UGC - NETGeneral Information:University Grants Commission - National Eligibility Test is a nationwide competitive examination conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) in 83 subjects across 292+ centres to determine the eligibility for various academic positions and research programs. The exam is conducted to assess eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship, appointment as Assistant Professor, and Ph.D. admission in Indian universities and colleges.

Qualified for	Eligible for
	JRF	Assistant Professor	Ph.D. admission
Category-1 Award of JRF and appointment as Assistant Professor	Yes	No	Yes
Category-2 Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.	No	Yes	Yes
Category-3 Admission to Ph.D. only	No	No	Yes

Mode of Exam: OMR Based mode only.

Duration: The total duration of the examination is 180 minutes (03 hours) without any break.

Number of questions: 150 questions in two papers· Paper I – 50 questions (Teaching/ research aptitude)· Paper II – 100 questions (Subject selected by the candidate)

Type of questions: Both papers consist of Multiple-Choice Questions with 4 options.

Scoring: 300 marks

• 2 marks for each correct response

• No negative marking for incorrect response

• 0 for un-answered/un-attempted/marked for Review

Fellowship:The UGC-NET exam is used to determine eligibility for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and for appointment as Assistant Professor. Fellowships such as NFSC, NFOBC, and NFPwD are available through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Medium of paper: The question paper will be in English & Hindi only, except for language papers. Candidates must answer in the medium as per the option exercised in the application form. 

Number of students appearing for exam each year: During December 2023, a total of 9,45,872 candidates have registered for UGC NET December 2023 to assess eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship, appointment as Assistant Professor, and Ph.D. admission of which 6,95,928 candidates have appeared. 

Fellowship details: Eligibility: Qualify for UGC-NET JRF award.Benefits: Receive fellowship funding from UGC under various schemes provided, they find placement at a university, IIT, or approved institution. The fellowship amount for JRF (Initial two years) and SRF (Remaining three years) are Rs 37,000 and Rs 42,000 respectively per month with an annual contingency grant of 12,000 for JRF and 25,000 for SRF.

Validity - Three years from the date your JRF award letter is issued.

Start Date - For students not yet in a Ph.D. program, fellowship starts from the award letter date. 

For existing Ph.D. students, the date of UGC-NET result declaration letter, or your Ph.D. program start date.

Eligibility criteria and qualifications:

· Candidates categorized as General/Unreserved/General-EWS, achieving a minimum of 55% marks in their Master’s Degree or equivalent from UGC-recognized universities/institutions (as listed on www.ugc.ac.in) in fields like Humanities, Social Science, Computer Science, and Electronic Science, are eligible for the UGC-NET. For candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer/Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Persons with Disability (PwD)/Third gender categories, a minimum of 50% marks in the Master’s degree or equivalent is required for eligibility.

· Candidates currently pursuing their Master’s degree or its equivalent, or awaiting the results of their final year, or facing delays in their qualifying examinations, may also apply. However, such candidates will be conditionally admitted and considered eligible for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)/Assistant Professor roles only after securing at least 55% marks (50% for specified categories) in their Master’s degree or equivalent within two years of the NET result date, failing which they will be disqualified. Candidates qualifying for 'Admission to Ph.D. Only' must complete their Master’s degree or equivalent within one year of the NET result date. 

· Third gender category candidates are entitled to the same fee, age, and eligibility criteria relaxations as SC/ST/PwD categories. The qualifying cut-offs for this category will be the lowest among those for SC/ST/PwD/OBC–NCL/General-EWS categories in corresponding subjects. 

· Ph.D. degree holders whose Master’s level examinations were completed by September 19, 1991, are eligible for a 5% relaxation in aggregate marks (i.e., from 55% to 50%) for NET. 

· Candidates are advised to choose the subject of their Post-Graduation for the test. If their Post-Graduation subject is not listed for NET, they may opt for a related subject. 

· Candidates need not submit any certificates/documents initially but must ensure their eligibility. Any discovered ineligibility will result in cancellation of candidature and possible legal action.

· Candidates with post-graduate diplomas/certificates from Indian or foreign universities must verify equivalence with Master’s degrees from AIU, New Delhi, or the Bar Council of India for Law students.

· Candidates with a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree should have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate, with relaxations available for specified categories.

· Candidates pursuing a Four Year/8 Semester Bachelor’s Degree Programme in their final semester/year may apply provisionally. They will be eligible for JRF/admission to Ph.D. only after fulfilling UGC regulations within two years (for JRF)/within one year (for admission to Ph.D.) from the NET result date. 

· Candidates with a Four-Year Bachelor’s Degree Programme can appear in a subject of their choice for Ph.D. pursuit, regardless of their bachelor’s degree discipline.

Reservation:The UGC-NET follows India's reservation policy, allocating seats in central universities and deemed universities:

• 15% for Scheduled Castes (SC)
• 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes (ST)
• 27% for Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL)
• 10% for General - Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)

An additional 5% is reserved within each category for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) with a disability of 40% or more.

Syllabus:The question paper for the test shall be based on the Syllabus of Subjects as prescribed by the UGC, available at website:https://www.ugcnetonline.in/syllabus-new.php