Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD Admission 2025-26: Amazing Notification Out!

Table of Contents

• About Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS)
• Full Time PhD Programmes: 2025 – Departments and Vacancies
• Eligibility Criteria for Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD Admission
• Procedure for Admission
• Entrance Examination Details
• UGC NET Qualified Candidates – Exemption
• Interview and Research Proposal
• Selection and Reservation Policy
• Documents Required at the Time of Admission
• Fee Structure and Payments
• Fellowship and How to Apply

About Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS)

The Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD Admission 2025-26 process has officially begun with the release of the ‘Notification for Ph.D Programmes- 2025’ on 14-10-2025 from Kalady. This institution, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, which is a Statutory Educational Institution Constituted by the Government of Kerala and Reaccredited by NAAC with A+ Grade, is now inviting online applications from eligible candidates for its Full Time Ph.D Programmes: 2025. The applications must be submitted online through the University website, www.ssus.ac.in, with candidates clearly specifying the Research Department to which they seek admission. The entire Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD Admission 2025-26 programme is strictly offered under the regular mode and will comply with the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit Ph.D. Regulations, 2023, as amended from time to time, which are referred to as the ‘University Regulations’.

Full Time PhD Programmes: 2025 – Departments and Vacancies

Applications are invited for admission to the full time PhD programmes in the following departments. The application specifying the Research Department to which admission is sought shall be submitted online.

Eligibility Criteria for Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD Admission

The following are eligible to seek admission to the Ph.D. Programme:

1. Based on Post Graduate Degree: Candidates who have completed any of the following:
   • A Post graduate degree in the disciplines concerned or related disciplines with B+ Grade of this University or its equivalent and above. OR
   • A 1-year/2-semester Master’s Degree Programme after a 4-year/8-semester Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Honours/Research) OR a 2-year/4-semester Master’s Degree Programme after a 3-year Bachelor’s degree Programme, or equivalent qualifications, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade.

   Important Relaxation Notes for PG Degree:

   • An applicant seeking admission after a 4-year/8-semester Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Honours/Research) should have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade.
   • A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC and ST communities, OBC (non-creamy layer), persons with disability, Economically Weaker Section (EWS), gender non-confirming persons (GNCP) and other categories as per the University’s decision.
   • Applicants from SC and ST communities, OBC (non-creamy layer), persons with disability, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and gender non-confirming persons (GNCP) require a minimum of B Grade of SSUS or its equivalent in the Postgraduate Degree.
   • An equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an approved, recognized or authorized assessment and accreditation agency is also accepted.
2. Based on M.Phil. Programme: Candidates who have completed the M.Phil. Programme with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade, or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an approved agency, shall be eligible for admission. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC and ST communities, OBC (non-creamy layer), persons with disability, Economically Weaker Section (EWS), gender non-confirming persons (GNCP) and other categories.

Explanation on Related Disciplines

Related disciplines can be any discipline having some converging areas of study with the domain subject offered by the concerned department. Applicants who have obtained their Postgraduate Degrees in related disciplines can be granted admission only if their research is of an interdisciplinary nature. The Departmental Research Committees (DRC) research proposals and interviewing the candidate.

Procedure for Admission to Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD

Admissions to the Ph. D Programme shall be through an Entrance Examination and an Interview conducted by the concerned Academic Departments. The interview will be conducted by the Departmental Research Committee (DRC).

The admission will be based on merit assessed through the Entrance Examination/ UGC NET qualification and Interview procedures with the following weightage:

• 70% for the Entrance Test or marks obtained in the UGC NET.
• 30% for the performance in the Interview before the Department Research Committee (DRC).

Admission shall be provided only on the basis of vacancies and the specializations/areas of research available in the Departments. The DRC of the respective Departments is at liberty to admit a fewer number of candidates than was notified, in case suitable candidates are not available. Allotment of the research supervisors will be made by the DRC on the basis of the research area of the available research supervisors and the research proposals submitted by the scholars.

Entrance Examination Details

• Duration: A three hour (3 hours) duration entrance examination shall be conducted by the Departments.
• Marks: The question paper will carry 70 marks.
• Syllabus: The thrust areas of the entrance examination for each discipline will be 50% from research methodology and 50% from the respective disciplines.
• Qualification Minimum: The candidates who secure a minimum of 50% marks or above in the entrance examination (35 marks or above) alone will be qualified for the Interview.
• Relaxation: A relaxation of 5% in the prescribed minimum (31.5 marks) shall be allowed for the candidates belonging to SC and ST communities, OBC (non-creamy layer), persons with disability, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and gender non-confirming persons (GNCP).

UGC NET Qualified Candidates – Exemption

The candidates who are qualified UGC NET after October 2024 as per the UGC Public Notice (Ref: 3rd above) are exempted from the Ph.D. entrance examination conducted by the University.

The UGC/NET score shall be normalized to 70 marks (equivalent to the mark of the University written entrance examination) in case of those NET qualified candidates to prepare the ‘List of Qualified Candidates’ for Interview. While normalizing the NET score, if a candidate doesn’t qualify the required minimum eligible marks for attending the interview, they shall be awarded the required minimum eligible marks for the respective category for fulfilling the eligibility criteria of the written entrance examination.

UGC NET qualified candidates who are seeking exemption must submit the UGC NET Award Letter and score card issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as proof of qualification at the time of application. Failure to produce the valid award letter will result in the candidate being treated as a non-NET candidate and they will have to appear for the entrance examination.

