UGC Net

What is UGC NET?

University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) or NTA UGC NET is a national-level exam conducted to determine the eligibility of candidates for only Assistant Professor or both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor posts in Indian universities and colleges. The NTA UGC NET 2025 exam will be held for a total of 85 subjects. The syllabus differs for all 85 subjects and is prescribed by the University Grants Commission itself. Until June 2018, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the NET exam on behalf of UGC. Now UGC NET exam is being conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

UGC NET Posts

The candidates who will qualify for the NET JRF and  Assistant Professorship through the UGC NET will be offered an assistant professor's position or the position of a research scholar. The candidates can get the difference between these two positions below:

• Junior Research Fellowship (JRF): The candidates who will qualify for the JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) can apply for the position of assistant professor and research scholar. The research scholars will be paid a stipend of 37,000 (for the initial 2 years) and 42,000 (from the 3rd year) to complete their research in a specific field. The candidates qualifying for the JRF can also apply for the position of assistant professor in different universities along with a career as a research scholar. 
• Assistant Professors: The candidates qualifying for the eligibility exam for the position of Assistant professor can apply for the position to teach in different universities/colleges. The candidates can also apply for the PhD. However, the candidates qualifying for the PhD will not be eligible to get any stipend from the Government to complete their PhD. 

UGC NET Exam Highlights 2025

UGC NET Exam Dates 2025

UGC NET Application 2025

UGC NET application online form for the Dec session will be released soon along with the notification 2025. The steps to apply online are given below:

1. Visit the website- ugcnet.nta.ac.in

2. Click on the ‘Application form’ link mentioned at the bottom of the home page

3. Click on the ‘New Registration’

4. Enter the required details and complete the registration

5. Fill out the complete application form

6. Upload scanned pictures of passport size photo (10-200 kb) and signature (4-30 kb). Both images should be in JPEG format

7. Pay the UGC NET application fee (Gen - INR 1,150; OBC/EWS - INR 600; SC/ST/PwD/ Transgender - INR 325)

8. Save and submit the form

9. Download the confirmation pag

How to Apply for the UGC NET Exam?

The candidates who will apply for the December cycle exam must note that the photograph and signature must be uploaded within the given limits or it will not be uploaded in the NTA NET online registration form. The size of the photo and signature have been given below for the candidates. 

What Are The Pre Requisites for UGC NET Registration Process 2025?

Candidates who wish to apply for the exam must know the pre-requisite information for making an application for the NTA NET Dec exam. The list of the pre-requisite information has been given below for the candidates that they should keep ready before filling out the application form:

1. Copy of Board/ University Certificate for Name, Mother's Name, Father's Name, etc. 

2. Identification Card

3. Degree Certificate or last semester result

4. Active Email ID and Mobile Number

5. Four cities and choice of centres 

6. Code of subject 

7. Category certificate, PwD certificate (if applicable)

8. Scanned photograph and signature 

What IsThe Size of Photo & Signature To Apply For UGC NET 2025?

The dimensions and the size for the UGC NET exam photo and signature have been given below for the candidate's ease:

• UGC NET photo size and dimensions: The photograph must be in the dimension of 3.5cm x 4.5 cm and between 10kb to 200kb in JPG/JPEG format
• UGC NET signature size: The signature must be in JPG/JPEG 4 kb to 30 kb size

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025

The basic criteria that candidates must fulfill to meet UGC NET Eligibility 2025 are mentioned below in terms of the age limit and qualification:

Age Limit 2025

• Candidates should not be more than 30 years of age to be eligible for NTA NET JRF 
• There is no age restriction to applying for the post of Assistant Professor
• A relaxation of five years in age criteria is given to reserved category candidates

Educational Qualification 2025

• Candidates should have completed UG (four-year course) or must be in the final year.
• Candidates should have completed their post-graduation from a UGC-recognised college/university
• A relaxation of five per cent in educational qualification is given to reserved category candidates
• Candidates who have cleared the State Eligibility Test (SET) before June 1, 2002, are exempted from taking the UGC NET exam

EWS Certificate 

The candidates who have applied for the UGC NET exam under economically weaker sections and if they qualify for the exam will get the UGC NET EWS certificate. The candidates falling under the EWS will get a 10 per cent reservation in the recruitment exam. However, the candidates don't have to upload the NTA UGC NET EWS certificate while filling out the application form for the recruitment exam but the certificate has to be presented in front of the recruitment committee.

UGC NET Syllabus & Pattern 2025

UGC NET Syllabus is prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Syllabus is different for Paper 1 and Paper 2. The Paper 1 syllabus is common for all candidates. On the other hand, the Paper 2 syllabus varies for all 85 subjects. Candidates need to choose the subject for Paper 2 while submitting the NTA NET application form.

Note:

Paper 1 comprises 50 questions from 10 units that hold a total weightage of 100 marks.

Paper 2 holds a weightage of 200 marks for 100 questions.

The Commission introduced 'Ayurveda Biology' as an additional subject in the UGC NET exam.

UGC NET Preparation Tips 2025

The candidates preparing for the UGC NET exam must go through the last-minute preparation tips to score good marks and uplift their chances of getting qualified. The UGC NET last-minute prep tips for the candidates are provided below :

• The candidates must focus on accuracy rather than guessing for the right answer. However, the UGC NET exam does not have a negative marking scheme but candidates must go for the question that they know perfectly and then solve the rest paper by guessing:
• Focus on time management
• Read the questions carefully