DAVV PhD admissions to offer over 700 seats; registrations begin November

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) in Indore is set to open registrations for its next PhD admission cycle in the first week of November 2026, with plans to offer more than 700 doctoral seats. The university anticipates this number could rise to over 800 once the assessment of new and existing research guides is completed by the end of November.

The admission process is scheduled for December, aiming to fill both new positions and quite a few vacant seats from the previous round. This initiative comes as DAVV seeks to address challenges in filling research positions and simplify its academic calendar, if you look at university officials.

Admission Routes and Seat Distribution

DAVV will continue with two distinct admission routes for PhD candidates. The Doctoral Entrance Test (DET) route is designated for engineering-related subjects, while the non-DET route caters to other disciplines. Approximately 150 seats are expected to be available across 13 subjects under the DET category. The non-DET category is projected to have over 550 seats spanning 27 subjects.

Candidates applying under the non-DET category are required to have qualified the University Grants Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET). Engineering aspirants, however, will need to appear for an entrance examination, which is tentatively scheduled for the third week of December. PhD cell in-charge Ashesh Tiwari stated that the university will begin formal procedures in November.

Vacant Seats and Subject-Specific Demand

The upcoming admission cycle also aims to address a substantial number of vacant seats from the previous round. Currently, 451 seats in non-DET subjects and around 50 seats in engineering-related disciplines remain unfilled. The university expects the engineering vacancy count to increase to approximately 150. Political Science, for instance, has around 170 NET-qualified candidates awaiting seats, indicating high demand in certain areas.

DAVV is also considering introducing one or two seats in subjects that had no offerings in the previous cycle, such as data science, energy and environment, statistics, geography, history, dance, and music. This move aims to broaden research opportunities across a wider range of disciplines.

Selection Process and Committee Formation

All candidates, regardless of their admission route, will be required to appear before a Research Advisory Committee (RAC) for an interview. The RAC is a five-member panel comprising the dean, the chairman of the board of studies, the head of the teaching department, and two nominees from the Vice Chancellor’s office. For subjects where PhD admissions are based on NET scores, 70 percent of the selection weight will be given to NET results, with the remaining 30 marks reserved for the interview during the RAC meeting.

Subjects where NET scores will be crucial for admission include Hindi, English, Geography, History, Chemistry, Education, Physics, Commerce, Mathematics, Management, Economics, Life Science, Biotechnology, and Law. Dr. Ashesh Tiwari, DAVV PhD admissions chairman, emphasized the importance of forming RACs swiftly to maintain the PhD academic calendar, stating, “Formation of RAC for various subjects is very crucial for us at the moment. We are working on swiftly forming the RACs to be on track with the PhD academic calendar.”

Challenges in Guide Availability and Previous Trends

The university has previously faced challenges with the availability of PhD guides. In a previous DET, no PhD guides registered in six subjects: Mass Communication, Music, Social Work, Urdu, History, and Sanskrit. The number of registered guides had also seen a decline, with only about 150 guides registering previously, down from 400 in the year prior. Specific declines were noted in Commerce and Management, where guides dropped from 60 to around 36, in Physics from 30 to 8, and in Chemistry from 30 to 20.

Dr. Tiwari attributed this decline to existing supervisory commitments, stating, “This year, a lesser number of guides registered. This is probably because many guides are already supervising PhD researchers admitted last year under them.” Previously, approximately 250 guides were available across various disciplines, with about 600 PhD seats to be filled. The largest number of seats previously offered was 199 in Management, followed by 98 in Commerce.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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