Delhi University has various Faculties (Arts, Law, Social Sciences etc) , and not all Faculties have the same system. My Ph.D programme is in Arts Faculty which houses English, Linguistics, Philosophy, Sanskrit, Hindi etc and so this post will primarily be confined to Philosophy department of the Arts Faculty of Delhi University. However, I believe there will be some similarities between all the different departments, and therefore prospective applicants in other department may as well get some useful information from this post.
The Philosophy Department as well as other departments in the Arts Faculty invites application for Ph.D programme twice a year -- in January/February and July/August. The form may come out in January/July end and the written test/interview in the following month. Written test/interview is compulsory whether one has JRF or not.
In the interview, the candidate will be asked to explain the 'problem' he or she wants to explore, and then propose a thesis to the problem. (A thesis is a conclusion, so to speak, of a particular problem.) The 'problem' that you want to work on could be a thesis of someone in the past but is facing criticism from certain quarter, and therefore you plan to defend that thesis with new arguments or the 'problem' could even be that thesis that you want to provide further criticism. So if one wants to get into a Ph.D programme, I would say the most important thing to do is to identify the 'problem'.
To pass the written test, you are on your own. But to frame the 'problem', or to identify the problem you want to do research in, it's much easier if you would get in touch with a professor in the department in advance. Now since M.Phil students would have been already in the department, working with a particular professor on a particular topic, it becomes naturally easier for them to get in. So if you choose to get in through M.Phil route, I would say it is easier. Nonetheless, if you are able to exchange email with a professor or come to the department and get acquainted with a professor or even ask a student already there to introduce you to a professor, this is a possible route to ease the problem in getting a direct Ph.D admission. A busy professor may not be able to exchange email, but if you come to the department and try to meet him/her, I am sure they would spare their time. And if the candidate is serious and shows that he/she has done homework, any professor would be happy to help out. But mind you, when you contact a professor get in touch with one who is already teaching/working in the area you would be working in. (It does not mean that one cannot get in without having to take the help of the professors in framing the problem. But like most big universities reaching out in advance definitely helps.)
The admission cost for Ph.D in Philosophy department is approximately Rs. two thousands only per annum. Apart from that each year the fee would come to Rs. Eight Hundred Seventy Two.
