Jawaharlal Nehru University announces Entrance Exam (JNUEE) for Admission to PhD program in Korean Studies and Cinema Studies for Session 2025-26
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has announced that it will hold its own entrance exam (JNUEE) for PhD Admission in Korean Studies and Cinema Studies for the 2025–26 academic year. These two subjects are not covered under the University Grants Commission’s NET (UGC-NET), so a separate test is necessary. For all other PhD programs, admissions will be based on UGC-NET scores.
According to university officials, this decision was made by the concerned departments and approved by their deans, showing JNU’s decentralized and democratic academic structure. A spokesperson also said that although NET and CUET are widely available, there is no relevant UGC-NET subject for Korean or Cinema Studies.
Earlier, JNU conducted its own entrance exam (JNUEE) for all programs. But after CUET was introduced for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and following the New Education Policy (NEP), JNU began using UGC-NET scores for PhD admissions.
A recent report of the Indian Express highlighted the financial reasons behind limiting the JNUEE. Although some departments like Schools of Arts & Aesthetics and Language, Literature & Culture Studies wanted to restore the JNUEE model, cost constraints allowed JNU to reinstate the entrance exam only for these two programs.
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) welcomed the decision to hold entrance exams for Korean and Cinema Studies but continued their hunger strike—now on its seventh day—demanding the complete reinstatement of JNUEE for all PhD admissions and greater transparency in the admission process
The application process for JNU PhD admissions 2025 is ongoing on its official website- jnuee.jnu.ac.in. The last date to apply is July 7. As per the admission policy, UGC-NET scores will carry 70% weightage, and the remaining 30% will be based on the viva-voce (interview).
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