UGC NET December 2026 Application and Eligibility

The National Testing Agency (NTA), on behalf of the University Grants Commission, has published the Information Bulletin for UGC-NET December 2026. Indian nationals seeking eligibility for a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Assistant Professor appointment, or Ph.D. admission can apply, provided they meet the requirements for their chosen eligibility category.

This is an eligibility examination, not recruitment against a fixed number of posts, so the notification does not specify a total vacancy count. Online applications are being accepted from 8 October through 28 October 2026, up to 11:50 PM; late submission with an additional fee is available from 29 to 31 October. The examination is scheduled for 14–19 December 2026, and the process includes a computer-based test, publication of recorded responses and provisional answer keys, an answer-key challenge opportunity and result declaration.

Important Dates

Vacancy Details

UGC-NET does not recruit candidates for a set number of vacancies. It assesses eligibility for JRF, Assistant Professor appointment and Ph.D. admission. The number of candidates qualifying for Assistant Professor eligibility is set at 6% of candidates who appear in both papers.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification. General, Unreserved and General-EWS candidates need at least 55% marks, without rounding off. The minimum is 50%, also without rounding off, for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD and Third Gender candidates.

Candidates currently pursuing a Master’s degree, as well as those who have taken their final-year qualifying examination and are awaiting results, may apply provisionally. They must subsequently pass the degree with the required percentage to be considered eligible for JRF or Assistant Professor eligibility.

Age Limit

Age for JRF is assessed as of 1 December 2026, and applicants must be no older than 30 years. There is no upper age limit for eligibility for Assistant Professor appointment or Ph.D. admission.

For JRF, the notification provides age relaxation of up to five years for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD and Third Gender candidates, women applicants, and candidates with research experience. Candidates holding an L.L.M. degree are allowed three years of relaxation.

The Government of India reservation policy applies: 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, 27% for OBC-NCL and 10% for General-EWS candidates. PwBD candidates have 5% horizontal reservation.

Application Fee

Service or processing charges and applicable GST are payable separately to the bank or payment gateway. The application fee is not refundable once paid. Applicants using the late submission window from 29 to 31 October must also pay the stated Rs. 500 late fee.

How to Apply

1. Visit the official UGC-NET website at ugcnet.nta.nic.in and open the December 2026 application link. The direct application portal is available here.
2. Register through Meri Pehchaan, the National Single Sign-On (NSSO) platform, using your own active mobile number and email address.
3. Enter the requested personal and educational details in the online form.
4. Upload the required documents, live photograph and signature, then review the information entered.
5. Pay the applicable examination fee and any charges shown by the payment gateway.
6. Complete every application step and submit the form. The submission is incomplete if Steps 2 and 3 of the online process are not completed, and an incomplete form will be rejected.
7. Download and retain the final submitted application and confirmation page for future reference.

Documents and details to prepare

Keep a valid mobile number, active email address, Master’s degree certificate or mark sheet, other qualification documents, payment details and any applicable category certificate (SC, ST, OBC, PwBD or EWS) ready. The photograph should be 10–200 KB, with 80% of the face visible, including the ears, against a white background. The signature file should be 10–50 KB. Where applicable, upload a clearly legible scanned Disability/UDID certificate in PDF format, 50–300 KB.

Read the Information Bulletin’s online application instructions carefully. The entire process—including the live photograph and scanned-image uploads, fee payment and printing of the confirmation page and admit card—is online. Applications through any other mode will not be accepted.

Salary & Pay Scale

UGC-NET is an eligibility test rather than an appointment, so it does not carry a job salary. Candidates qualifying for JRF may receive a fellowship under UGC norms: Rs. 37,000 per month for the first two years and Rs. 42,000 per month for the remaining tenure. A contingency grant and HRA are also provided as per the applicable rules.

Selection Process

The assessment proceeds through a computer-based test, display of candidates’ recorded responses and provisional answer keys, an opportunity to challenge answer keys, and declaration of results. The final eligibility outcome is determined through the result and merit process. Results are reported in percentile alongside marks or normalized marks; where a subject is examined in multiple shifts, marks are normalized using the Equi-percentile method. NTA will display the question paper and attempted recorded responses before results are declared. Individual result notifications will not be sent, and there is no re-evaluation or re-checking.

Examination format and marking

The test consists of two objective-type, multiple-choice sections, completed without a break in 180 minutes. Part I has 50 questions for 100 marks and assesses teaching and research aptitude, including reasoning, reading comprehension, divergent thinking and general awareness. Part II has 100 subject-specific questions for 200 marks and tests domain knowledge. The combined paper has 150 questions and 300 marks. Each correct answer earns two marks; there is no negative marking, and unanswered, unattempted or review-marked questions receive no marks. The question paper is available in English and Hindi, except for language papers.

Candidates must attend the examination centre at their own cost on the date, shift and time shown on the NTA admit card. Bring the admit card with the downloaded self-declaration, one passport-size photograph and one authorised photo ID. Instruments, geometry or pencil boxes, bags, purses, papers and stationery, textual material, food and water, mobile phones, earphones, microphones, calculators, DocuPens, slide rules, log tables, cameras, tape recorders, calculator-enabled electronic watches, metallic items and other electronic devices are not allowed in the examination hall.

NTA publishes updates and results on its website. Disputes concerning the examination, including results, fall under the jurisdiction of Delhi/New Delhi. Candidates should consult the official Information Bulletin for the complete instructions and requirements.

Eligible candidates should complete and submit the online application by 28 October 2026, 11:50 PM, or use the late application window by its stated deadline if necessary.