Students with four year undergraduate degrees can now directly appear for NET and pursue PhD, according to UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar. To pursue a PhD with or without a Junior Research Fellowship, the candidates will require a minimum of 75 percent marks or equivalent grades in their four-year undergraduate course.

So far, a candidate for the National Eligibility Test (NET) needed a master's degree with a minimum of 55 percent marks. The exam this year will be conducted in offline mode instead of a Computer-Based Test. Tests for all subjects will be conducted on June 16.

The candidates with four-year undergraduate degrees can now directly pursue PhD and appear for NET. Such candidates are allowed to appear (for tests) in a subject in which they want to pursue a PhD irrespective of the discipline in which they have obtained the four-year bachelor's degree.