INDNotice

JOINT CSIR-UGC NET December 2025 Information Bulletin

NOTIFICATIONAdded: 26 Sep 2025National Testing Agency (NTA) and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)

This Information Bulletin pertains to the Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2025 examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in collaboration with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Important Information and Dates At a Glance

  • Name of Examination: Joint CSIR-UGC NET December, 2025
  • Online Registration and Application Submission: 2025-09-25 to 2025-10-24 (up to 11:50 P.M.)
  • Last Date for Successful Transaction of Examination Fee: 2025-10-25 (up to 11:50 P.M.)
  • Correction in Particulars of Application Form: 2025-10-27 to 2025-10-29 (up to 11:50 P.M.)
  • Downloading of Admit Card: To be announced later through the website.
  • Mode of Examination: Computer Based Test (CBT), Objective Type with Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ).
  • Duration of Examination: 180 minutes (03 hours).
  • Date(s) of Examination Schedule: 2025-12-18
  • Timing of Examination:
    • Shift 1: 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon
    • Shift 2: 03:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
  • Display of Recorded Responses and Answer Keys / Declaration of Result: Will be announced later on the website.
  • Official Websites: https://csirnet.nta.nic.in/ and www.nta.ac.in

Application Fee

  • General: INR 1150
  • General-EWS/OBC(NCL): INR 600
  • SC/ST/PwD/PwBD/Third Gender: INR 325

Overview of the Examination

Joint CSIR-UGC NET is 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.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Educational Qualification:
    • General/Unreserved/General-EWS candidates: At least 55% marks (without rounding off) in Master's Degree or equivalent.
    • OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)/SC/ST/PwD/PwBD/Third gender candidates: At least 50% marks (without rounding off) in Master's Degree or equivalent.
    • Candidates pursuing Master's degree or awaiting results may apply provisionally, but must complete their degree within two years (for JRF) or one year (for Ph.D. only) from the NET result date.
    • Ph.D. degree holders whose Master's was completed by 1991-09-19 receive a 5% relaxation in marks (55% to 50%).
    • Candidates with a 4-year/8-semester bachelor's degree program must have a minimum of 75% marks or equivalent grade, with a 5% relaxation for reserved categories.
  • Age Limit (as of December 2025):
    • JRF: Not more than 30 years. Up to 5 years relaxation for OBC-NCL, SC/ST/PwD/PwBD/Third gender, women applicants, research experience (maximum 5 years), and armed forces service. Total relaxation not to exceed five years.
    • Assistant Professor: No upper age limit.
    • Admission to Ph.D.: No upper age limit.

Examination Details

  • Question Paper Pattern: The test consists of three parts (A, B, C) with objective-type, multiple-choice questions. There is no break between papers.
    • Part A: Common to all subjects, focuses on General Aptitude (logical reasoning, graphical analysis, numerical ability, etc.).
    • Part B: Subject-related conventional Multiple Choice Questions.
    • Part C: Higher-order questions testing scientific concepts and their application.
  • Negative Marking: Generally 25% for incorrect answers in Parts A, B, and C (Chemical, Life, Physical Sciences). Specific details vary by subject (e.g., Earth Sciences Part C has 33% negative marking, Mathematical Sciences Part C has no negative marking).
  • Subjects of the Test:
    • 701: Chemical Sciences
    • 702: Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
    • 703: Life Sciences
    • 704: Mathematical Sciences
    • 705: Physical Sciences
  • Syllabus: Available on the CSIR HRDG website: www.csirhrdg.res.in.

Facilities for PwD/PwBD Candidates

  • Provisions for scribe/reader/lab assistant and compensatory time are available as per government guidelines.
  • Scribe's qualification should be one step below the candidate's.
  • Compensatory time will be at least 20 minutes per hour of examination; minimum one hour for a 3-hour exam, even without a scribe.
  • Disability certificate/Unique Disability Identification (UDID) must be uploaded during the application process.

Application Process

Candidates must apply online via https://csirnet.nta.nic.in/. The process involves:

  1. Online Registration: Generate a system-generated Application Number.
  2. Filling the Application Form: Provide personal, educational, and examination details.
  3. Uploading Documents:
    • Photograph: Passport size, 10-200 KB, JPG/JPEG format, 80% face visible, white background.
    • Signature: Running hand writing, 10-50 KB, JPG/JPEG format, blue/black ink on white paper.
    • Category/PwD/PwBD/Result Awaited Attestation Form: 50-300 KB, PDF format.
  4. Payment of Examination Fee: Through Net Banking, Debit Card, Credit Card, or UPI.
    • SBI Charges: Rs 5.00 + GST for Net Banking. Nil for Debit Cards. 0.80% + GST (Min Rs 11) for Domestic Credit Cards, 3.50% + GST (Min Rs 11) for International Credit Cards. Nil for UPI.
    • ICICI Bank Charges: Nil for Net Banking and Debit Cards. 0.40% for Domestic Credit Cards, 2.35% for International Credit Cards. Nil for UPI.

Candidates must select four preferred examination cities from the list in Annexure-VIII. Once submitted, the choice of cities cannot be changed after the correction window closes.

Admit Card

Admit Cards will be issued provisionally and must be downloaded from the NTA website. No physical admit cards will be sent. Candidates must bring a printout of the Admit Card, a passport-size photograph (same as uploaded), and an authorized Government photo ID to the examination center.

Unfair Means Practices

Any candidate found indulging in unfair means (e.g., possession of prohibited items, impersonation, violating rules, manipulating documents, using electronic devices) will face severe penalties, including debarment for 3 years and criminal action. The result of such candidates will be cancelled.

Result Declaration

  • Recorded responses and provisional answer keys will be displayed on the NTA website for challenges (fee of INR 200 per challenged question).
  • The NTA's decision on challenges is final, and results will be declared based on final answer keys.
  • There will be no separate cut-off for Part A, B, and C; cumulative marks will be considered for the merit list.
  • Minimum benchmark for qualification: 33% for General, EWS, and OBC categories; 25% for SC/ST/PwD/PwBD categories for both fellowship and Assistant Professor.
  • No re-evaluation or re-checking of results will be entertained.

Contact Information

  • NTA Helpdesk (Payment related issues):
  • For Fellowship enquiries (CSIR Scheme): Deputy Secretary / Under Secretary (EMR), CSIR-HRDG, CSIR Complex, Library Avenue, Pusa, New Delhi - 110012.
  • For Fellowship enquiries (UGC Schemes): Under Secretary, Selection and Award Bureau, University Grant Commission, South Campus, University of Delhi, Benito Juarez Marg, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi - 110021.
  • For Eligibility for Assistant Professor: Education Officer, University Grants Commission, South Campus, University of Delhi, Benito Juarez Marg, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi - 110021.

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