In a first, JNU to conduct online entrance exams

In a first, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will conduct online entrance exams for all graduate, postgraduate, M Phil and PhD courses for the academic session 2019-20. The JNU Entrance Examination (JNUEE) will be held from May 27 to May 30 and the registration process will start on March 15.

For the first time, entrance exams for all courses will be held in the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) format, the JNU administration announced on Wednesday. According to a statement issued by director, admissions, Deepak Gaur, the registration process will close on April 15. Students will have the option of correcting their application forms from April 17 to April 19.

The exams will be conducted in partnership with the National Testing Agency (NTA).

“JNU would be adopting digitalisation in its entrance examination process in line with major academic institutions and central universities such as IIT, BHU, Delhi University, the central universities common entrance test, etc. To increase its outreach among the student fraternity, the JNU entrance examination would be conducted in 127 cities across India, which is a 2.5-fold increase from past years,” said Gaur.

The seat intake for this academic year is 3,383 in all the programmes of which 1,043 are for M Phil and PhD courses. “The computer-based test would comprise multiple choice questions in all disciplines and would not require any special knowledge of computers or technical proficiency,” Gaur said.

The names of candidates shortlisted for viva for MPhil and PhD will be tentatively announced by June 10. The merit lists for courses where viva is not prescribed will be published by June 18, while for those where viva is prescribed will be published by July 8.

The JNU students’ union (JNUSU), meanwhile, alleged a “steep hike” in the fee structure of all courses. They alleged the administration had uploaded the prospectus on the website and later removed it. “The administration will implement all its unilateral decisions to privatise higher education in JNU and put an end to the freedom and inclusivity of education system here,” the union member said and announced a strike against the online entrance.

“As per the prospectus uploaded by the administration, they delinked the integrated M Phil and PhD programme. We will fight the move,” the union member said. JNU Public Relation Officer Poonam Kudusiya said no prospectus was uploaded and NTA will upload it by March 15.