NTA UGC NET JRF December 2026 Online Form

Quick Highlights

• Conducting Body: National Testing Agency (NTA), on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC)
• Exam: UGC-NET December 2026
• Subjects: 87
• Mode of Application: Online only
• Last Date to Apply and Pay Fee: 28 October 2026 (up to 11:50 P.M.)
• Late Fee Window: 29 October 2026 to 31 October 2026 (Rs. 500/-)
• Exam Mode: Computer Based Test, 3 hours
• Exam Dates: 14 December 2026 to 19 December 2026

What UGC NET Qualifies You For

UGC-NET is a test that decides the eligibility of Indian nationals for three different outcomes in Indian universities and colleges. The bulletin sorts qualifying candidates into three categories, and you choose among the options while filling the form, so it is worth understanding them first.

JRF-qualified candidates are admitted to a Ph.D. programme on the basis of an interview, as per the UGC Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree Regulations, 2022. For categories 2 and 3, the NET marks carry 70% weightage and the interview or viva voce conducted by the university or institution carries 30%. These NET marks are valid for one year from the date the result is declared. The number of candidates qualified for admission to Ph.D. only is decided by the results committee.

Candidates who qualify for JRF are eligible for a UGC fellowship under various schemes, subject to finding a placement in a university, IIT or institution. The validity of the offer is three years from the date of issue of the JRF award letter.

Important Dates

The schedule below is as published by NTA. The notice clearly states that the dates are tentative and that applicants will be informed if anything changes.

The Information Bulletin also lists 20 December 2026 and 21 December 2026 as buffer dates for the examination.

Application Fee

The fee depends on your category and is paid online through the payment gateway built into the application. Applicable service or processing charges and GST are over and above the examination fee and are paid by the candidate to the concerned bank or payment gateway. Once paid, the fee is not refunded under any circumstances.

Only OBC candidates who fall in the Central List of OBC-NCL should choose OBC. State list OBC candidates who are not in the Central List must choose General/Unreserved.

Eligibility Criteria

Master's Degree Marks

Candidates need a Master's degree or equivalent from a university or institution recognized by UGC, and the bulletin advises appearing in the subject of your post-graduation. Candidates whose subject is not in the NET list may appear in a related subject.

Ph.D. degree holders whose Master's level examination was completed by 19 September 1991 get a relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks, from 55% to 50%.

Final Year and Result Awaited Candidates

Candidates who are pursuing their Master's degree, have appeared in the final year examination with the result awaited, or whose qualifying examination has been delayed can also apply. They are admitted provisionally and are considered eligible for JRF or Assistant Professor only after passing with the required marks. They must complete the degree within two years from the date of the NET result, or within one year if they qualify for admission to Ph.D. only, failing which they are treated as disqualified.

Four-Year Bachelor's Degree Holders

Candidates with a 4-year or 8-semester bachelor's degree need at least 75% marks in aggregate or the equivalent grade, with a relaxation of 5% for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, differently-abled, EWS and other categories as decided by the Commission. Such candidates who qualify are eligible for the award of JRF and for admission to Ph.D., but not for appointment as Assistant Professor. They may appear in the subject in which they want to pursue a Ph.D., irrespective of the discipline of their four-year degree. Final semester or final year students of this programme can apply provisionally and must meet the requirements of the 2022 Ph.D. Regulations within two years if they qualify for JRF, or within one year if they qualify for admission to Ph.D. only.

Other Points on Eligibility

• Third Gender candidates get the same relaxation in fee, age and eligibility criteria as SC, ST, PwD and PwBD candidates.
• NTA does not verify the information entered during registration, so candidature stays provisional. If ineligibility is detected at any stage, the candidature will be cancelled and legal action can follow.
• Candidates with a foreign qualification should obtain equivalence from UGC, and holders of a Post-Graduate diploma from an Indian institute should check equivalence with the Association of Indian Universities.
• Candidates who passed the UGC, CSIR or JRF examination before 1989 are exempted from NET, and SET exemptions follow the dates and State rules given in the bulletin.

Age Limit and Relaxation

The age rule applies only to JRF. For Assistant Professor and for admission to Ph.D., there is no upper age limit.

• JRF: Not more than 30 years as on 01 December 2026.
• Up to 5 years of relaxation for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD and Third Gender candidates and for women.
• Relaxation for research experience, limited to the period spent on research in the relevant or related subject, up to a maximum of 5 years, on production of a certificate from the appropriate authority. Research done towards a graduation or post-graduation degree does not count.
• 3 years of relaxation for candidates with an L.L.M. degree, and up to 5 years for those who have served in the armed forces, limited to the length of service up to 01 December 2026.
• Total age relaxation on these grounds cannot exceed 5 years under any circumstances.

Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme

UGC-NET December 2026 is conducted in Computer Based Test mode only. Both parts have objective type multiple-choice questions, all questions are compulsory, and there is no break between the two papers.

The total duration is 3 hours (180 minutes). Each question carries 2 marks, and there is no negative marking for incorrect responses. No marks are given for questions that are unanswered or marked for review. If a question is found to have more than one correct option, 2 marks go to those who marked any correct option. If none of the options is correct, or the question is wrong or dropped, 2 marks are awarded only to those who attempted it.

The question paper is in English and Hindi, except language papers. The medium is chosen in the application form and cannot be changed afterwards. If there is any ambiguity in translation, the English version is treated as final.

Subjects and Syllabus

The test covers 87 subjects, each with its own code, listed in Annexure II of the Information Bulletin. The list runs from Economics, History, Commerce, Education, Law and Computer Science and Applications to languages such as Hindi, English, Sanskrit and Urdu, and newer additions such as Indian Knowledge System, Disaster Management, Ayurveda Biology, Forestry and Statistics. The syllabus for every subject can be downloaded from the UGC NET Syllabus page, and NTA will not send a copy of the syllabus to any candidate.

Choosing Your Exam Cities

While applying, you select four cities from the list in Annexure III of the bulletin, in order of priority. Choices are limited to the state of your permanent address or present address. NTA will try to allot a city in the order you chose, but it can allot a different city for administrative or logistic reasons, and it can merge cities where very few candidates apply. The decision of NTA on city and centre allotment is final.

How to Apply for UGC NET December 2026

The whole process is online, including uploads, fee payment and the confirmation page. An application in any other mode is not accepted, and only one application is to be submitted by a candidate.

1. Read the Information Bulletin and the replica of the application form on the official NTA UGC-NET website, and check your eligibility before you start.
2. Register online using your own e-mail address and mobile number. Registration has also been enabled through the Meri Pehchaan single sign on service of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
3. Fill in the online application form and note down the system generated application number. Choose four exam cities in order of priority within the state of your permanent or present address, and select the medium of the question paper carefully because it cannot be changed later.
4. Upload your live photograph, a recent photograph of 10 kb to 200 kb with 80% of the face visible including ears against a white background, and your signature of 10 kb to 50 kb. PwD and PwBD candidates also upload the disability or UDID certificate as a PDF of 50 kb to 300 kb.
5. Pay the fee for your category through credit card, debit card, net banking or UPI by 28 October 2026, 11:50 P.M., or by 31 October 2026 with the late fee of Rs. 500/-, and keep the proof of payment.
6. Download, save and print the confirmation page, which is generated only after successful payment. Do not send the confirmation page or any other document to NTA by post, fax, WhatsApp, e-mail or by hand.
7. Use the correction window from 02 November 2026 to 04 November 2026 if any particulars need to be corrected, and then watch the website for the exam city and admit card announcements.

The three stages of registration, form filling and payment can be done together or at different times, but the application is complete and the candidature is confirmed only after the fee is received. A form without a completed Step 2 and Step 3 stands rejected.

Details That Need Extra Care

Your Own E-mail and Mobile Number

NTA sends important communication only by e-mail and SMS on the registered details. The notice allows the e-mail and mobile number to be your own or your parents or guardians, as long as they are accessible. NTA is not responsible for messages that miss you because of wrong contact details, so check your inbox regularly.

Photograph and Aadhaar

The photograph must be your own, in colour or black and white, with 80% of the face including ears visible and no mask, against a white background. Live photograph capture needs a camera or webcam, or a mobile device through the QR code on the form. NTA advises candidates to update their Aadhaar details such as photograph, name, date of birth, gender and address, since these are used for verification, including at the exam centre. Using someone else's photograph, signature or certificate is treated as an unfair means practice.

PwD and PwBD Candidates

Details of the UDID card are verified from the UDID portal, and candidates without a UDID card upload a disability certificate that NTA may verify with the issuing authority. Any mismatch can be fixed only through the correction window. After that window closes, verified PwD or PwBD claims will not be entertained. A scribe is provided by NTA if requested, and compensatory time is allowed as per the bulletin.

Payment Problems

If the confirmation page is not generated after you pay, contact the concerned bank or payment gateway using the helpline details in Annexure I of the bulletin. If the transaction still does not show, contact the NTA helpline at 011-40759000 or write to ugcnet@nta.ac.in. Duplicate payments are refunded to the same payment mode after reconciliation.

