Content Curator | Updated on - Mar 30, 2026

Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Belagavi, a constituent college of KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KAHER) - a NAAC A+ accredited Deemed-to-be-University - offers a Ph.D. in Community Medicine under its Faculty of Medicine (Para-Clinical). The programme has a minimum duration of 3 years and is available in both Full-Time and Part-Time (Internal/External) modes. The total fees for the first year range from Rs. 24,000 (Part-Time Internal/KLE employees) to Rs. 90,000 (Full-Time, Non-KLE candidates), with only tuition fees payable in subsequent years. The primary admission route is through the KAHER PhD Entrance Examination followed by a personal interview, conducted twice a year (Batch A in January and Batch B in June). The programme is highly sought after by medical faculty, researchers, and public health professionals seeking to contribute to evidence-based community health research in India.

Admissions for the 2026-27 Batch A (January cycle) are currently closed, with applications having been accepted in December 2025. The next admission cycle - Batch B (June 2026) - is expected to open in April 2026 (second week), based on the established annual calendar. Candidates are advised to monitor the official KAHER website (kaher.edu.in) for the upcoming Batch B notification.

Key Points

Ph.D. in Community Medicine is offered under the Faculty of Medicine (Para-Clinical) at JNMC, a constituent college of KAHER Deemed University, Belagavi.
The programme is available in Full-Time (minimum 3 years) and Part-Time Internal/External (minimum 3 years) modes; maximum duration is 6 years (extendable up to 8 years).
Admission is conducted twice a year - Batch A (January) and Batch B (June) - through a university-level entrance exam and interview.
The KAHER PhD Entrance Test consists of 50% Research Methodology and 50% subject-specific questions; candidates must score a minimum of 50% to qualify for the interview.
Prior to thesis submission, scholars must publish at least 2 research papers in SCOPUS/PubMed/Web of Science/UGC-listed journals and present at 2 conferences.
Full-time scholars may be assigned up to 6 hours per week of teaching/research assistantship.
KLE employee faculty pursuing Part-Time Internal PhD pay no tuition fees; only one-time charges apply.
Female PhD scholars and Persons with Disabilities (more than 40% disability) are eligible for an additional 2-year relaxation in programme duration.

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Highlights
Fees
Admission
Scholarships
Ranking
FAQs

JNMC Ph.D. (Community Medicine) Fees

The Ph.D. (Community Medicine) programme at JNMC Belagavi falls under the Health Sciences category for fee purposes. Full-Time (Non-KLE) candidates pay Rs. 90,000 in the first year, which includes registration, tuition, orientation, defence/viva-voce, and eligibility fees. From the second year onwards, only the annual tuition fee of Rs. 60,000 is applicable, bringing the total for a minimum 3-year programme to Rs. 2,10,000. Part-Time External candidates pay Rs. 59,000 in Year 1 and Rs. 35,000 per year thereafter (total Rs. 1,29,000 for 3 years), while Part-Time Internal (KLE employees) pay only one-time charges totalling Rs. 24,000 with no annual tuition.

Fee Breakup - Year 1 (2026-27 Batch A onwards)

Fee Component	Full-Time (Non-KLE)	Part-Time External	Part-Time Internal (KLE)
Registration Fees (one-time)	Rs. 8,000	Rs. 4,000	Rs. 4,000
Tuition Fees (per year)	Rs. 60,000	Rs. 35,000	NIL
Orientation Course (one-time)	Rs. 8,000	Rs. 8,000	Rs. 8,000
Defence and Viva-Voce (one-time)	Rs. 12,000	Rs. 12,000	Rs. 12,000
Eligibility Fees (one-time)	Rs. 2,000	Not Applicable	Not Applicable
Total (Year 1)	Rs. 90,000	Rs. 59,000	Rs. 24,000

Subsequent Years (Tuition Fees only)

Category	Annual Tuition Fees
Full-Time (Non-KLE)	Rs. 60,000 per year
Part-Time External	Rs. 35,000 per year
Part-Time Internal (KLE)	NIL

Total Fees (Minimum 3-Year Programme)

Category	Total Fees (3 Years)
Full-Time (Non-KLE)	Rs. 2,10,000
Part-Time External	Rs. 1,29,000
Part-Time Internal (KLE)	Rs. 24,000

Hostel facility is available on campus but is optional and not included in the above fees.
Hostel charges are to be paid separately as per actuals.
Fees are to be paid on or before 31st January (Batch A) and 31st July (Batch B) each year up to thesis submission.
Late fees will be applicable for payments made after the stipulated date.
Candidates who discontinue the programme are liable to pay the entire course fee.
Full-time scholars who receive financial assistance from the university and fail to continue the programme must refund the entire scholarship and contingency amount.

