NOTIFICATIONAdded: 7 Nov 2025National Testing Agency (NTA) for University Grants Commission (UGC)
Introduction
About National Testing Agency (NTA)
Established by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, as an independent, autonomous, and self-sustained premier testing organization.
Entrusted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct UGC-NET.
About University Grants Commission (UGC)
A Statutory Body of the Government of India, Ministry of Education, responsible for providing funds and maintaining standards in higher education.
University Grants Commission – National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET)
A test to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for:
'Award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and appointment as Assistant Professor'
'Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.'
'Admission to Ph.D. only'
JRF-qualified candidates are admitted into Ph.D. programmes based on interviews as per UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022.
UGC-NET under category-2 and category-3 can be used as an entrance test for Ph.D. admission.
For Ph.D. admission under category-2 and category-3, NET marks have 70% weightage, and interview/viva voce has 30% weightage. NET marks for Ph.D. admission are valid for one year from the result declaration.
Selection for National Fellowships (NFSC, NFOBC, NFPWD) will also be made through this process.
Important Information and Dates at a Glance
Online Registration and Submission of Application Form: 2025-10-07 to 2025-11-07 (up to 11:50 P.M.)
Last Date for Successful Transaction of Examination Fee: 2025-11-07 (up to 11:50 P.M.)
Examination Fee Payable (for UGC-NET December 2025):
General/Unreserved: Rs. 1150/-
Gen-EWS*/OBC-NCL**: Rs. 600/-
Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST)/Person with Disability (PwD)/Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD)/Third gender: Rs. 325/-
*Applicable service/processing charges & GST are extra.
Correction in the Particulars of Application Form (online only): 2025-11-10 to 2025-11-12 (up to 11:50 P.M.)
Intimation of Cities of Exam Centres: To be Intimated later
Downloading of Admit Card: To be Intimated later
Dates of Examination: To be Intimated later
Duration of Examination: 180 minutes (03 hours), with no break between Paper 1 & Paper 2.
Timing of Examination: To be Intimated later
Exam Centre, Date and Shift: As indicated on the Admit Card
Display of Recorded Responses and Provisional Answer Keys: To be announced later on website
General/Unreserved/General-EWS candidates: Must have secured at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in Master's Degree or equivalent examination from UGC-recognized universities.
OBC-NCL/SC/ST/PwD/PwBD/Third gender candidates: Must have secured at least 50% marks (without rounding off) in Master's degree or equivalent.
Candidates pursuing their Master's degree or equivalent course, or those whose results are awaited, may apply provisionally. They must complete their Master's degree with the required percentage within two years from NET result date (one year for 'Admission to Ph.D. Only' category).
Ph.D. degree holders whose Master's level examination was completed by 1991-09-19 are eligible for a 5% relaxation in aggregate marks (i.e., from 55% to 50%) for NET.
Candidates with a 4-year/8-semester bachelor's degree programme should have a minimum of 75% marks (or 70% for reserved categories). They are eligible for JRF/Ph.D. admission only, not for Assistant Professor appointment.
Exemption (Eligibility for Assistant Professor):
NET/SET/SLET is the minimum eligibility. Exemptions are governed by UGC regulations.
Candidates who passed the UGC/CSIR/JRF examination prior to 1989 are exempted from appearing in NET.
SET candidates who cleared SET accredited by UGC for Assistant Professor prior to 2002-06-01 are exempted for Assistant Professor anywhere in India. For SET held from 2002-06-01 onwards, eligibility is only for universities/colleges in the state where SET was cleared.
Age Limit and Relaxation (as on 2025-12-01):
JRF: Not more than 30 years.
A relaxation of up to 5 years is provided to OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD, Third gender categories, and women applicants.
Relaxation for research experience (up to 5 years maximum).
3 years' relaxation for L.L.M. degree holders.
Up to 5 years relaxation for armed forces service.
Total age relaxation on the above grounds shall not exceed five years under any circumstances.
Assistant Professor: No upper age limit.
Admission to PhD: No upper age limit.
Reservations
Reservation Policy: The Government of India's reservation policy is applicable to UGC-NET for Central Universities and Institutions:
Scheduled Caste (SC): 15% of seats.
Scheduled Tribe (ST): 7.5% of seats.
Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL): 27% of seats (as per Central List).
General-Economically Weaker Sections (General-EWS): 10% of seats.
Persons with Disabilities (PwD)/Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) with 40% or more disability: 5% of seats within the above-mentioned categories.
Provisions relating to Persons with Disability (PwD)/Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD):
Based on "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016" and Office Memorandums (2018-08-29 and 2022-08-10).
Facility of scribe/reader/lab assistant is allowed for persons with benchmark disability who have limitations in writing, and for other categories of persons with benchmark disabilities on production of a medical certificate.
Candidates can opt for their own scribe or request the Examination Body.
Compensatory time: Not less than 20 minutes per hour of examination. PwBD candidates eligible for scribe facility will receive a minimum of one hour additional time for a 3-hour exam.
Benefit of reservation is subject to document verification. False/fake/incorrect information will lead to exclusion from the examination process.
Examination Scheme
Mode of Examination: Computer Based Test (CBT) only.
Pattern of Examination:
The test paper will consist of two sections, both objective type, multiple-choice questions. There will be no break between papers.
Part I: 50 questions, 100 marks. Intends to assess teaching/research aptitude, reasoning ability, reading comprehension, divergent thinking, and general awareness.
Part II: 100 questions, 200 marks. Based on the subject selected by the candidate, assesses domain knowledge.
Total Duration: 03 hours (180 minutes). All questions are compulsory.
Medium of Question Paper: English & Hindi only, except for language papers. The English version shall be treated as final in case of any ambiguity.