If the candidate has acquired the minimum required cut off mark for the interview (out of 30), they will be included in the rank list. Their normalized score and their score of the interview will be added for preparing the common rank list for Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD Admission 2025-26.

Interview and Research Proposal

The candidates who are qualified in the written Entrance Examination will be called through email for an Interview before the DRC of the respective Departments. Non-receipt of the email is not a ground for not attending the Interview, and candidates are advised to check the University’s website for such information.

The Interview will carry a maximum of 30 marks and will be based on the Research Proposals presented by the candidates. The proposal is intended to assess the research potential and may be revised or completely changed later.

Research Proposal Content

The proposal shall have the following components:

• A title of the study.
• Objectives of the study.
• Importance and relevance of the study.
• Review of earlier work done in the proposed area of research.
• Details of methodology/theoretical or conceptual framework.
• Research questions.
• A select bibliography.

The DRC will ensure the feasibility and quality of the Research Proposals in congruence with the research thrust areas of the Department and specialization of research supervisors.

Criteria for Award of Marks

The following aspects will be considered for the award of marks during the Interview:

1. Candidate’s knowledge in the proposed area of research.
2. Candidate’s skills and competence for research.
3. Potential of the Research Proposal to contribute to existing knowledge.

Interview Minimum Marks

A candidate will have to obtain a minimum of 21 marks in the interview to be qualified to appear in the Rank List. A relaxation of 5% in the prescribed minimum (19.5 marks) will be allowed for the candidates belonging to SC and ST communities, OBC (non-creamy layer), persons with disability, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and gender non-confirming persons (GNCP) in the Interview. Candidates qualified in the Common Entrance Examination shall submit through email a copy of the research proposal to the Head of the Department on or before 17.11.2025.

Selection and Reservation Policy

Selection shall be based on a Rank List prepared in the order of merit, which is the sum of the marks obtained in Entrance Examination/ the normalised UGC NET score and Interview. Only those candidates who obtain the prescribed minimum separately in the Entrance Examination and in the Interview will appear on the Rank List. The Rank List will be published on the website of the University.

Reservation Policy

• Scheduled Castes: 15% reservation will be allowed.
• Scheduled Tribes: 5% reservation will be allowed.
• In the event of non-availability of candidates in any one of these communities, the same shall be given to the other.
• If no candidates are available for the seats reserved for SC and ST, the same will be re-notified. If candidates are still not available after a second re-notification, the seats will be left unfilled for that particular academic year.
• No unfilled seats will be carried over for the next academic year. Such re-notification shall be done within one month from the date of closure of admissions of the general category.

Admissions from Select List

Admissions to the Ph.D. Programme will be made from the Select List which is prepared, observing 20% reservation for the SC/ST. The seats reserved for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe will be filled only after the filling of the seats from the general category in the order of merit.

GNCP and PWD candidates who are on the Rank List, but do not appear in the Select List, are eligible for admission, in the order of merit, in the supernumerary vacancies as are sanctioned by the Government. Once the University publishes the Select List, the DRC will meet within a period of two weeks to allot the supervising teachers for the candidates on the basis of notified vacancies and areas of specialization. The willingness of the Research Supervisor and the candidate to work with each other may also be taken into consideration. The University reserves the right not to offer admission to any candidate if the DRC finds it unable to offer a particular specialization required by the candidate, for reasons to be recorded.

Documents Required at the Time of Admission

The selected candidates shall submit the following original documents at the time of admission for the Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) PhD Admission 2025-26:

1. SSLC or equivalent document to prove the age or date of birth.
2. Four Year Bachelor Degree or Postgraduate Degree or M.Phil Degree mark sheets or transcripts.
3. The original or provisional Four Year Bachelor Degree or Postgraduate or MPhil Degree certificates.
4. Community or Caste or Non-Creamy-layer or EWS or SC or ST or OEC or OBC or EWS certificates.
5. Disability Certificate in the case of persons with Disability from authorised Medical Board.
6. Documents certifying the Transgender status in case of Transgender persons.
7. ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the employer(s) in the case of employed persons.
8. Conduct Certificate.
9. Transfer Certificate.
10. Eligibility Certificate in the case of candidates who have secured their Four Year Bachelor Degree or Postgraduate or M.Phil Degrees from Universities outside the State.
11. Migration Certificate: In the case of candidates from other Universities, the Migration Certificate is to be submitted within four months from the date of admission.
12. Leave Sanction Order: In the case of in-service or employed candidates the leave sanction order is to be submitted.

Fee Structure and Payments

Candidates admitted to the programme shall remit the following fee at the time of admission:

Course Work Fees

• Course Work fee: Rs.200/- per paper.
• Valuation Fee.
• Registration Fee: Rs.1000/- (first appearance).
• Subsequent appearance: Rs.500/- per paper.
• Examination application fee: Rs.200/-.
• Course Certificate application fee: Rs.250/-.

The selected candidates shall remit the prescribed fee including the first semester examination fee, and the caution deposit at the time of admission. Subsequent installments of annual fee and library fee shall be remitted within 15 days from the beginning of every odd semester of PhD Programme or with a fine fixed by the University for the next 15 days. Defaulters shall be removed from the rolls.

Fellowship and How to Apply

Fellowship

Limited fellowships will be offered to eligible candidates in each department, subject to the decision of the University.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are directed to apply online for admission to the Ph.D. programmes 2025 through the University’s Website: www.ssus.ac.in.

• Application Deadline: on or before 25.10.2025.
• Entrance Examination Fee: Rs.150/- for which online remittance alone will be allowed.