Kurukshetra University (KUK), Kurukshetra, Haryana, has issued the Handbook of Information for Ph.D. Admission 2026-27. The first-round admission process invites eligible candidates to apply for available Ph.D. seats across the University’s departments, institutes and other listed academic units.

The online application portal opened on 5 October 2026. The last date to submit the application without late fee is 19 October 2026 at 11:55 PM. Applications with a late fee of ₹2,000 can be submitted up to 23 October 2026 at 11:55 PM.

Admission is subject to eligibility, merit, available seats and the availability of an appropriate research supervisor. Candidates should read the official Handbook of Information and confirm subject-wise requirements before applying.

1. Admission Overview
2. Important Dates
3. Departments and Research Areas
4. Eligibility Criteria
5. Seat Availability
6. Application Fee and Ph.D. Fee Structure
7. Admission and Selection Process
8. Fellowship and Financial Assistance
9. Documents Required
10. How to Apply
11. Important Instructions
12. Helpdesk
13. Official Links

Date clarification: The uploaded Handbook prints the first-list fee payment deadline as “17-11-2025”, which appears inconsistent with the 2026-27 schedule. Please verify the correct date directly on the official admission portal before relying on it.

The Handbook includes Ph.D. seat information for departments, institutes and academic units. The listed areas include the following. Availability and specialisation-specific seats must be checked in the official seat matrix.

• Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology
• Biochemistry
• Biotechnology
• Botany
• Chemistry, including Inorganic, Physical and Organic specialisations
• Computer Science and Applications
• Economics
• Education
• Electronic Science
• English
• Foreign Languages
• Geography
• Geology
• Geophysics
• Hindi
• History
• Home Science
• Library and Information Science
• Law
• Management Studies
• Mathematics
• Microbiology
• Music and Dance
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Philosophy
• Physical Education
• Physics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Punjabi
• Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit
• Social Work
• Sociology
• Statistics and Operational Research
• Tourism and Hotel Management
• Women’s Studies Research Centre
• Zoology
• Other departments/institutes listed in the official seat matrix

Important: A department may list a main subject, allied subjects or a specific specialisation as the qualifying subject. Do not assume that every listed department has vacancies for every subject or category. Consult the official seat matrix in the Handbook before selecting a research area.

Applicants must meet the University’s eligibility rules and the subject-specific requirements of the department/institute in which they seek admission.

• A one-year/two-semester master’s degree after a four-year/eight-semester bachelor’s degree, or a two-year/four-semester master’s degree after a three-year bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the relevant statutory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade.
• Candidates with a four-year/eight-semester bachelor’s degree (Honours with Research) may be eligible with at least 75% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade.
• Candidates who have completed an M.Phil. degree with at least 55% marks or equivalent grade may also be eligible.
• A relaxation of 5 percentage points may be available for the categories specified in the Handbook: OSC/DSC/BC (Block A and B, non-creamy layer), Differently-Abled and EWS of Haryana, subject to the applicable rules.
• Applicants for the part-time Ph.D. programme must have at least two years of full-time work experience and submit the required No Objection Certificate from their employer.
• Additional subject-specific or special requirements may apply. For example, the Handbook specifies an additional Sanskrit diploma requirement for certain research topics in Classical Indian Philosophy where the candidate did not study Sanskrit at B.A. or M.A. level.

Meeting the minimum eligibility criteria or qualifying an entrance test does not guarantee admission. Admission also depends on merit, available seats and the availability of a suitable supervisor.

The Handbook contains a category-wise vacant-seat matrix for full-time scholars, including categories such as All India Category (AIC), Haryana General Category (HGC), EWS, OSC, DSC, BC-A, BC-B and other applicable reserved categories. Seat availability varies by department, main subject, allied subject and category.

Use the official Handbook’s “Category-wise Vacant Seats for Full Time Scholars” table to check the exact vacancy and subject requirements before applying. The published seats may cover University Teaching Departments, institutes and affiliated colleges as specified in the Handbook.

Open the official KUK website to access the complete seat matrix.

Application Processing Fee

The Handbook states that the application processing fee is non-refundable. The ₹350 concession is specified for the eligible categories of Haryana only.

Ph.D. Fee Structure (as listed in the Handbook)

The Handbook states that the fees under items 1–6 are payable at the time of admission. Candidates who passed M.Phil. through regular mode are exempted from the coursework fee as specified in the Handbook. Confirm the applicable total and any additional charges with the University/department before payment.

The Handbook provides for admission through valid NET/GATE/GPAT scores where applicable and through an entrance test in subjects where UGC does not conduct NET, as well as for part-time Ph.D. candidates.

Full-Time Candidates

The stated order of preference includes candidates with valid NET Category 1 in the main subject, NET Category 1 in an allied subject, eligible DST-INSPIRE fellows, NET Category 2 or 3 in the main/allied subject, valid GATE/GPAT in the main/allied subject, and candidates qualifying through an entrance test where applicable. The precise merit method depends on the qualifying route and applicable weightages.

