The University Grants Commission (UGC) awards the JRF or
JRF Junior Research Fellow letter to applicants who pass the National
Eligibility Test with marks equal to or greater than the specified cut off for
JRF in the topic in which the candidate has taken the UGC NET Exam. The JRF
letter is issued as a legal document, stating that you are eligible for the
scholarship while studying your M.Phil. or Ph.D. However, the candidate should
be aware that qualifying for the UGC NET JRF does not guarantee them a fellowship.
The JRF conspiracy’s goal is to provide opportunities
for NET-JRF qualifying students to pursue additional courses and exams leading
to M.Phil./Ph.D. certificates in Humanities and Social Sciences, including
Languages and Sciences.
Who is eligible for JRF certification?
If a candidate takes the UGC NET JRF
Exam in a certain topic, the UGC has set two cut-offs. One is for
clearing NET, while the other is for JRF and is somewhat higher than NET. The
JRF score is only valid for three years, but the NET score is good for life.
JRF has a number of advantages over NET.
If a candidate enrols for M.Phil./Ph.D. at any Indian
university/college after passing the JRF, the candidate would receive a Rs.
31,000 monthly stipend from the UGC for the next five years. This is a decent
financial aid package for applicants who want to do research without working.
When a candidate applies for Assistant Professor or
Lecturer positions in any Indian university or college, or when he or she
applies for M.Phil./Ph.D., the applicant who has completed the JRF is always
given precedence over the candidate who has simply cleared the NET.
Many institutes/colleges in India do not even conduct
admission exams for students having a JRF. This indicates that if a candidate
has applied for M.Phil./Ph.D., he or she will be excluded from sitting the
entrance exam if they have JRF. For example, if a candidate has applied for
M.Phil./Ph.D. at an IIM or IIT and has a JRF, he or she will not have to take
the entrance exam and will be able to directly sit for the interview. It’s
worth noting that this system differs from one Institute to the next.
The fourth and most essential benefit of JRF is that it calculates a candidate’s API (Academic Performance Indicator) whenever he or she applies for permanent employment as an Assistant Professor in any Indian university or college. The API score is computed by adding up the points from your education, post-education, Ph.D., M.Phil., research publications, teaching experience, and other factors. API assists Institutes/Colleges in shortlisting applicants for permanent Assistant Professor positions. Now, if the candidate has passed NET, he or she will receive 5 points in his or her API, however if the candidate has passed JRF, the candidate will receive 7 points. Clearly, passing the JRF adds two points to a candidate’s API score, giving them an advantage over other applicants.