Admit Card and Exam Day Instructions

The e-admit card will be issued provisionally on the NTA website, and the date of download will be announced there. Admit cards are not sent by post, and no duplicate is issued at the exam centre. If you cannot download it, call the NTA helpline between 10:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. The following points matter on the exam day:

• Reach the centre well in time, which means 2 hours before the exam starts. Candidates in customary or cultural dress should reach at least 2 hours before the last reporting time for frisking.
• Carry a clear A4 printout of the admit card with the self declaration duly filled in, one passport size photograph same as the one uploaded, one original valid photo ID, and a simple ball point pen.
• Accepted photo IDs include a college identity card, PAN card, passport, Aadhaar card or e-Aadhaar with photograph, and a bank passbook with photograph.
• Mobile phones, calculators, watches, wallets, bags, eatables, water bottles, metallic items and textual material are not allowed inside, and no arrangement is made to keep belongings.
• Rough sheets are provided at the centre and must be handed back after the test, with your name and application number written on each.
• No re-test is held for candidates who cannot appear on the scheduled date.

Answer Key, Result and Cut-Off Method

NTA will display the recorded responses and the provisional answer key on the website for about two to three days. A challenge costs Rs. 200/- per answer key challenged as a non-refundable processing fee, and only paid challenges made through the link within the stipulated time are considered. The result is compiled on the final answer key and is hosted on the NTA website, and candidates are not informed individually. There is no re-evaluation or re-checking of the result.

For the Assistant Professor eligibility list, the number of qualifying candidates is 6% of those who appeared in both papers on the basis of their Master's degree. Slots are allocated to categories as per the reservation policy of the Government of India. A candidate must have appeared in both papers and secured at least 40% aggregate marks for General and General-EWS, or at least 35% for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, PwD, PwBD and Third Gender categories. The result is declared in percentile along with marks, and for subjects held in multiple shifts the marks are normalized using the equi-percentile method. The qualifying criteria decided by UGC are final and binding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the last date to apply for UGC NET December 2026?

The online application form and the examination fee are due by 28 October 2026, up to 11:50 P.M. Late submission is allowed from 29 October 2026 to 31 October 2026 with a late fee of Rs. 500/-, and the last date for a successful late-fee transaction is 31 October 2026, up to 11:50 P.M.

Q2. What is the application fee for UGC NET December 2026?

The fee is Rs. 1150/- for General/Unreserved candidates, Rs. 600/- for Gen-EWS and OBC-NCL candidates, and Rs. 325/- for SC, ST, Third Gender, PwD and PwBD candidates. Service or processing charges and GST are extra and are paid by the candidate to the bank or payment gateway.

Q3. What minimum marks are needed in the Master's degree to apply?

General, Unreserved and General-EWS candidates need at least 55% marks in a Master's degree or equivalent, while OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD and Third Gender candidates need at least 50%. Candidates who are in the final year or awaiting their result can apply, but they are admitted provisionally and must complete the degree with the required marks within two years of the NET result.

Q4. What is the age limit for JRF in UGC NET December 2026?

For JRF, the age should not be more than 30 years as on 01 December 2026. A relaxation of up to 5 years is given to OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD and Third Gender candidates and to women, and there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor or for admission to Ph.D.

Q5. What is the exam pattern and is there negative marking?

The test is a Computer Based Test of 3 hours with no break between the two papers. Paper 1 has 50 questions for 100 marks and Paper 2 has 100 questions for 200 marks, each question carries 2 marks, and there is no negative marking for wrong answers.

Q6. How many candidates qualify and what are the minimum aggregate marks?

The number of candidates qualified for eligibility for Assistant Professor will be equal to 6% of the candidates who appeared in both papers on the basis of their Master's degree. To be considered, a candidate needs at least 40% aggregate marks in both papers for General and General-EWS categories, and at least 35% for the reserved categories.

Q7. Which photographs and documents have to be uploaded?

You need to upload a live photograph, a recent photograph of 10 kb to 200 kb and a signature of 10 kb to 50 kb. PwD and PwBD candidates also upload the disability or UDID certificate as a clear PDF of 50 kb to 300 kb, and no document needs to be sent to NTA by post, fax, WhatsApp, e-mail or by hand.

Q8. Can I change my details after submitting the application form?

Particulars can be corrected only online during the correction window from 02 November 2026 to 04 November 2026, up to 11:50 P.M. NTA will not consider any request for change after the correction period closes, and corrections sent by post, fax, WhatsApp, e-mail or by hand are not entertained.

Source

This article is based on the NTA Public Notice dated 08 October 2026 and the Information Bulletin for UGC-NET December 2026, both available on the UGC NET Website.

Disclaimer

VacancyPage is not affiliated with NTA or UGC. Dates and details may change, so please confirm everything in the official Information Bulletin and on the official website before applying.