The pre-PhD registration test at Lalit Narayan Mithila University (LNMU) is caught in the uncertainty over the number of seats available for research students.

The postgraduate departments and colleges of the varsity are to be blamed for the situation.

The test is the basis on which postgraduate students are selected to conduct research. The university administration had directed the head of departments of all subjects to make a declaration on the number of seats available a month ago, but they have not prepared the report.

In the absence of this report, the varsity cannot conduct the entrance test for pre-PhD registration test (PRT) for filling the seats meant for research students. The varsity produces over 5,000 postgraduates every year.

According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, an assistant professor can take two students for research work, while an associate professor can take four students and a professor can take six students. No PRT has been conducted by the university after 2012.

University vice-chancellor Saket Kushwaha told The Telegraph: "We want to conduct the PRTs regularly but we fail to do so because of some previous irregularities. There are many students who cleared PRT in 2012 but have not yet been allotted their guides under whom they would conduct the research. We still do not have the exact figure on how many seats are still lying vacant in each department of the colleges and the university."

Kushwaha said: "The deadline to submit the status report is on August 31. In such a situation, it would be very difficult to conduct the PRT."

The head of the English postgraduate department, Uttam Lal Thakur, said: "We are making a database on the number of research seats that are vacant. We will soon submit a report to the varsity."

The head of the history postgraduate department, Bishwambhar Jha, said: "We have no seats available as of now as those students who had been registered earlier have not yet submitted their research paper. Hence, no fresh intake is possible. Researchers have taken extensions which has led to this situation."

Vishal Singh, who completed his postgraduation in zoology from LNMU in 2013, said: "I wanted to pursue with research but the varsity has not been conducting PRT examination. Neither can I continue with my research work, nor can I move to another city to pursue the same because of my financial condition. There are many students who want to pursue research, but they don't know whether they would be able to do so or not."