 regulations, where 10% or less is Level 0. Your own papers are left out only if the supervisor lists them in a Self Plagiarism Exclusion Certificate. Confirm the figure the library applies.
- Layout of the thesis
Appendix 7 asks for back-to-back printing on A4 paper. Body text is Times New Roman 12, spaced at 1.5. Leave 1.5″ at the left edge and 1″ on the other three sides. Quotations longer than two sentences are single-spaced and indented. The first chapter is titled INTRODUCTION and the last CONCLUSION.
Format guide: Bangalore University PhD thesis. The regulation itself: Bangalore University PhD regulations, 2024.
Where these facts come from:
Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU)
- Master’s marks needed
For engineering, you need an M.S. (Research), M.E. or M.Tech., with 60% (or a 6.75 CGPA) at either the bachelor’s or the master’s stage; see clause 23PHD 2.1.1. For management, 60% or 6.75 at master’s level. Applicants with a four-year bachelor’s need 75%. Under 23PHD 2.1.6, EWS, differently abled, SC, ST and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates get 5% relaxation.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
Half of the VTU Eligibility Test for Research covers research methodology and half the subject (23PHD 4.1). Its 100 multiple-choice marks are scaled down to 70. The qualifying score is 35 of 70, or 31 for reserved categories, and is followed by a 30-mark interview. You are exempt with a valid ETR score, an M.Phil., CAT, GATE, SLET, CSIR-NET or UGC-NET (with JRF) (23PHD 4.2.2). Supervisor vacancies go first to exempt candidates (23PHD 4.3.4).
- Coursework
A minimum of 12 credits, in which Research Methodology and Research and Publication Ethics are compulsory. On the RAC’s recommendation, you take it through NPTEL or your own institution. You must score 55% (23PHD 6.1) within two years and then pass a viva-voce.
- Full-time duration
Between three and six years (23PHD 7.2.7). An extension of up to two years is possible. Women and candidates with a disability above 40% are allowed a further two.
- Part-time duration
Four years minimum, coursework included, and six at most (23PHD 7.2.8 and 7.2.9). Until the final synopsis, a part-time scholar must also be present at the centre for 15 days or more, two times a year, ahead of every RAC review.
- Publications needed
Under item 13 of the 2026 thesis checklist, recent batches need one paper in a Scopus-indexed journal ranked Q1 to Q3. Earlier batches may instead show two UGC-CARE papers, or two in Scopus, SCI or Web of Science. Under the 2023 regulations, two such papers are needed before the pre-submission colloquium. Both you and your guide must be named on the paper. UGC stopped updating the UGC-CARE list in October 2024 and discontinued it in 2025, so ask which journals the university accepts now.
- Similarity cap
VTU is not consistent here. Its PhD formats page carries an anti-plagiarism procedure that permits up to 25%. The 2024 PhD Manual sets 10% or less and excludes the bibliography, index and references. Aiming for 10% is the safer choice.
- Layout of the thesis
Page order is fixed by the THESIS FORMAT template of July 2025, and theses that do not follow it are fined. An earlier guideline gives A4, 1.5 spacing and 12-point body text. Margins are 1.25″ on the left and 1″ on the right, with 0.75″ above and below. Reference numbers follow the order of citation.
Format guide: VTU PhD thesis format. The regulation itself: Ph.D. Regulations 2023.
Where these facts come from:
- VTU “Ph.D. by research” web page, with formats and the anti-plagiarism procedure
- THESIS FORMAT circular from VTU, 15 July 2025 (PDF)
- PhD Manual, 2024 edition, from VTU (PDF)
- Thesis checklist issued by VTU in March 2026 (PDF)
- Notification for VTU-ETR-2026, dated 31 August 2026 (PDF)
- VTU’s 2023 PhD regulations on minimum standards and procedure (PDF)
Anna University
- Master’s marks needed
You need 55% in a master’s, or a 10-point CGPA of 5.5. The bar is 50% or 5.0 for SC and ST candidates and for those with a disability above 40%. Clause 2 requires your degree to fit the faculty you are applying to.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
The written test lasts two hours. A quarter covers research methodology and three quarters your PG subject. A score of 50% takes you to the interview; SC, ST and candidates with a disability above 40% get 5% relaxation. Clause 5.3 ranks you 70% on the test and 30% on the interview. Under clause 5.4, a valid GATE or NET score exempts you from the test and is used in its place.
