What has SFI alleged
The Students’ Federation of India has raised concerns about reservation implementation in Jawaharlal Nehru University’s PhD admissions for the 2026-27 session. The allegations relate to seats listed for Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste and persons with benchmark disabilities candidates.
SFI said JNU advertised 711 regular seats through the UGC-NET, UGC-NET-JRF and GATE admission channels. According to the organisation, the seat distribution did not match the applicable reservation shares.
Which seat figures are in question
SFI claimed that the 7.5 per cent ST reservation would require at least 53 seats, while 38 were shown in the prospectus. It described this as a shortfall of around 15 seats.
For SC candidates, SFI said 103 seats were listed against around 107 required under the 15 per cent reservation rule. It also alleged that 17 seats were marked for persons with benchmark disabilities, against a minimum of around 36.
The organisation linked the alleged differences to a micro-unit method that applies reservation separately across university centres and sub-disciplines. It further claimed that splitting seats among the three admission channels resulted in 29 centres showing no seats for SC and ST candidates.
What action has been reported
SFI said the National Commission for Scheduled Castes issued a notice to the JNU registrar on October 8. The notice sought details and action on a complaint submitted on September 29. SFI said the university did not respond by the October 23 deadline and that the commission issued an ultimatum on October 27, asking for a reply within seven days.
SFI also said the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes had taken cognisance of the matter. The organisation has demanded correction of the alleged shortfalls during the ongoing admission process. It said JNU should announce a special drive for backlog seats if viva-voce examinations continue, or pause the process until the reserved seats are advertised.
Earlier admission records
SFI also questioned the alleged de-reservation of vacant reserved seats in earlier admission cycles. It said an RTI application filed on September 23 sought details of PhD admissions for the 2025-26 academic session, but the university described the requested information as voluminous.
What you should do now
- Read the JNU PhD admission prospectus and check the seat details for your category.
- Track official JNU notices for any clarification or revised seat allocation.
- Keep application, category and disability documents ready for the admission process.
- Check for updates about viva-voce examinations and any special drive for backlog seats.
Questions students ask
What is the issue in JNU PhD admissions 2026-27?
SFI has alleged that the prospectus did not show the required number of reserved seats for ST, SC and persons with benchmark disabilities candidates.
How many regular PhD seats did JNU advertise?
SFI said JNU advertised 711 regular seats through UGC-NET, UGC-NET-JRF and GATE.
How many ST seats did SFI say were listed?
SFI claimed that 38 ST seats were shown, while at least 53 seats should have been earmarked under the 7.5 per cent reservation requirement.
What did SFI say about SC seats?
SFI said 103 SC seats were advertised against around 107 required under the 15 per cent reservation requirement.
Which commissions have reportedly taken up the complaint?
SFI said the National Commission for Scheduled Castes issued a notice and that the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes had also taken cognisance of the matter.
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