• For specified NET-qualified candidates, merit points are calculated using the qualifying master’s marks and NET marks, plus applicable weightages.
• For eligible GATE/GPAT candidates, the score and applicable weightages are used as prescribed in the Handbook.
• Where an entrance test is required for full-time admission, the Handbook describes a 100-mark test with 100 objective questions, a duration of two hours and negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.
• The qualifying threshold for the applicable entrance test is 50%; the Handbook provides a 5-percentage-point relaxation for the specified eligible Haryana categories.

Part-Time Candidates

The part-time selection criteria include a subjective written test (70 marks), experience (30 marks) and the applicable weightage. Candidates must meet the minimum qualifying threshold and submit the required employer NOC.

Scheduled Entrance Test Dates

For tests where applicable, the Handbook schedules the entrance test for 2 November 2026 at 11:00 AM. Admit cards are stated to be available in the candidate’s IUMS login from 28 October 2026. Candidates should check the portal for subject-specific applicability and updates.

The Handbook refers to eligible fellowship categories including UGC/CSIR-NET JRF, teacher fellowship, DST-INSPIRE fellowship, GATE and GPAT, subject to the relevant validity and programme conditions. Admission does not itself guarantee a fellowship or a particular fellowship amount.

Fellowship holders covered by the Handbook must submit the prescribed undertaking at Ph.D. enrolment agreeing to join the fellowship. Candidates should confirm fellowship eligibility, validity and payment conditions with the University and the funding agency.

Prepare the documents required by the application portal and the selected department. Depending on your category and route, these may include:

• Master’s degree certificate and mark sheets, or relevant qualifying bachelor’s degree documents where applicable.
• M.Phil. certificate and marksheets, where applicable.
• NET/JRF, GATE, GPAT or other applicable scorecard/award letter.
• Category, EWS, disability or other reservation certificate, where applicable.
• Experience certificate and employer’s No Objection Certificate for part-time candidates.
• Research/project or fellowship-related documents, where applicable.
• Proof supporting CGPA-to-percentage conversion, if applicable.
• Other documents required by the department, institute or admission portal.

For document verification, the Handbook instructs candidates to bring original documents and photocopies. Candidates who cannot attend in person due to distance may request online verification in advance, with prior permission from the concerned Chairperson and supporting documents.

1. Visit the official KUK IUMS admission portal.
2. Open the Ph.D. Admission 2026-27 application section.
3. Read the official Handbook of Information, eligibility rules and subject-wise vacant-seat matrix on the KUK website.
4. Choose the appropriate department, main subject and any applicable allied subject after checking the listed eligibility and vacancies.
5. Complete the online application with accurate personal, academic, category and qualifying-examination details.
6. Upload the required documents and enter score details where applicable.
7. Pay the application processing fee of ₹1,400, or ₹350 if eligible for the specified Haryana-category concession. Add the ₹2,000 late fee if applying during the late-fee period.
8. Review the application carefully and submit it before the relevant deadline.
9. Save the submitted form, application number and payment confirmation.
10. Download the admit card from the IUMS login from 28 October 2026 if an entrance test applies to your subject.
11. Follow the portal for the entrance test result, counselling, document verification and admission lists.

Application deadline: 19 October 2026 at 11:55 PM without late fee, or 23 October 2026 at 11:55 PM with a late fee of ₹2,000.

• Applications are to be submitted through the online admission portal.
• The application processing fee is non-refundable, as stated in the Handbook.
• Verify the subject, main/allied specialisation and category-wise seat availability before applying.
• Admission depends on merit, vacant seats and the availability of suitable research supervision.
• Part-time applicants need two years of full-time work experience and the prescribed employer NOC.
• Haryana candidates should note the Handbook’s requirement for Family ID/Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) details at the admission-fee stage, where applicable.
• For CGPA-based qualifications, provide the official conversion formula; the Handbook states that CGPA may be multiplied by 9 by default where a conversion formula is not available.
• Keep checking the official portal for amendments, entrance-test notices, results, counselling and admission lists.
• The first-list fee payment date is printed inconsistently in the uploaded Handbook; confirm the correct date on the portal before payment.

For subject-specific questions, the Handbook lists the email address and contact number of the concerned department Chairperson/Director. Please consult the relevant department contact in the official Handbook.

Kurukshetra University has opened applications for Ph.D. Admission 2026-27. Eligible applicants should review the official seat matrix, eligibility criteria, fee structure and selection procedure before submitting their forms.

The last date to apply without late fee is 19 October 2026 at 11:55 PM. Applications with a late fee of ₹2,000 are listed up to 23 October 2026 at 11:55 PM.

Apply through the official KUK admission portal and verify all dates and instructions before payment.

Use the University’s official resources for the application, handbook, seat matrix and updates.