Introduction

The University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission 2025-26 in Economics notification has been urgently released by the Department of Economics for its Ph.D. programme for the year 2026. This is a crucial opportunity for candidates holding a Master’s degree in Economics or an equivalent field who are looking to pursue advanced research in the discipline.

See Ongoing PhD Admission

Table of Contents

• Eligibility Criteria
• Procedure for Admission
• Important Dates for CU PhD Admission 2025-26 in Economics
• Structure and Syllabus of the Research Entrance Test (RET)
• Application Process and Submission
• Number of Seats

Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates must possess a Master’s degree in Economics or equivalent with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade ‘B’ in the UGC 7-point scale.
• A relaxation of 5% of marks (to 50%) may be applicable for candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/differently-abled and other reserved categories as per the UGC norm.
• Candidates with at least 55% marks in Economics at the Master’s level from any UGC recognized university are eligible to appear in the Research Entrance Test (RET).
• Candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/differently-abled and other reserved categories as per the UGC norm need to have at least 50% to sit in the written test.

Procedure for Admission

The admission process involves several stages, including a written test (RET) and an interview (viva) for final selection.

Exemption from Research Entrance Test (RET)

The following candidates are exempted from the RET and are eligible to appear directly in the interview (viva):

• Candidates with NET/SET/M.Phil (from any recognized university with 2-semester/1-year course work) or those qualifying the Research Entrance Test (RET) conducted by the Department of Economics.
• Candidates with NET/SET/M.Phil and final year M.Phil candidates in Economics (or related discipline like Development Studies, Foreign Policy Management, etc. with Masters degree in Economics) completing pre-submission seminar and viva-voce process by December 31, 2025, from any UGC recognized university and awaiting final results are also exempted from RET.

Selection Process

1. Candidates with NET/SET/ M.Phil or any other equivalent examination recognized by UGC, or those getting at least 50% marks in RET are eligible for appearing viva for final selection.
2. Candidates appearing for the viva have to submit a Statement of Purpose (SoP) indicating the area of research interest (not exceeding 1000 words) on the basis of which a final interview will be conducted.
3. Final selection will be made purely on the basis of performance in the interview following the criteria mentioned in the University of Calcutta (Regulation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D.), Regulations 2016.
4. The cut-off qualifying marks for admission is 50% in the interview.

Important Dates for University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission 2025-26 in Economics

Structure and Syllabus of the Research Entrance Test (RET)

The RET is a written examination of two hours duration. The test is structured to assess the candidate’s knowledge across various areas of Economics.

RET Structure (100 Marks)

• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ): 35 questions for 70 marks.
• Essay Type Question: One essay type question for 30 marks.

RET Syllabus Breakdown

The syllabus covers the following areas, categorized by marks and question type:

Detailed Syllabus

• Microeconomic Theory: Theory of Consumer Behavior, Theory of Firm, Analysis of Market Structure, Theory of Distribution, General Equilibrium, Welfare Economics, Asymmetric Information, Public Goods and Externalities.
• Macroeconomic Theory: National Income Accounting, Aggregate Demand-Simple Keynesian Model, IS-LM Model, Interaction Between Aggregate Demand & Aggregate Supply- Short-run & Long-run Equilibrium, Rational Expectation, Classical Full Employment Model- Determination of Real Wage, Interest Rate & Price Level, Real Business Cycle, Demand for Money, Supply of Money, Consumption Function, Investment Function, Inflation, Growth, Open-economy Macroeconomics.
• Econometrics: Classical Linear Regression Model (both 2-variable & k-variable cases)- Estimation, Hypothesis Testing, Problems of Heteroskedasticity, Autocorrelation and Multicollinearity, Time Series Econometric Model, Panel Data Econometric Model.
• Mathematical Economics: Optimization in Economics (Static & Dynamic), System of Simultaneous Equations and Cramer’s Rule, Input-Output Analysis, Linear Programming, Elements of Game Theory.
• Development Economics: Problems of transitional developing economies under globalisation.
• Indian Economics: Indian economic problems during pre- and post-reform period.

Application Process and Submission

Candidates must follow the specific instructions for submitting their application form:

1. Download the Application Form using the link: https://www.caluniv.ac.in/admission/CU_RET_Form.pdf.
2. Submit the filled-in Application Form **online**, along with a self-attested copy of relevant mark sheets and the receipt of deposition of the Application Fee of Rs 100 (Rupees one hundred only) paid through State Bank Collect.
3. For online payment, go to https//www.onlinesbi.com/sbicollect and then proceed to state (West Bengal), type corporate-educational institution-Calcutta university online payment-payment for MISC fees-category: application for admission to Ph.D.. Fill the remark box and write “application for admission to Ph.D.” and ignore the registration no.
4. Submit the **hard copy** of your application form along with two copies of recent passport size photos (color), bank receipt, and other relevant documents.
5. The submission address is: Office of the Department of Economics, University of Calcutta, 56 A, B.T. Road, Kolkata 700050.
6. Submission of the hard copy must be done during 10 AM to 3 PM within the due date (Last date of submission: 31/12/2025).

Number of Seats