JNMC Ph.D. (Community Medicine) Admission 2026-27

Admissions to the Ph.D. (Community Medicine) programme at JNMC Belagavi are conducted twice a year by KAHER - Batch A in January and Batch B in June. The selection process involves a written entrance examination followed by a personal interview. For the 2026-27 Batch A, applications were accepted in December 2025 and the process is now closed. The upcoming Batch B (June 2026) cycle is expected to open in April 2026. Candidates are advised to regularly check the official KAHER website for notifications.

KAHER PhD Admission Calendar

Event	Batch A (January Cycle) - 2026-27	Batch B (June Cycle) - 2026 (Tentative)
Issue of Admission Notification	November 2025 (II week)	April 2026 (II week)
Scrutiny of Applications	December 2025 (II week)	May 2026 (II week)
Online Application Availability	December 2025	May 2026
Last Date for Online Application	December 2025	May/June 2026
PhD Entrance Examination	January 2026 (I week)	June 2026 (I week)
Declaration of Entrance Result	January 2026 (IV week)	June 2026 (IV week)
PhD Interview	February 2026 (II week)	July 2026 (II week)
Release of Selection List and Admission	February 2026 (IV week)	July 2026 (IV week)
Joining of Scholars / Batch Commencement	March 2026 (I week)	August 2026 (I week)
Commencement of Coursework	March 2026 (I week)	August 2026 (I week)

Note: Batch A 2026-27 admissions are closed. Batch B dates are tentative and based on the official KAHER PhD Calendar of Events. Candidates must check kaher.edu.in for official Batch B notification.

Entrance Exam Details

Exam	Conducting Body	Relevance	Mode
KAHER PhD Entrance Test	KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KAHER)	Mandatory for all PhD admissions at JNMC/KAHER	Offline (Written Test at JNMC Campus, Belagavi)

Note: There is no national-level entrance exam (such as NEET-PG or NET) required for PhD Community Medicine at KAHER/JNMC. The university conducts its own entrance test. However, candidates holding UGC-NET/SLET/CSIR or ICMR Fellowship are eligible as full-time research scholars as per UGC norms and may be exempted from the university entrance test.

The dates mentioned above are tentative and subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must hold an MD (Community Medicine) or equivalent postgraduate medical degree (MD/MS/M.Ch./DNB/DM) from a recognized university with a minimum of 55% marks in aggregate (50% for SC/ST/OBC/Differently-abled candidates).
For Para-Clinical subjects including Community Medicine, candidates with M.Sc. in the relevant subject under the medical faculty (as recognized by UGC) with 55% marks are also eligible.
Candidates with UGC-NET/SLET/CSIR or ICMR Fellowship with the necessary qualification for the concerned discipline are eligible as full-time research scholars.

Admission Process

KAHER issues a notification (twice a year) on its official website and in national/regional newspapers.
Candidates apply online through the prescribed application form available on the KAHER website.
Eligible candidates appear for the KAHER PhD Entrance Test (50% Research Methodology + 50% Subject-specific questions) at JNMC Campus, Belagavi.
Candidates scoring a minimum of 50% in the entrance test (45% for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/Differently-abled) are called for a personal interview.
Final selection is based on merit: 70% weightage for entrance test score + 30% weightage for interview performance. A minimum combined score of 50 out of 100 is required.
Selected candidates are allotted a Research Supervisor (Guide) by the university.
Admitted scholars must pay fees and report to the Principal of the respective college through the Supervisor and Head of Department.

JNMC Ph.D. (Community Medicine) Scholarships 2026-27

KAHER provides financial assistance to deserving full-time PhD scholars in the form of scholarships and contingency grants, subject to recommendation by the competent authority/committee. The scholarship is available for Senior Research Fellows (post MD/MS/MDS) and Junior Research Fellows, making the programme financially accessible for meritorious full-time candidates. Scholars receiving funding from any other external agency are not eligible for KAHER's scholarship.

