Ph.D. Programme at Chanakya University

Advancing the Frontiers of Knowledge

Applications are invited for innovative and purposeful research leading to the award of Ph.D. degree from Indian and foreign nationals. We seek research proposals with inter/multi-disciplinary perspectives in exploring Solutions to Global Challenges. Currently, invitations are open for full-time mode only

Admissions are offered by the following Schools in the domains mentioned below:

School Research Domains
School of Arts, Humanities & Social SciencesEconomics, Media Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sanskrit, Cultural Studies, Development Studies, Gender Studies, Sociology, International Relations
School of Commerce & ManagementCommerce, Management 
School of Mathematics & Natural ScienceMathematics, Computer Science
School of Law, Governance and Public PolicyLaw, Public Policy
School of BiosciencesBiosciences

Eligibility: Chanakya University follows the Guidelines laid down by the University Grants Commission that includes the following-

  1. A 2-year/4-semester Master’s degree programme (with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) after a 3-year Bachelor’s degree programme (at least 60% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) OR
  2. A 1-year/2-semester Master’s degree programme (with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) after a 4-year/8-semester Bachelor’s degree programme (with at least 60% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed)  
  3. An equivalent qualification from a recognised and officially accredited foreign educational institution.
  4. Four-year Bachelors with research track and relevant research and publication record. 

Fee: The Annual Fee is INR 60,000 (Rupees Sixty Thousand). 

Commencement and Duration of the Programme: Interested applicants for the full-time PhD Programme can apply at any time through the academic year. The selected Ph.D. Scholar will formally join the University at the beginning each semester in the academic year (January and August) to attend the mandatory coursework of 16 to 20 credits followed by research on the selected topic for a minimum duration of three years (including course work), and a maximum duration of six years from the date of admission to the Ph.D. programme. Any exceptions to the duration will be in compliance with the terms and conditions by the UGC notified from time to time. 

Fellowship: Fellowships will be offered on a competitive mode to select candidates. The Fellowship will be provided for a period of 3 years with yearly increments sanctioned on the basis of the performance. Candidates who receive scholarships from UGC/CSIR JRF and other similar bodies, will not receive a second scholarship from the University.   

Application Procedure: Please register online at the following link- https://admissions.chanakyauniversity.in/ph-d-application-form and complete all the 5 steps outlined therein.

Before starting with the Application Form, please prepare the following documents (pdf) and keep them ready for uploading where requested. 

  1. S.S.C (10th) Exam Marks Card
  2. H.S.C (12th) Exam Marks Card
  3. Valid OBC Certificate issued by any Government Authority (if applicable)
  4. Income Certificate (if applicable)
  5. Graduation / Degree Certificate
  6. Post-Graduation Certificate
  7. Qualifying Test Certificate (if applicable)
  8. Fellowship Certificate (if applicable)
  9. Divyang Certificate (if applicable)     
  10. Cover Letter that should include the following-
    • Statement of Purpose that should include – self-introduction, professional goals (short term / long term), experiences and success stories, and soft skills learnt, if any. Motivation for joining PhD, with specific reference to reason/s for wanting to join the PhD Programme in Chanakya University (max. 1000 words)
    • Academic and Research experience (max. 200 words)
    • Domain of interest for carrying out research for the PhD Programme (max. 100 words)
  11. A brief proposal of 2000 words the area of interest, elaboration on the domain of interest (why this topic and what has been learnt so far), a literature survey and a bibliography.
  12. Two (2) writing samples of original work of Research/Project/Paper/Book reviews

Selection Procedure:

  1. Selected candidates will be intimated to appear for an online Entrance Test (based on the domain knowledge and experience of the candidate) to be conducted by Chanakya University. 
  2. Candidates who have secured a minimum of 50% marks in the entrance test will be eligible to be called for a personal interview that will include a writing test as well. 
  3. While candidates qualifying in the UGC/CSIR JRF or NET or KSET or GATE and similar examinations are exempted from the PhD entrance test, they will be called for a personal interview, during which they will also present the relevant certificates for simultaneous scrutiny.