The PhD program at IGNOU is a minimum 3-year doctoral degree that may extend up to 6 years, offered in diverse fields like Education, Management, Political Science, Library Science, Commerce, and Social Work. To apply, candidates must hold a Master’s degree with at least 55% marks (relaxation of 5% for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD categories). Admissions are based on an entrance examination followed by an interview and research proposal presentation. The application fee is ₹1,000, and the admission window for 2026-27 is expected to open from December 1, 2025. Selected candidates are allotted supervisors and must complete coursework before progressing to thesis work. IGNOU supports scholars with online journals, study centers, and guidance workshops.
IGNOU PhD Admission 2026–27 welcomes applicants who want to pursue doctoral research in disciplines like education, management, social sciences, science, and humanities. Candidates must hold a Master’s degree with required marks and qualify the IGNOU PhD Entrance Test, followed by an interview. The programme includes coursework, proposal development, research methodology, and supervised thesis preparation. Seats are assigned based on entrance performance and academic background. IGNOU provides national-level guidance through expert supervisors and research centers. The admission process is online, including form submission and fee payment. Applicants must apply before the notified deadline for the January 2026 session.
IGNOU PhD Admission 2026-27: Highlights
| Particulars | Course Details |
| Degree Name | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) |
| Offered Programmes | PHDPC, PHDLIS, PHDEC, PHDBC, PHDPH, etc. |
| Offered By | Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) |
| Application Fee | INR 1,000 |
| Selection Criteria | Entrance-Based or Interview-Based |
| Eligibility Criteria | Master’s Degree or M.Phil Degree in a relevant field |
| Mode of Learning | Full-Time or Part-Time |
| Academic Session | 2026-27 |
IGNOU PhD Course Details
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is a research-based degree offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). This is the highest academic qualification provided by the university which focuses on original research in several fields. IGNOU offers PhD courses in many disciplines like Education, Management, Commerce, English, Hindi, Political Science, Sociology, Social Work, Law, and Science, among many others. The admission to these PhD programs is done based on an entrance test conducted by IGNOU and on an interview. These PhD courses generally take a minimum of 3 years and it could be completed by the applicants in 6 years.
Eligibility Criteria For IGNOU PhD Admission
Indira Gandhi National Open University provides several Doctor of Philosophy courses in full- time & part- time. If you are interested in pursuing these PhD courses from IGNOU must meet the following qualification requirements.
- Qualification Requirements: To be eligible for IGNOU’s PhD courses candidates must hold a 1 to 2 years of a Master’s degree or a M.Phil degree in any relevant discipline from any UGC approved university.
- Passing Percentage: It is mandatory for candidates to secure at least 55% to 75% aggregate marks at their postgraduate level.
- Entrance Exams: Applicants generally get selected on the basis of their entrance exam scores. IGNOU conducts UGC NET and Interview round to provide admission.
- Relaxation: The university also provides a relaxation of 5% marks for those candidates who belong to SC/SC/OBC/EWS or other categories.
IGNOU PhD Admission Fees Structure
Indira Gandhi National Open University offers 3-year PhD courses in several fields. The fees may vary depending on the specialization, but a general range for 1st year starts between 17,800 for many programmes. Applicants also have to pay a non-refundable one-time application fee of INR 1,000 at the time of the application process. For the detailed fee range,it is advisable to visit the university’s official website.
IGNOU PhD Courses List
- Ph.D in Psychology (PHDPC)
- Ph.D in Library and Information Science (PHDLIS)
- Ph.D in Public Administration (PHDPA)
- Ph.D in Biochemistry (PHDBC)
- Ph.D in Life Sciences (PHDLS)
- Ph.D in Mathematics (PHDMT)
- Ph.D in Computer Science (PHDCS)
- Ph.D in Tourism and Hospitality Service Management (PHDTS)
IGNOU PhD Admission Process 2026-27
IGNOU PhD admission process will begin soon for the academic session 2026-27. Interested candidates can fill out the application form before the due date. Applicants can take admission after clearing the UGC NET entrance examination.
Below is the whole procedure of admission:
- Step 1: Check Eligibility: Ensure that you have a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline with 55% marks.
- Step 2: Visit Portal: Go to the official website of IGNOU (www.ignouadm.samarth.edu.in/phd/index.php) and carefully watch all announcements & notifications.
- Step 3: Registration: Click on “New Registration” and enter your name, email ID, mobile number & create a user name& password.
- Step 4: Log In: Go back to the home page and log in with your userID & Password.
- Step 5: Choose your desired PhD discipline from the mentioned list.
- Step 6: Fill Application Form: Provide your personal, academic and research details to complete the online application form.
- Step 7: Upload Documents: Submit all required documents after scanning, including photographs, scanned signature and other educational documents.
- Step 8: Pay Fee: Pay the one-time non-refundable application fee of INR 1,000 via debit card,credit card, net banking, or UPI.
- Step 9: Confirmation: After verification of your details, you will receive an acknowledgement letter from the university. Print that confirmation letter for further processing.
- Step 10: Entrance Exam: Appear in the IGNOU PhD entrance exam (UGC NET) and secure a good score.
- Step 11: Attend Interview: After the result of the entrance exam the university will release a merit list based on your performance on the entrance exam. You will call for the interview or viva after clearing the entrance test.
Documents Required For IGNOU PhD Admission
During the application process, you all need to submit these following documents. Make sure all documents are scanned in JPG/JPEG format, and it will be under 100KB to 500KB.
- Scanned Copy of 10th Mark Sheet
- Scanned Copy of 12th Mark Sheet
- Graduation/ Postgraduation Degree Certificates
- UGC NET-JRF Certificate/UGC-NET Score Card
- Migration Certificate
- Transfer Certificate
- Passport-Size Photographs
- Scanned Signature
IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam
IGNOU conducts its own entrance exam for the PhD programmes. The university selects candidates on the basis of their performance in the UGC NET (University Grants Commission- National Eligibility Test) examination and Interview. This entrance test consists of objective-type questions which are divided into 2 parts. The first one is Research Methodology (50%) and second is Subject-Specific questions (50%).
Applicants who have already cleared national-level entrance exams like UGC NET (including JRF), GATE can directly apply for the interview round. The final merit list will be prepared by combining the 70% of the NET score and 30% of the interview marks.