Scholarship Details

Scholarship / Financial Assistance	Category	Amount	Duration
Senior Research Fellowship (SRF)	Full-Time scholars with post MD/MS/MDS qualification	Rs. 40,000 per month	Up to 33 months (subject to clearing Pre-PhD exam in first attempt)
Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)	Full-Time scholars (others)	Rs. 20,000 per month	Up to 33 months (subject to clearing Pre-PhD exam in first attempt)
Contingency Grant	All Full-Time scholars	Rs. 50,000 per year	Up to 2 years

Scholarship and contingency are granted based on the recommendation of the competent authority/committee and are not automatically awarded to all scholars.
Scholars receiving financial support from any other agency (e.g., ICMR, DST, DBT) are not eligible for KAHER's scholarship and contingency.
Scholarship is granted for a period of 33 months, subject to clearance of the Pre-PhD Examination in the first attempt.
Contingency is provided for 2 years to support research-related expenses.
Full-time scholars who fail to continue the programme must refund the entire scholarship and contingency amount received.
No separate government scholarships (state or central) specific to this programme have been officially notified; candidates from reserved categories may explore UGC/ICMR fellowship schemes independently.

JNMC Belagavi Ph.D Community Medicine Ranking

Collegedunia Ranking

#379 out of 632 in India 2025

#34th in Karnataka

Indiatoday Ranking

#39 out of 54 in India 2025

#9th in Karnataka

IIRF Ranking

#22 out of 57 in Top Private Colleges in India 2025

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JNMC Ph.D. (Community Medicine) FAQs

Ques. Is NEET-PG or any national entrance exam required for PhD Community Medicine admission at JNMC Belagavi?

Ans. No, NEET-PG is not required for PhD admissions at JNMC Belagavi. KAHER conducts its own PhD Entrance Test, which is mandatory for all candidates. However, candidates holding UGC-NET/SLET/CSIR or ICMR Fellowship are eligible as full-time research scholars and may be considered under a separate category as per UGC norms.

Ques. Can a candidate with MBBS (without MD) apply for PhD Community Medicine at JNMC?

Ans. No. The minimum eligibility for PhD in Community Medicine (a Para-Clinical subject under the Faculty of Medicine) is an MD or equivalent postgraduate medical degree with at least 55% marks. MBBS alone is not sufficient. However, candidates with M.Sc. in a relevant subject under the medical faculty (as recognized by UGC) with 55% marks may also be eligible.

Ques. How many times a year does KAHER offer PhD admissions, and what are the two batches?

Ans. KAHER conducts PhD admissions twice a year - Batch A (January cycle, notification in November) and Batch B (June cycle, notification in April). Both batches follow the same selection process: entrance test followed by interview. Scholars joining Batch A commence their coursework in March, while Batch B scholars commence in August.

Ques. What is the scholarship amount available for PhD scholars at JNMC/KAHER, and is it guaranteed?

Ans. The scholarship is not automatically guaranteed - it is granted based on the recommendation of the competent authority/committee. If awarded, Senior Research Fellows (post MD/MS/MDS) receive Rs. 40,000 per month and Junior Research Fellows receive Rs. 20,000 per month, for up to 33 months. An additional contingency grant of Rs. 50,000 per year (for up to 2 years) is also available for full-time scholars.

Ques. What are the publication requirements before submitting the PhD thesis at KAHER?

Ans. Before submitting the thesis, a PhD scholar at KAHER must publish at least 2 research papers in journals indexed in SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science, or the UGC list of journals. Additionally, the scholar must present papers at a minimum of 2 conferences/seminars and produce evidence in the form of reprints and presentation certificates. These publications must be reviewed and recommended as satisfactory by an expert committee before the scholar is permitted to present the second open house seminar.

Ques. Can a faculty member working at another institution (outside KAHER) pursue a Part-Time PhD in Community Medicine at JNMC?

Ans. Yes. Faculty members working at other institutions can enroll as Part-Time External research scholars. They must obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their employer, confirming that they are permitted to pursue studies on a part-time basis and that their official duties allow sufficient time for research. Part-time external scholars pay Rs. 59,000 in Year 1 and Rs. 35,000 per year thereafter. Part-time PhD programmes are not conducted through distance or online mode; physical presence at JNMC/KAHER is required for a minimum of 8 hours per week with the research guide.