The number of NET applicants this year is poised to increase after public sector undertakings (PSUs) agreed to accept the University Grants Commission- National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) score for recruitment of executives in their organisations and make NET eligibility mandatory for recruiting university teachers.

Patna University (PU) holds the UGC-NET examinations twice a year, in June and December.

According to Sanjay Kumar, the PU development officer for the December examination this time, the university has received more than 27,000 applications till date and with two days remaining, the number of applications is set to cross 30,000.

The applications for UGC-NET started on October 15 and the last date for submitting online applications was November 15.

Sanjay Kumar said: “In the UGC-NET examinations held in June this year, PU received 23,000 applications and this time, we are expecting the number of applications to cross 30,000.”

The development officer attributed the holding of university teachers’ recruitment after 11 years as the main reason behind such a large number of candidates applying for UGC-NET examinations. “PSUs too serve as a passport to lucrative jobs,” he added.

In September this year, the state government made some changes in eligibility criteria for posts of assistant professors in state universities. Under the new criteria, postgraduate candidates appearing for NET December 2014 examinations were allowed to apply for posts of assistant professors.

The relaxation in eligibility criteria provided an opportunity to thousands of candidates who did not have PhD according to the 2009 norms or were not NET-qualified. The UGC has also decided to grant permission to PSUs to use its NET result database for recruitment of master’s degree holders as their officers.

Ranjeet Kumar Verma, the pro-vice-chancellor of Patna University, said: “The PSUs can utilise the UGC-NET score for recruitment of executives in their organisation in disciplines like science (research and development), management, corporate communications, human resources, finance, etc.”

The pro-VC added: “The UGC-NET examination applicants would increase manifold in our country and in return, the universities would get better students for their PhD programmes.”

He said: “The UGC gave its final nod after the chairman’s approval. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) even issued the first-ever advertisement inviting applications from candidates successful in NET.”

IOCL has invited UGC-NET applicants appearing for the December examination for marketing and human resource professionals. The examinations would be held on December 28.

IOCL succeeded in introducing the concept for recruitment of graduate engineers through GATE scores and also that of law graduates through CLAT score.

They have been utilising score from GATE examination for the past five years.

Anand Kishore, a geology student from PU, who had come to submit his hard copy application at PU said: “PSUs opening gates for recruitment based on the University Grants Commission- National Eligibility Test scores is a welcome step. Even the pay package is good — those selected would get a payscale of Rs 24,900-50,000 per month.”