Continuing its demand for the reinstatement of the in-house entrance exam for PhD admissions, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has called for a late-night open public discussion today, Saturday, June 21, outside the Brahmaputra Hostel (BPH) at 9 pm.
The discussion aims to highlight the JNU administration’s continued silence on the conduct of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE) and address growing concerns over the recent hostel eviction notices served to students.
JNUSU office bearers will engage with the student community, outlining developments surrounding the eviction orders and the uncertainty around PhD admissions, while reiterating their call for a transparent, in-house JNUEE.
Speaking to EdexLive, Avijit Ghosh, Vice-President JNUSU, said, “The VC had previously agreed to our demand for conducting an in-house entrance exam for PhD admissions. However, the JNU administration has once again gone back on its word, despite an overwhelming majority of students supporting the move.”
The event follows weeks of student mobilisations and repeated, yet unsuccessful, attempts by JNUSU office bearers to meet with the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit.
Student leaders claim that the VC has repeatedly refused to meet with them unless the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)-affiliated Joint Secretary, who opposes the demand, is present. On June 20, President Nitish Kumar, Vice President Manisha, and General Secretary Munteha Fatima were blocked at the administrative block. The VC appeared briefly after hours of waiting, but insisted that all four office‑bearers attend the meeting together.
Why JNUEE?
During a JNUEE Referendum held on May 24, nearly 93% of participating students voted in favour of reinstating the in-house entrance exam.
“There are multiple issues with using the UGC-NET (University Grants Commission - National Eligibility Test) for PhD admissions. For one, it relies on a percentile system where only those scoring above the 99th percentile typically make it through for JRF (Junior Research Fellowship). But even after that, it’s the viva that becomes the final deciding factor, despite repeated concerns and studies highlighting how PhD entrance vivas have been exclusionary and discriminatory, especially towards marginalised students,” added Ghosh.
The student union argues that the National Testing Agency (NTA), which has overseen admissions through UGC-NET, has repeatedly failed to ensure transparency and accessibility, citing widespread errors and systemic exclusion of marginalised students.
Eviction orders
In a separate issue, eviction orders were issued to 232 final-year students across various programmes with a deadline to vacate by May 31. The official reason given by the administration was that hostel accommodations are aligned with the academic calendar and must be freed after students complete their final exams, thesis submissions, or degree milestones, allowing facilities to be allocated to incoming batches.
However, the timing, coinciding with critical academic deadlines like thesis submission, pending exams, and unresolved PhD admission processes, has triggered widespread student apprehension and protest.
The union called it an “attempt to displace and demoralise” students amid academic uncertainty.
