BHU PhD admission 2026-27 — apply by 21 October

BHU PhD admission 2026-27 is open for the academic session. The last date to submit the online form is 21 October 2026. Banaras Hindu University has printed 1,547 seats across 16 faculties. Apply only on the official portal bhuonline.in. The official Information Bulletin is the source for every number below.

About Banaras Hindu University

Banaras Hindu University is a central university in Varanasi. It offers PhD (Vidyavaridhi) programmes in many subjects. This window is for the 2026-27 session through three printed modes: JRF, NET and Direct.

Nature of the programme

This is a research degree. You do coursework and a thesis under a supervisor. It is not a taught master’s. Fellowship, if any, follows the JRF or other national award you already hold. The university form does not guarantee a stipend.

Who applies and who skips

Apply if you have a postgraduate degree in the subject listed for that department (55% aggregate, or 60% for Faculty of Management Studies) and a valid national score or you fit a Direct-mode category. 5% relaxation is printed for SC, ST, OBC (NCL) and PwBD. Skip if your NET/JRF result is not declared yet, if you hold only a DST-INSPIRE fellowship (printed as not eligible in any mode), or if you need a seat in a subject whose matrix is already zero.

Dates and fee

Last date for online application: 21 October 2026. Application fee: Rs 600 for General/OBC/EWS; Rs 300 for SC/ST/PwBD. Non-refundable. Pay online. Correction window and interview dates will appear on the portal after the last date. Official bulletin: Ph.D. Admission Information Bulletin 2026.

Available positions

Total printed seats: 1,547. Faculty-wise numbers from the bulletin summary:

• Agricultural Sciences: 97
• Arts: 217
• Ayurveda: 160
• Commerce: 12
• Dental Sciences: 44
• Education: 13
• Environment and Sustainable Development: 11
• Law: 32
• Management Studies: 32
• Medicine: 282
• Performing Arts: 47
• Sanskrit Vidya Dharm Vigyan: 63
• Science: 388
• Social Science: 78
• Veterinary and Animal Sciences: 43
• Visual Arts: 28

No category-wise vacancy split is printed as a single national roster in the summary. Department-level matrices are in Section B of the bulletin. Check the exact subject you want before you pay the fee.

1. PhD (all modes) — Fellowship as per own award [1547 Vacancy]

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Postgraduate degree in the relevant subject with the printed minimum marks. Valid JRF (UGC/CSIR/ICMR/DBT or other national agency, not expired on the application date) for JRF mode. Valid UGC/CSIR NET (result not older than one year) or GATE 2026, or ICAR-SRF (Ph.D.) 2026 for Agricultural Sciences, for NET mode. Direct mode for the specific categories listed in the bulletin (renowned scholarship holders, senior officials, project staff, BHU employees, certain PG medical degree holders). All candidates appear in person for interview. You can select up to five operational units.

Educational qualifications

Selection stages

JRF and Direct mode: 100% weight to interview. All eligible candidates are called. NET mode: 70% weight to the national score percentile and 30% to interview percentile. Up to 10 candidates per seat (up to 15 with approval) are called. Older candidate gets higher rank in a tie. You pay the fee for the preferred offer if more than one is made; others are cancelled.

Free official prep links

Read the full bulletin PDF linked above. The portal is bhuonline.in. Help email: phdadmission@bhu.ac.in. No coaching link is needed for the form itself.

Apply steps

1. Open bhuonline.in.
2. Register and choose the PhD 2026-27 form.
3. Select mode and up to five operational units.
4. Upload documents and pay the printed fee.
5. Download the confirmation. Watch the portal for the correction window and interview call.

FAQs

What is the last date? 21 October 2026.

How many seats? 1,547 across 16 faculties.

What is the fee? Rs 600 or Rs 300 as per category.

Can I apply without NET? Yes, if you have a valid JRF or you fit a printed Direct-mode category.

Is there a stipend? Only if you already hold a qualifying fellowship. The form does not create one.

See the full list of open admission windows on the Campus Reality admissions board.