UGC-NET December 2026: Application open till 28 October 2026

About this notice

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the Information Bulletin for the UGC-NET December 2026 Examination. Eligible candidates can submit their online application forms through ugcnet.nta.nic.in from 08 October 2026 to 28 October 2026, or until 31 October 2026 with an additional late fee. The examination will be held from 14 December to 18 December 2026 and on 21 December 2026.

View the official notice (PDF)

Page written by Disha Stars from the official NTA document. The NTA document is the authority for dates and instructions.

About UGC-NET December 2026

UGC-NET is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for three categories: (1) Award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and appointment as Assistant Professor, (2) Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D., and (3) Admission to Ph.D. only in Indian universities and colleges.

Important Dates

Application Fee

The examination fee can be paid online using Net Banking, Debit Card, Credit Card, or UPI via integrated payment gateways (SBI, Canara Bank, UBI). Any applicable service/processing charges and GST are payable by the candidate.

Eligibility Criteria and Qualifications

Candidates must ensure they fulfill the qualifying criteria for their chosen subject and eligibility category.

• Master's Degree: General/Unreserved/General-EWS candidates must have secured at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in a Master's degree or equivalent. Candidates belonging to OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD, or Third Gender need at least 50% marks.
• Awaited Results: Candidates pursuing or awaiting final year Master's results may apply provisionally. To qualify for JRF/Assistant Professor, they must complete their degree with requisite marks within two years of the NET result. For 'Admission to Ph.D. Only', they must complete it within one year.
• Ph.D. degree holders who completed their Master's level examination by 19 September 1991 get a 5% relaxation (from 55% to 50%).
• Four-Year Bachelor's Degree: Candidates having completed a 4-year/8-semester bachelor's degree must secure a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate (5% relaxation for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, Differently-Abled, EWS). Candidates qualifying on the basis of a 4-year bachelor's degree are eligible for JRF and admission to Ph.D. only, and are NOT eligible for Assistant Professor.
• Foreign Qualifications: Equivalence must be obtained from the University Grants Commission (UGC). For PG diplomas awarded by Indian institutes, equivalence must be ascertained from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

Age Limit and Relaxation

Age limitations vary depending on the qualification track opted by the candidate.

• JRF: Maximum 30 years as on 01.12.2026 (the 1st day of the month in which the exam concludes).
• JRF Age Relaxation: Up to 5 years for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD, Third Gender, and women applicants; up to 5 years for candidates with relevant research experience; 3 years for candidates holding an L.L.M. degree; up to 5 years for service in the armed forces. Total relaxation on all combined grounds cannot exceed 5 years.
• Assistant Professor: There is no upper age limit.
• Admission to Ph.D.: There is no upper age limit.

Examination Pattern and Scheme

The examination is conducted strictly as a Computer Based Test (CBT). Both papers consist of objective type, multiple-choice questions (MCQs) administered without any break in a single 3-hour session.

Marking Scheme and Question Paper Medium

• Each question carries 02 marks.
• For each correct response, the candidate receives 02 marks.
• There is no negative marking for incorrect responses.
• Unattempted/unanswered questions receive zero marks.
• If more than one option is correct, +2 marks are given to candidates who marked any of the correct options.
• If all options are correct, +2 marks are awarded to all candidates who attempted the question.
• If a question is incorrect/dropped or has no correct option, +2 marks are awarded to those candidates who attempted the question.
• Medium of paper: Bilingual in English and Hindi (except language papers). In case of translation ambiguity, the English version is final.

Reservation Policy

Reservations in Central Universities and Deemed Universities apply as per Government of India policy:

• 15% of seats for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.
• 7.5% of seats for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.
• 27% of seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) as per the Central List.
• 10% of seats for General-Economically Weaker Sections (General-EWS).
• 5% horizontal reservation within above categories for Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) with 40% or more disability.

Provisions for PwD/PwBD Candidates and Scribe

• Compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour of examination (minimum 1 hour for a 3-hour exam) is provided to candidates with benchmark disabilities entitled to a scribe, whether they use a scribe or not.
• Candidates with blindness, locomotor disability (both arms affected), and cerebral palsy are allowed a scribe upon request.
• Other candidates with benchmark physical limitations in writing must produce a certificate from a Chief Medical Officer/Civil Surgeon/Medical Superintendent as per Annexure VI.
• Persons having less than 40% disability with writing limitations require a certificate as per Annexure VIII.
• Candidates may opt to bring their own scribe (whose qualification must be one step below that of the candidate, submitted via Annexure VII) or request NTA to provide one.
• Scribe will only read questions and key in answers; the scribe will neither explain questions nor suggest answers.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online only through the NTA website ugcnet.nta.nic.in. Registration has also been enabled through the 'Meri Pehchaan' National Single Sign-On (NSSO) platform.

• Step 1: Register online using personal Email ID and Mobile Number.
• Step 2: Fill in the online form and note down the system-generated Application Number. Capture a live photograph using a webcam/mobile QR code (light-colored background, 80% face visibility without mask including ears). Upload scanned recent photo (10 kb to 200 kb), candidate signature (10 kb to 50 kb), and PwD/UDID certificate in PDF format (50 kb to 300 kb).
• Step 3: Pay the application fee online through SBI, Canara Bank, or UBI payment gateways and download the Confirmation Page.
• No printed documents, confirmation pages, or certificates are to be sent to NTA by post, hand, or email.

Choice of Examination Cities

• Candidates must select four convenient cities from Annexure III in order of priority.
• The choice of cities is restricted to the candidate's State of Permanent Address or State of Present Address only.
• NTA reserves the right to merge cities or allot a city outside the candidate's preference due to administrative or logistic reasons.

Admit Card and Exam Day Instructions

• Admit cards must be downloaded from ugcnet.nta.nic.in starting 07 December 2026.
• Candidates must report at the test centre 2 hours before examination commencement. Centre gates close 30 minutes before exam start time.
• Mandatory items to carry: Printed A4-size Admit Card with completed Self Declaration (Undertaking), one original and valid photo ID (PAN card, Passport, Aadhaar Card with photo, E-Aadhaar, Bank Passbook with photo, or College ID), one passport photo identical to the online application, and disability certificate/undertaking if applicable.
• Barred items: Textual materials, stationery, bags, mobile phones, electronic devices, watches, calculators, eatables (except whole unpacked fruits/sugar tablets for diabetic candidates), and non-transparent water bottles.
• Dress code: Simple, comfortable clothes without large pockets, heavy layers, or oversized garments. Normal shoes, slippers, and low-heel sandals are allowed; long boots are barred. Those wearing cultural or customary dress must report at least 2 hours early for frisking.
• Rough work must be done only on sheets provided at the centre, with the candidate's Name and Application Number written at the top. Sheets must be returned before leaving.

Answer Key Challenge and Results Procedure

• Provisional answer keys and recorded responses will be displayed on the NTA website for 2 to 3 days.
• Candidates can challenge any provisional answer key online by paying a non-refundable processing fee of Rs. 200/- per challenged question.
• Subject experts review all challenges before finalizing the key. The result will be compiled based on the final answer key.
• For Assistant Professor eligibility, candidates qualifying will equal 6% of the candidates who appeared in both papers of NET.
• Candidates must secure at least 40% aggregate marks across both papers (35% for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, PwD/PwBD, and Third Gender) to be considered for qualification.
• Marks obtained by candidates in Category-2 and Category-3 are valid for one year for Ph.D. admission from the date of declaration of result.
• There is no provision for re-evaluation or re-checking of results.

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Frequently asked questions

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