Pursue doctoral research across Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Natural Sciences, Computer Applications, Humanities, Commerce, and Nursing — under 125 approved Ph.D guides at one of Karnataka's leading NAAC A+ universities.
ACU offers full-time and part-time doctoral programs across 8 constituent faculties, covering more than 40 subject areas. The Ph.D Notification ACU/Ph.D./NTF/900/2025-26 (dated 16.10.2025) invites applications from Indian and Foreign Nationals for the 2025-26 academic year.
Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering.
Anatomy, Physiology, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Microbiology, Community Medicine, Pathology, Medical Pharmacology, Forensic Medicine, Radio-diagnosis, Clinical Psychology.
Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacy Practice, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy.
Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Material Science.
Computer Applications, Computer Science, Information Science, Library & Information Sciences. Open to MCA / M.Sc (CS) / M.Sc (IT) / MLISc qualified candidates.
Education, Kannada.
Commerce, Management.
Community Health Nursing.
Postgraduate Degree in the respective subjects from a recognised University with a minimum of 60% marks in M.Tech / ME / MD / MS / M.Pharm / Pharm.D / M.Ed / M.Sc / M.Sc (Medical) / M.Com / M.A. in respective and related subjects.
Note: Candidates with MCA, M.Sc (CS), M.Sc (IT), and MLISc qualifications are eligible to apply only under the Faculty of Computer Applications and Information Science.
Candidates qualified in GATE, GPAT, UGC-CSIR-NET, SLET, ICMR-JRF, DBT-JRF, DST-INSPIRE or any other UGC-recognised eligibility test, those holding an M.Phil., or those employed in National Laboratories / reputed MNCs with a minimum of 5 years of research experience, are exempted from the ACU Ph.D Entrance Test — however, they must appear for the interview for final selection.
Notification reference: ACU/Ph.D./NTF/900/2025-26 dated 16.10.2025. Applications are submitted online via the ACU admission portal — only online payment is accepted.
| Event | Date / Fee |
|---|---|
| Online application opens | 16 October 2025 |
| Last date (regular fee ₹5,000) | 11 November 2025 |
| Last date with late fee (₹5,000 + ₹1,000 = ₹6,000) | 16 November 2025 |
| Date of Entrance Examination | 23 November 2025 |
| Application portal | universitysolutions.in/phdadm/acu |
ACU supports full-time research scholars with monthly fellowships for a maximum duration of three years. All part-time candidates must submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their current employer along with the application.
For full-time candidates with a valid UGC / CSIR-NET / GATE / GPAT qualification.
For other eligible full-time candidates without an external qualification.
Fellowships are awarded for a maximum of 3 years, subject to satisfactory progress and supervisor recommendations.
125 faculty members across 8 ACU faculties have been recognised as Ph.D Guides for the academic year 2025-26 onwards (Revised Notification ACU/AUTY/Ph.D. Guides/1402/2025-26). Click any faculty to expand the list of approved guides and their research areas.
Source: ACU/AUTY/Ph.D. Guides/1402/2025-26 — Revised Notification dated 23 December 2025, signed by Dr. C. K. Subbaraya, Registrar.
Official Ph.D notification, list of approved guides, and entrance exam syllabus — all in one place.
Apply online before 11 November 2025 to join one of Karnataka's leading research universities — with structured fellowships, world-class facilities, and 125 recognised research guides.