CSIR UGC NET December 2026: Dates, Eligibility and Application

The National Testing Agency (NTA), acting for the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is conducting the Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2026. Indian nationals seeking eligibility for a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Assistant Professor roles, or Ph.D. admission should review the requirements and apply online if eligible.

The application window runs from 7 October to 5 November 2026, with a late-fee application period through 9 November. Applications are accepted online, and candidates take an objective computer-based test in one of five science subjects. The result determines eligibility for JRF and Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor with Ph.D. admission, or Ph.D. admission alone; this is an eligibility examination, so no post-wise recruitment vacancy count is specified.

Important Dates

NTA describes the dates as tentative and will publish any changes on its website. Application and fee deadlines close at 11:50 PM unless otherwise stated.

Vacancy Details

CSIR-UGC NET is an eligibility test rather than a vacancy-based appointment notification. The source notice does not give a total or category-wise number of jobs. Candidates may qualify for one of three outcomes: Category 1, JRF plus Assistant Professor; Category 2, Assistant Professor plus Ph.D. admission; or Category 3, Ph.D. admission only. A candidate may select only one subject and submit one application. DBT also awards fellowships in Life Sciences and Bio-Technology through this examination under the same eligibility and age rules; DBT administers those fellowships.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Applicants must be Indian nationals. The standard postgraduate route requires a Master’s degree or equivalent, with at least 55% marks for General and EWS candidates and 50% for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and Third Gender candidates. The prescribed Master’s marks are not rounded off. Candidates with a four-year or eight-semester bachelor’s degree need 75% aggregate for General and EWS, or 70% for the listed reserved categories, reflecting a 5% relaxation.

Applicants awaiting final Master’s results may apply provisionally. They must complete the degree with the required marks within two years of the NET result, or within one year if qualified for Ph.D. admission only. A four-year bachelor’s degree holder may qualify for JRF and Ph.D. admission, but not Assistant Professor eligibility, and may choose a subject regardless of the bachelor’s discipline. For Ph.D. holders whose Master’s degree was completed by 19 September 1991, the minimum Master’s percentage is relaxed from 55% to 50%. Foreign degrees require UGC equivalence, while Indian postgraduate diplomas require AIU equivalence.

The examination covers five subjects: Chemical Sciences (code 701), Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences (702), Life Sciences and Bio-Technology (703), Mathematical Sciences (704), and Physical Sciences (705). A candidate can apply in only one. The detailed syllabus is available on the CSIR HRDG website; NTA does not send syllabus copies to applicants. Subject areas include analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry; geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography and physical geography; life-science areas such as biochemistry, biodiversity and taxonomy, biotechnology, botany, genetics, microbiology, physiology and zoology; applied and pure mathematics and statistics; and physical-science areas including atomic and molecular physics, classical dynamics, condensed matter, electromagnetics, electronics, nuclear and particle physics, quantum physics and thermodynamics.

Age Limit

For JRF, the upper age limit is 30 years as of 1 December 2026. There is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor eligibility or Ph.D. admission only. JRF applicants who are OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD/PwBD, Third Gender or women may receive up to five years of age relaxation. Up to five years may also be allowed for relevant-subject research experience or armed-forces service. The total relaxation cannot exceed five years, even when more than one ground applies.

Application Fee

The regular application fee is payable online through the SBI or Canara Bank payment gateways using debit card, credit card, net banking or UPI. Bank charges and GST may be additional; UPI transactions carry no charge on either gateway. The fee is non-refundable, except that NTA refunds duplicate payments made for the same application after reconciliation.

How to Apply

Submit the application only through the official CSIR-UGC NET portal. Registration is also available using MeriPehchaan single sign-on through DigiLocker. NTA permits only one application per candidate.

1. Register online: Provide your own email address and mobile number, set a password and security question, and note the Application Number generated by the portal.
2. Complete the application: Sign in with the Application Number and password and enter the requested personal, category and disability details, APAAR ID, subject, qualifications and four preferred examination cities.
3. Provide the photograph and upload documents: Capture a live photograph using a webcam or scan the on-screen QR code with a phone. Upload the required files in the specified formats and sizes.
4. Pay the fee: Complete payment through the available online payment options and check that the transaction is successful.
5. Save the confirmation page: The page is generated only after payment. Download it and keep a printout for reference.

Required upload specifications are as follows:

The password must contain 8–13 characters, including at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one special character. Changes to submitted details are possible only during the 10–12 November correction window.

Salary & Pay Scale

This examination does not appoint candidates to a fixed-pay post. Candidates awarded a JRF receive a fellowship of Rs. 37,000 per month for the first two years, along with an annual contingency grant of Rs. 20,000. After two years, a JRF who is registered for a Ph.D. and is approved by an expert committee may move to the Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) rate of Rs. 42,000 per month.

Selection Process

Selection for the relevant eligibility category is based on a three-hour computer-based test in English and Hindi. The paper consists of objective multiple-choice questions in three connected parts: Part A tests general aptitude and is common to all subjects, Part B contains subject questions, and Part C tests higher-order analytical ability. Each paper carries 200 marks, and there is no break between the parts. Candidates are tested on 19, 22 and 27 December 2026 in shifts scheduled for 9:00 AM–12:00 noon and 3:00 PM–6:00 PM.

The number of questions, allowed attempts and marks vary by subject. The subject-wise pattern below gives questions, maximum attempts, marks per correct answer and negative marks for Parts A, B and C respectively:

Only the first answers up to the permitted number in each part are evaluated. Mathematical Sciences Part C may have one or more correct options; candidates receive credit only when they select all correct options, and that part has no negative marking. Calculators are not allowed. If the Hindi and English question versions differ, the English version is treated as final.

There is no sectional cut-off: merit is calculated from the combined marks in Parts A, B and C. The minimum benchmark is 33% for General, EWS and OBC candidates and 25% for SC, ST and PwD/PwBD candidates. The three qualification outcomes have different uses: Category 1 grants JRF, Assistant Professor and Ph.D. admission eligibility; Category 2 grants Assistant Professor and Ph.D. admission eligibility; and Category 3 is for Ph.D. admission only. Category 2 and 3 scores replace university Ph.D. entrance tests and remain valid for one year from the result; Ph.D. admission uses NET marks weighted at 70% and interview performance at 30%. The Assistant Professor qualifying certificate does not expire. Candidates seeking NFOBC, NFSC and NFPwD fellowships must also apply through this examination; the respective nodal agencies announce those fellowship results.

For the examination day, candidates should reach the centre two hours before the examination begins. Entry is refused after the gate closes. Bring the A4 printed admit card with the self-declaration completed, two passport-size photographs matching the uploaded image, and one original photo ID such as Aadhaar/e-Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID, passport, driving licence, ration card or a bank passbook with photograph. Bring a PwD/PwBD certificate if claiming a relaxation or scribe, name-change documentation where relevant, a simple ballpoint pen and a transparent water bottle. Diabetic candidates may carry sugar tablets or fruit.

Mobile phones, earphones, smartwatches, health bands, calculators, log tables, paper, wallets, belts, caps, jewellery or other metal items, and opaque bottles are prohibited. Possession of barred items is treated as unfair means and may lead to debarment for up to three years under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Candidates choose four examination cities from 209 options, restricted to the state of their present or permanent address. PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe receive 20 minutes of compensatory time per hour, amounting to one hour for this examination.

Eligible candidates should submit their application and complete the fee payment by 5 November 2026. Those using the late application period should finish all steps by 9 November 2026 and check the official portal for updates to tentative dates.