- Coursework
Clause 13.1.2 asks for four PG courses (12 credits) that were not part of your master’s. Up to four Swayam-NPTEL PG courses may be taken instead. Clause 13.1.6 expects the courses done within two years of provisional registration, allows two attempts per course, and cancels the registration if they are not cleared within three years. You also need a CGPA of 7.0 (13.1.8) and a comprehensive examination before registration is confirmed.
- Full-time duration
Engineering and Technology, and Architecture and Planning: two years minimum (clause 10.2). Science and Humanities: three years (10.3). Management: two years if your first degree is in engineering, three if it is in science or humanities (10.4). Clause 10.7 sets six years as the ceiling in every faculty. Under clause 11.1 you apply three months before the six years end, and the Director (Research) can give up to two years’ grace. A woman scholar, or one with a disability above 40%, can be given two years beyond that.
- Part-time duration
Engineering and Technology, and Architecture and Planning: three years minimum (clause 10.2). Science and Humanities: four years (10.3). Management follows your first degree, as for full-time. The ceiling is the same six years (10.7), with up to two years’ grace under clause 11.1. In the last six months of any grace period, the synopsis and thesis go in together.
- Publications needed
Before your synopsis can be accepted, you need at least one full-length research article (clause 16.2). It must come out after you join. The journal must be on the Centre for Research list, and the article must be in a regular issue. A granted Indian utility patent may replace it. Submitting three months early requires two (clause 16.1).
- Similarity cap
Under CFR’s plagiarism policy, the similarity report goes in once you reach Level 0 (10% or less). The count leaves out references, contents, acknowledgements, standard equations and papers of your own that you claim.
- Layout of the thesis
Use CFR’s official Word or LaTeX template, on A4, in Times New Roman 13 with 1.5 line spacing. The main body is 100 to 400 pages long. Citations use an author–year style similar to Harvard. Abstracts of roughly 400 words, one in English and one in Tamil, are submitted along with the thesis.
Format guide: Anna University thesis format. The regulation itself: Ph.D. Regulations R2025.
Where these facts come from:
University of Madras
- Master’s marks needed
Clause 2.1 wants 55% in the PG degree, or a B grade on UGC’s seven-point scale, after the usual 10+2, UG and PG route. SC, ST and differently abled applicants need only 50%. So does anyone whose master’s was awarded before 19 September 1991. Clause 2.2 leaves out grace marks.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
Each institution sets its own test out of 50: 35 marks are written and 15 oral. The pass mark is 25 (clause 3.3). Merit is split 50:50 between PG marks and the test (clause 3.2.1). Under clause 3.1.3, ICMR, DBT, DST-INSPIRE, UGC-JRF and CSIR-JRF fellows are admitted without sitting it. NET, SET or GATE without a fellowship brings no named exemption.
- Coursework
Sixteen credits over four courses. Research and Publication Ethics carries 2 credits and Research Methodology 4. An advanced course in the subject and a course built around your research theme carry 5 each. Every course ends in a 100-mark, three-hour paper, with a pass mark of 55%. MOOCs may supply up to four credits.
- Full-time duration
Three years minimum and six maximum. Holding an M.Phil. cuts the minimum by a year (clause 7.1). The thesis is due one to six months after the synopsis, and one six-month extension is possible, but clauses 12.6 and 12.7 cap everything at six years: no thesis is accepted after that.
- Part-time duration
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: Research Regulations 2021, amended March 2023
- Publications needed
Before the synopsis: one paper in a journal indexed in SCI, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science or UGC-CARE. Before the thesis: one paper or poster presented at a conference or seminar (clause 12.2). Your affiliation must name the university. UGC stopped updating the UGC-CARE list in October 2024 and discontinued it in 2025, so ask which journals the university accepts now.
- Similarity cap
No percentage appears in the regulations. The similarity certificate comes from the University Library. A thesis is accepted when its similarity is acceptable under the rules the Syndicate frames from time to time. The library can tell you the figure in force now.
- Layout of the thesis
Clause 13.6 asks for double-sided printing, 12-point type, and line spacing of either 1.5 or 2.0. The binding is soft and white, carrying the university logo. You add a Tamil abstract of no more than ten pages and a certificate from the Tamil Virtual Academy. Margins, typeface, page limit and citation style are not fixed.
Format guide: University of Madras PhD thesis. The regulation itself: Research Regulations 2021, amended March 2023.
