“NET/SET/SLET shall be the minimum criteria for the direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Professor for all Higher Education Institutions.” The amendment replaces the previous sub-regulation of UGC. This amendment aims to maintain and enhance the standards of education in higher education institutions by ensuring that candidates have cleared the necessary eligibility tests for the role of assistant professor.

In 2018, the UGC granted students a three-year window to complete their PhDs, therefore establishing the criterion for entry-level recruitment. It further requested that all universities and colleges implement this criterion beginning with the 2021-22 academic year.

However, in 2021, the UGC extended the date of applicability of Ph.D. as the minimum qualification for university assistant professor recruitment from July 2021 to July 2023.

The UGC chairperson, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, announced the decision on Twitter, stating that a Ph.D. is not required for a job as an assistant professor.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also stated in 2021 that making a Ph.D. degree necessary for the position of assistant professor at institutions is "not favorable" under the current educational system.