Marking Scheme:
Each question carries 02 marks.
02 marks for each correct response.
There is no negative marking for incorrect responses.
No marks for un-answered/un-attempted/marked for Review questions.
Special cases for multiple correct options or wrong questions are handled to ensure fairness.
Registration and Application Process
Application Mode: Candidates must apply for UGC-NET December 2025 "Online" ONLY through the NTA Website: https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in/. Multiple applications for the same subject will be rejected.
Documents to keep ready for Online Application Form:
Board/University Certificate (for Candidate's Name, Mother's Name, Father's Name, Date of Birth).
Type of Identification (Bank A/c passbook with photograph/Passport Number/Ration Card/Aadhaar Card Number/Voter ID Card Number/Other Govt ID).
Qualifying Degree Certificate or last semester marks sheet.
Mailing Address and Permanent Address with Pin Code.
Four cities for Centres of your choice (refer to Appendix-III for Codes).
Code of UGC-NET Subject (refer to Appendix-II for Code).
Code of subject at Post Graduation level (refer to Appendix-IV for Code).
Code of Post-Graduation Course (refer to Appendix-V for Code).
Recent photograph: 10Kb – 200Kb, colour or black & white with 80% face (without mask) visible including ears against white background.
Candidate's signature: 4kb - 30kb, full running handwriting on white paper with Blue/Black Ink.
PwD/PwBD Disability Certificate/UDID with both sides (in single PDF): 50kb – 300kb.
Steps to Apply Online:
Apply for Online Registration using your Email Id and Mobile No.
Fill in the Online Application Form and note down the system generated Application Number. Upload scanned images.
Pay fee using SBI/CANARA/ICICI/HDFC Bank/Debit Card/Credit Card/UPI. Keep proof of fee paid.
Confirmation Page: The Confirmation Page of the online Application Form will be generated only after successful payment. Download, save, and print a copy for future reference.
Important Points to Note: Candidates' email address and mobile number are crucial for communication. The NTA will not be responsible for any delay/loss in postal transit for incorrect correspondence address. Online Application Form cannot be withdrawn once submitted.
Provision of Government ID other than Aadhaar: Aadhaar is not mandatory; candidates can use Passport, PAN Card, Driving Licence, or any other valid Government identity number.
Admit Card for UGC-NET December 2025: Issued provisionally, downloadable from the NTA website. Not sent by post. Candidates must appear at the allotted centre, date, and time. Discrepancies in Admit Card particulars should be reported to NTA Help Line (09:30 am to 5:30 pm).
Conduct of Exam
Documents to be brought to the Examination Centre:
Printed copy of Admit Card downloaded from NTA website.
One passport size photograph (same as uploaded on the Online Application Form) for pasting on the Attendance Sheet.
Any one original, valid, and non-expired photo ID (PAN card/Driving License/Passport/Aadhaar Card (With photograph)/Aadhaar). Name on ID must match Admit Card (with legal document proof if name changed).
PwD/PwBD certificate (if claiming relaxation).
Reporting Time and other Important Instructions:
Report two hours before the commencement of the examination for frisking and registration. Registration desk closes 30 minutes prior to the examination.
Candidates will not be permitted to enter after the stipulated time.
Candidates must show the Admit Card on demand for admission to the examination room/hall.
For any queries/issues regarding the Computer Based Test, contact NTA Helpline Numbers (011 – 40759000).
Key Challenges and Result
Display of Provisional Answer Key(s) for Challenges: NTA will display Provisional Answer Key(s) and Question Paper attempted on https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in/ for two to three days. A fee of Rs. 200/- per answer key challenged (non-refundable) is required.
Display of Recorded Responses: NTA will display the Question Paper and attempted recorded responses on ugcnet.nta.nic.in prior to result declaration.
Procedure and Criteria for Declaration of Result:
The number of candidates qualified for Assistant Professor shall be 6% of the candidates who appeared in NET (both papers).
Total slots allocated to different categories as per the Government of India's reservation policy.
To be considered, candidates must have appeared in both papers and secured at least 40% aggregate marks for General (Unreserved)/General-EWS, and 35% for reserved categories.
The result will be compiled based on the final answer key declared and will be hosted on NTA website; candidates will not be individually intimated.
Normalization Procedure: For multi-shift papers, the NTA Score (Percentile Score) will be used. There shall be no re-evaluation/re-checking of the result.
Unfair Means Practices and Breach of Examination Rules
Definition: Unfair Means Practice (UFM) includes activities allowing candidates to gain an unfair advantage, such as possession of prohibited items, impersonation, breaching examination rules, assisting others, manipulating online documents (Admit Card, Self-Declaration), or creating obstacles to the smooth conduct of the examination.
Punishment: If found guilty, candidates will be debarred for up to 3 years from all NTA exams and may face criminal action.
Cancellation of Result: The result of candidates indulging in UFM or appearing from a centre other than the one allotted will be cancelled.
Miscellaneous
Grievance / Correspondence with NTA: All grievances should be addressed to ugcnet@nta.ac.in. The communication must contain the candidate's name, Registration/Application Number, postal address, and valid contact number. NTA will not entertain anonymous communication.
NTA Helpdesk Contact Details (for payment related issues): Email: ugcnet@nta.ac.in, Phone No.: 011-40759000.
NTA Weeding Out Rules: The record of UGC-NET December 2025 will be preserved for up to 90 days from the date of declaration of result.
Legal Jurisdiction: All disputes related to the conduct of UGC-NET December 2025 Examinations, including results, shall fall within the jurisdiction of Delhi/New Delhi only. Legal issues will be entertained only if raised within 30 days from the declaration of result.
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