Where these facts come from:
Bharathiar University
- Master’s marks needed
Clause 2.1 asks for a master’s with 55% (grade B on UGC’s seven-point scale), resting on 17 years of study. A 5% relaxation applies to SC, ST and differently-abled candidates and to other groups named by Tamil Nadu. Clause 2.2 excludes PG degrees in medicine, law and agriculture, as well as M.E. and M.Tech.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
The Common Eligibility Test (CET) has 50 one-mark questions and no negative marking. You need 15 to be called for interview. Your PG marks are scaled to 50, the CET carries 50 marks and the interview 10, so the parts add up to 110. Even so, the regulations state the admission bar as 50 out of 100: at least 25 of 50 from PG, and 25 from the CET and interview together. Holders of DST-INSPIRE, GATE, SET, SLET, UGC-NET or CSIR-NET (JRF included), an M.Phil., or FIP or FDP skip the CET.
- Coursework
Clause 18.1 sets three papers for Part I: a special paper, an advanced course and research methodology. Each paper is 100 marks over three hours. You have five attempts to reach 50 in each paper and 55% overall. If your M.Phil. is in the same area, you are exempt.
- Full-time duration
Clause 19: with a PG degree, a full-time thesis goes in no earlier than three years and no later than five years from registration (two and four with an M.Phil.). Early submission is never allowed. Paid extensions, six months at a time, stretch this by two years at most. You also need 75% attendance every year.
- Part-time duration
Clause 19: with a PG degree, a part-time thesis goes in no earlier than four years and no later than six years from registration (three and five with an M.Phil.). The same six-month extensions, up to two years in all, apply.
- Publications needed
You need two or more papers in journals indexed in SCI, SCIE or Scopus, or in peer-reviewed ones; arts, humanities and social sciences use SSCI, AHCI or Scopus. You also give two talks at seminars or conferences. Proceedings papers are excluded. For the synopsis, acceptance of the papers is sufficient.
- Similarity cap
Checked on DrillBit, chapters only, with 10% as the ceiling. The certificate is valid for 15 days after it is issued.
- Layout of the thesis
Cover, certificates and number of copies are fixed by the regulations; margins, fonts and citation style are not. Leaving aside the bibliography, tables and diagrams, the main text has a limit of 275 A4 pages. The cover should be thin and flexible rather than hard-bound.
Format guide: Bharathiar University PhD thesis. The regulation itself: Ph.D. Regulations 2025–26.
Where these facts come from:
JNTU Hyderabad (JNTUH)
- Master’s marks needed
The 2026-27 notices ask for a 55% master’s in the relevant branch, with 5% relaxation for EWS, differently abled, SC, ST and BC candidates. The degree must already be held on the notification date.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
The computer test lasts two hours and has 100 multiple-choice questions. To pass, OC candidates need 40%, BC 35%, and SC, ST and PH 30%. You are exempt with UGC-NET, CSIR-NET, SLET, or a valid GATE or GPAT score; an M.Phil. also exempts you for the research-centre and external programmes. Then comes a 50-mark interview, with 30 marks for your degrees and papers and 20 for the subject interview.
- Coursework
First comes a one-week course in Research Methodology, run by the Directorate of R&D, needing 75% attendance. Then, in the first one or two semesters, four theory subjects (clause 8).
- Full-time duration
You may submit three years after admission at the earliest. No maximum is stated.
- Part-time duration
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: JNTUH PhD academic regulations, in force from 2021-22
- Publications needed
Clause 9.1 requires four papers on which you are the first-named author, at least two of them in journals that Scopus, SCI or Web of Science covers. As an alternative, one paper together with a recognised patent is accepted. The clause still points to the UGC-CARE list in doubtful cases, though UGC stopped updating it in October 2024 and discontinued it in 2025.
- Similarity cap
The overall similarity limit is 24%. Apart from your own papers, no single source may exceed 3%. You are checked after the Colloquium and have three attempts.
- Layout of the thesis
Use Bookman Old Style 12 with 1.5 spacing on A4 paper of 100 GSM, printed double-sided. The left margin is 1.5″ and the rest are 1″. The binding is soft, the cover white 300 GSM, and the lettering navy blue.
Format guide: JNTUH PhD thesis format. The regulation itself: JNTUH PhD academic regulations, in force from 2021-22.
