What is UGC NET?
The UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) is held by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for the University Grants Commission. It tests whether a candidate is eligible for three things: the award of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as Assistant Professor, and admission to PhD programmes in Indian universities and colleges. NTA runs two cycles a year, named June and December.
Three qualifying categories
| Category | JRF | Assistant Professor | PhD admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Category 2 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Category 3 | No | No | Yes |
Your category depends on your aggregate score in both papers and the cut-offs for your subject and reservation category. Marks in categories 2 and 3 can be used for PhD admission in place of a university entrance test, together with the interview the university holds.
Eligibility basics
- Master's degree: at least 55 percent (50 percent for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates). Final-year students can apply provisionally.
- Four-year bachelor's degree: at least 75 percent aggregate, with 5 percent relaxation for notified categories. Such candidates can qualify for JRF and PhD admission, but not for Assistant Professor.
- Age: for JRF, not more than 30 years on the date set in the bulletin, with relaxation for some groups. There is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor or PhD admission.
Exam pattern
The test is a single computer-based sitting of three hours with no break. Paper 1 has 50 questions for 100 marks on teaching and research aptitude, reasoning, comprehension and general awareness. Paper 2 has 100 questions for 200 marks in the subject you choose. Each question carries two marks and there is no negative marking. The June 2025 bulletin listed 85 subjects. Question papers are in English and Hindi, except for language papers.
How to apply and what happens next
- Read the information bulletin for the cycle on ugcnet.nta.ac.in, including the subject list and codes.
- Register and fill the online form. Choose your subject and the categories you want to be considered for.
- Pay the fee online and download the confirmation page.
- Watch for the advance exam city intimation and then the admit card, both issued online by NTA.
- After the exam, NTA shows a provisional answer key for challenges, then publishes the result and subject-wise cut-offs.
Select your options in the form with thought. The bulletin is clear that candidates who qualify only for "Assistant Professor and PhD" or only for "PhD" are not considered for JRF. Qualified candidates receive their certificates online from NTA.
UGC NET guides on HindiScope
- The ten units of Paper 1, how Paper 2 works and where the official PDFs are kept are explained in our UGC NET syllabus guide .
- Syllabus explainers for other exams are on our syllabus hub .
Related exams
To reach NET eligibility, most candidates first need a master's degree, and CUET PG is the entrance for many central universities. Those who want to teach in schools take the CTET exam for Classes I to VIII.
HindiScope is not an official site; confirm every detail on ugcnet.nta.ac.in.