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The university is located in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. It was established in 2019 and is fully funded by the Central Government through the UGC.
Candidates must register and submit their applications online through the SAMARTH registration portal: https://ctuapadm.samarth.edu.in. Submission of the online form is mandatory.
The registration fee is non-refundable. The fee structure is as follows (excluding transaction charges):
General / OBC (Non-creamy layer): ₹1,500/-
SC / ST / EWS / PwD: ₹700/-
There are a total of 32 seats available across 10 different departments for the academic year 2026-27.
Yes. Within the UR category, one seat in Tourism Management is earmarked for PwD (Category a - Blind and Low Vision), and one seat in Chemistry is earmarked for PwD (Category b - Deaf and hard of hearing).
Candidates must have a 2-year/4-semester Master's degree after a 3-year Bachelor's degree, OR a 1-year/2-semester Master's degree after a 4-year/8-semester Bachelor's degree. Foreign degrees must be accredited by an approved assessment agency.
General/EWS/OBC: Minimum 55% marks or equivalent grade.
SC/ST/PwD: Minimum 50% marks or equivalent grade (5% relaxation).
Note for 4-year UG degree holders: Candidates seeking admission directly after a 4-year Bachelor's degree must have a minimum of 75% marks (70% for SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwD/EWS).
Each department has specific eligible qualifying degrees (e.g., Tourism Management requires MBA-TTM/MTTM/MA-Tourism, etc.). Candidates must refer to the detailed table in Section 5 of the official notification to verify their specific eligibility.
As per UGC guidelines (March 2024), the university will primarily use National Eligibility Test (NET) or similar national-level exam scores. However, a University Entrance Test will be conducted for candidates who do not fall under the NET-qualified categories.
Only the scores from the June 2025, December 2025, and June 2026 cycles of the UGC/CSIR NET examination will be considered. Scores from any previous cycles will NOT be accepted.
Category 1 (JRF Awardees): 100% weightage is given to the NET-JRF exam performance (subject to JRF validity).
Category 2 & 3 (Assistant Professor/PhD qualified): 70% weightage to the normalized NET score + 30% weightage to the interview/viva.
University Entrance Test: 70% weightage to the entrance test + 30% weightage to the interview.
The syllabus will consist of 50% Research Methodology and 50% subject-specific content. Department-wise syllabi will be made available on the university website.
Candidates must secure at least 50% marks in the entrance test to be called for the interview. A relaxation of 5% (i.e., 45%) is allowed for SC/ST/OBC/PwD/EWS categories.
No. Eligible candidates must appear for the interview strictly in offline mode on the notified date and time. Requests for online interviews will not be entertained.
Candidates with valid fellowships/scholarships from recognized national agencies (UGC, CSIR, ICAR, DBT, ICMR, NBHM, NCSC, NCST, etc.) are eligible for admission under Category 1, provided the fellowship remains valid as on the date of admission. If it expires before the admission date, the candidature will be automatically cancelled.
Yes. SC, ST, OBC-NCL, and EWS applicants who meet the UR eligibility criteria will be included in the UR merit list and can compete for UR seats purely on merit.
The OBC (NCL) and EWS certificates must be issued in the candidate’s name by a competent authority after March 31, 2026. No extensions will be permitted to submit these certificates.
All certificates (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS) must be in the prescribed Government of India format and issued by competent authorities (e.g., District Magistrate, Deputy Commissioner, Tehsildar). PwD certificates must be from a District CMO, Civil Surgeon, or Medical Superintendent of a Govt Health Care Institution.
The minimum duration is 3 years (including coursework), and the standard maximum duration is 6 years from the date of admission.
Yes, candidates can seek re-registration before the end of the 6-year period. A maximum of 2 additional years can be granted via re-registration, making the absolute maximum duration 8 years.
Yes. Women candidates and Persons with Disabilities (having more than 40% disability) are allowed a relaxation of 2 years on the maximum duration. For them, the total maximum duration to complete the PhD can go up to 10 years.
Applications open on 16/07/2026 and the closing date for submission is 06/08/2026.
The PhD Entrance Examination is scheduled from 24/08/2026 to 30/08/2026, and the Interviews are scheduled from 21/09/2026 to 25/09/2026. (Note: Candidates are advised to check the university website for any updates, as dates in the initial draft are subject to alterations).
No. The university will not send individual intimations. All lists (eligible candidates, entrance test results, selected/waitlisted candidates) and admission schedules will be published strictly on the University website.
Failure to deposit the admission fee within the stipulated time frame will result in the immediate cancellation of your admission offer. The seat will then be offered to the next candidate on the waitlist based on merit.
For any admission-related queries, you can email the university at: phdadmissions@ctuap.ac.in