Where these facts come from:
Osmania University
- Master’s marks needed
Under the Category-II notification (24 August 2026), you need a master’s in the subject with 55%; SC, ST, BC, PWD and EWS candidates need 50%. Under rule 3, a four-year bachelor’s at 75% or an M.Phil. at 55% is also accepted. Your PG result has to be declared before you apply.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
Category-II involves a 90-minute computer test of 100 questions, scaled to 70 marks, and a 30-mark interview. Qualifying marks are 45% for Open, 40% for BC and EWS, and 35% for SC, ST and PwD (rule 7.2(c)). Category-I admits by interview alone and is for JRF holders and for QIP, FIP, NFPWD, NFST, NFSC and DST-INSPIRE fellows (rule 6.1). Holding NET without JRF does not exempt you.
- Coursework
One semester, four papers (rule 20.4). Research Methodology and the advanced subject paper carry 4 credits each. Research and Publication Ethics and Artificial Intelligence carry 2 each. You need 55% to pass (rule 20.5). If your M.Phil. was in regular mode and had the same coursework, you are exempt (rule 20.2).
- Full-time duration
Four years minimum, coursework included, and six years at most from joining, extensions included (rule 4.1). Rule 24 allows extensions of up to a year at a time, two years in all for full-time scholars, but registration lapses on its own at six years. Clause 27.1 says full-time scholars may submit after three years of research, which sits oddly with the four-year minimum, so ask the Dean’s office.
- Part-time duration
Five years minimum, coursework included, and the same six-year hard limit (rule 4.1). Part-time scholars can get at most one year of extension in all (rule 24). Clause 27.1 allows submission after four years of research, so check the timing with the Dean’s office.
- Publications needed
Rule 25: two papers drawn from your thesis work, each co-written with your supervisor and published in a journal that Web of Science or Scopus indexes. CARE journals counted under the 2024-25 rules. The 2026-27 rules dropped them, and UGC itself discontinued that list in 2025.
- Similarity cap
Clause 28.1 caps the similarity index at 10% and AI-generated content similarity at 20%, measured on software approved by the university. Both limits appear in an undertaking you sign (clause 27.4(a)).
- Layout of the thesis
Clause 27.13: print double-sided on A4. Times New Roman is used at 12 point, with lines 1.5 apart. References follow one standard style, chosen from Oxford, Harvard, IEEE or APA 7th. The Controller of Examinations receives four soft-bound copies plus a CD.
Format guide: Osmania University PhD thesis. The regulation itself: Ph.D. Rules and Regulations 2026-2027.
Where these facts come from:
University of Hyderabad
- Master’s marks needed
General and EWS candidates need 55% in the master’s; SC, ST, OBC and PwD candidates need 50%. These are the UGC 2022 rules, which the 91st Academic Council adopted on 6 April 2023. A few programmes take four-year honours-with-research graduates who have 75%.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
In 2026-27 the university’s own 70-mark test, plus a 30-mark interview, was the route into 28 programmes. The bar is 50%, or 45% for PwD, OBC-NCL, SC and ST candidates. Category-1 JRF holders are excused the test, and their interview mark is scaled to 100. Another seventeen programmes went by a UGC-NET or CSIR-NET score followed by an interview.
- Coursework
Between 12 and 14 credits, which must include a paper on ethics and one on methodology. Registration is confirmed once you reach 55%.
- Full-time duration
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: Prospectus 2026-27
- Part-time duration
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: Prospectus 2026-27
- Publications needed
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: Prospectus 2026-27
- Similarity cap
The anti-plagiarism guidelines in the 2026-27 prospectus cap similarity at 10% for PhD theses (and for M.Phil. and M.Tech work). Overlap with a paper on which you are first author is ignored, with the paper or its acceptance attached as an annexure. If you are not first author, the supervisor and the Head or Dean decide.
- Layout of the thesis
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: Prospectus 2026-27
The regulation itself: Prospectus 2026-27.
Where these facts come from:
University of Kerala
- Master’s marks needed
A master’s at 55% qualifies you, as does a four-year bachelor’s at 75%. Under the July 2026 notice, EWS, differently abled, SC, ST and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates get a 5-mark relaxation, applied only to the marks shown on your mark list.
- Entrance test, and the NET/JRF route
The written test lasts three hours and carries 100 marks, half on research methodology and half on your subject. Each part needs 50%, relaxed by 10% for SC and ST and by 5% for EWS, OBC and differently abled candidates. The test counts for 70% of selection and the interview for 30%. You are exempt with seven years of college teaching, an M.Phil. (B or 55%), approved fellowships, GATE, SLET, DST-INSPIRE, DBT-JRF, CSIR-NET, JRF or UGC-NET (all three categories).
- Coursework
In the first year after registration, at least one semester of coursework carrying 14 credits. Every scholar must take Research and Publication Ethics (Paper II).
- Full-time duration
From three to six years after admission (clause 4). Two extra years may be granted by the Syndicate. A further two are open to women scholars and to scholars with a disability above 40%.
- Part-time duration
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: University of Kerala PhD regulations, 2022
- Publications needed
The documents we checked don’t state this. See the regulation itself: University of Kerala PhD regulations, 2022
- Similarity cap
No percentage or software is named in the 2022 regulations. Clause 11(3) states only that the University will use “well-developed software applications” to detect plagiarism. Along with the thesis, you submit an undertaking that it is free of plagiarism and an originality certificate from your supervisor (clause 11(4)).
- Layout of the thesis
No thesis format manual has been published by the University. Paper size, margins, font and binding are therefore settled with your supervisor. The thesis form calls for the thesis in four copies, along with a one-page synopsis, without your name, in ten copies.
Format guide: University of Kerala PhD thesis. The regulation itself: University of Kerala PhD regulations, 2022.
Where these facts come from:
Not sure the answer fits your study? WhatsApp us or call, and we’ll look at it with you.
How the tool works
Every university gets one card, and each card has eight rules. They are the marks needed in the master’s degree, the entrance test and the NET or JRF route, coursework, full-time and part-time duration, the publications needed before submission, the similarity cap, and the thesis layout. We took every rule from the university’s own documents only. That means its PhD regulations, its latest admission notification or the plagiarism procedure of its library. These documents are listed on the card with links. A few rules we found in some other document, not the main one, and for those you will see a “Check the source” link under the rule. We compiled the cards on 20 October 2026.
We have kept the universities under the city they serve.
- Bangalore has Bangalore University and VTU.
- Chennai has Anna University and the University of Madras.
- Coimbatore has Bharathiar University.
- Hyderabad has JNTU Hyderabad, Osmania University and the University of Hyderabad.
- Trivandrum has the University of Kerala.
Pick a university in the first menu and the comparison table will come up. If you pick a second university also, the table shows both of them side by side. The UGC 2022 minimum always comes in the end of the table, in the last column. So you can see where your university asks for more than UGC. There is a button to copy a link of the comparison. Send this link to your guide, and your guide will see same comparison when they open it.
In some cases we searched the documents and the rule was not written anywhere. Then the card says so openly and gives the link to the main regulation, and we have not filled any guess in that place. That is why a few cards have many rules marked as not stated, like Bangalore University and the University of Hyderabad.
Below the table, all the cards are printed on the page itself. So you can read and search them with JavaScript off. After you know the duration rules of your university, put your dates in our PhD timeline planner.
Questions scholars ask
My university’s card has a blank. Where do I find the rule?
Open the regulation linked on the card and search inside it for the topic, like “plagiarism” or “duration”. If nothing is written there, go to the research section or the Dean of Research. Ask them which circular they are applying, and request it in writing. Keep it with your papers.
The card says one thing and my department says another. Who is right?
Follow the current written rule of your university. Sometimes a department goes by old practice, and our cards can also become outdated. Ask your department which circular or clause they are using. If it is newer than the documents listed on the card, go with it. Please inform us also, so we can update the card.
Which rules differ most between universities?
Mostly the publication rule and the similarity cap. For publications, the UGC 2022 minimum asks for no papers at all, and JNTU Hyderabad asks for four. The similarity cap is 10% in several universities, while JNTU Hyderabad allows 24%. Check these two rules for your own university first. Do it early itself, because getting papers published takes months.
Does the UGC 2022 minimum override my university’s rules?
No. UGC only fixes the minimum. On top of that your university is free to add more conditions. For example it may want papers before submission, or keep the similarity cap lower than UGC. Going below the UGC minimum is not allowed for them. If you joined before 7 November 2022, check with your university once, because some universities decided to keep those scholars under the 2016 regulations.
Is UGC-CARE still a valid route for the publication rule?
After a decision in October 2024, UGC stopped listing journals in UGC-CARE, and the list has not been updated after that. But the word UGC-CARE is still there in some ordinances, and how a university treats that clause now is differing from place to place. Check the current rule of your university before you choose any journal.
Is what I choose recorded?
No. Your browser builds the comparison from the data already on this page. On our side we only get a count that the tool was used one time, nothing about which university you picked.
Stuck on a chapter? Talk it through with us.
Call or WhatsApp, say where you are in your thesis, and we’ll tell you plainly what kind of help makes sense, if any.