Important Facts
Manisa Das Oct 13, 2025 1.1K Reads
The University Grants Commission- National Eligibility Test is a standardized test in India conducted by the National Testing Agency on behalf of the UGC. This exam will be held from 31st December 2025 to 07th January 2026 to determine the eligibility of Indian students to apply for Junior Research Fellowship, Assistant Professor, and PhD. UGC-NET 2025 will provide the registration, exam dates, and exam patterns.
UGC NET December 2025 Schedule Out! Check NTA official Notice... Click Here
The exam mode is a computer-based test (CBT). The applicants will get their results in a few months. After the results, students can plan for their higher education accordingly.
Here are some basic key highlights for students' better understanding:
Highlights |
Details |
Exam Name |
UGC-NET |
Conducted By |
NTA (National Testing Agency) |
Official Website |
https://ugcnet.nta.ac.in |
Given For |
JRF, Assistant Professor, PhD |
Accepted in |
Pan-India |
Mode of Examination |
Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
Duration of Exam |
180 minutes (3 hours) |
Registration |
07 October 2025 to 07th November 2025 (up to 11:50 pm) |
Exam Date |
31st December 2025 to 07th January 2026 |
Admit Card (Release) |
To be notified later |
Result |
To be notified later |
No. of Questions |
150 |
Exam fee |
General/ Unreserved- INR 1150 OBC-NCL/ General EWS- INR 600 SC/ST/PWD/Third gender- INR 325 |
Sections of Exams |
Paper 1 and Paper 2 |
Scoring scale |
200 to 300 score |
Marking Scheme |
|
Total exam takers |
6,49,640 |
UGC NET refers to the University Grants Commission- National Eligibility Test, which is conducted by NTA on behalf of ugc. This exam is widely taken by those who are interested in doing a PhD, an Assistant Professor, and a Junior Research Fellowship. This entrance exam is intended to determine applicants' knowledge of their subject matter, reasoning, and general awareness. On qualifying for UGC-NET, applicants can apply for any university in India.
Students who want a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) need to get a score of 200-300, depending on their subjects. JRF is an esteemed scholarship program that provides financial assistance to young researchers. This scheme is launched by the University Grants Commission. On clearing the JRF, students can get into prestigious universities for their PhD after interviews.
Students who clear an assistant professor and PhD can also get into universities for their studies, but they are not eligible for financial assistance or JRF.
Individuals who don’t want to do UGC-NET can also earn a doctoral degree through the Doctor in Business Administration (DBA), which doesn’t require appearing for any entrance examinations:
Qualified for |
Eligible for |
||
JRF |
Assistant Professor |
PhD |
|
JRF |
yes |
yes |
yes |
Assistant Professor |
no |
yes |
yes |
PhD |
no |
no |
yes |
Applicants need to check their eligibility for the UGC-NET examination or not.
There is no upper age limit if the candidate is applying for the position of assistant professor or PhD. But, students belonging to the general category have an upper age limit of 30 years. Whereas, students having any caste certificates have a relaxation of 2-3 more years.
There is a prompt list of the UGC-NET Syllabus 2025 which the data should be driven from the UGC-NET official page.
Subjects |
English |
Hindi |
General Paper on Teaching & Research Aptitude (Paper -I) |
Download |
Download |
Economics / Rural Economics /Co-operation / Demography / Development Planning/ Development Studies / Econometrics/ Applied Economics/Development Eco./Business Economics |
Download |
Download |
Political Science |
Download |
Download |
Philosophy |
Download |
Download |
Psychology |
Download |
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Sociology |
Download |
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History |
Download |
Download |
Anthropology |
Download |
Download |
Commerce |
Download |
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Education |
Download |
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Social Work |
Download |
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Defence and Strategic Studies |
Download |
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Home Science |
Download |
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Public Administration |
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Population Studies |
Download |
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Music |
Download |
Download |
Management (including Business Admn. Mgt./Marketing/ Marketing Mgt./Industrial Relations and Personnel Mgt./ Personnel Mgt./Financial Mgt./Co-operative Management) |
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Maithili |
Download |
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Bengali |
Download |
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Hindi |
|
Download |
Kannada |
Download |
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Malayalam |
Download |
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Oriya |
Download |
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Punjabi |
Download |
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Sanskrit |
Download |
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Tamil |
Download |
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Telugu |
Download |
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Urdu |
Download |
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Arabic |
Download |
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English |
Download |
Download |
Linguistics |
Download |
Download |
Chinese |
Download |
Download |
Dogri |
Download |
Download |
Nepali |
Download |
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Manipuri |
Download |
Download |
Assamese |
Download |
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Gujarati |
Download |
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Marathi |
Download |
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French (French Version) |
Download |
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Spanish |
Download |
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Russian |
Download |
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Persian |
Download |
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Rajasthani |
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German |
Download |
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Japanese |
Download |
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Adult Education/ Continuing Education/ Andragogy/Non-Formal Education. |
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Physical Education |
Download |
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Arab Culture and Islamic Studies |
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Indian Culture |
Download |
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Labour Welfare/Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/ Labour and Social Welfare/Human Resource Management |
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Law |
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Library and Information Science |
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Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian, and Peace Studies |
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Comparative Study of Religions |
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Mass Communication and Journalism |
Download |
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Performing Arts - Dance/Drama/Theatre |
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Museology & Conservation |
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Archaeology |
Download |
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Criminology |
Download |
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Tribal and Regional Language/Literature |
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Folk Literature |
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Comparative Literature |
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Sanskrit traditional subjects (including) Jyotisha/Sidhanta Jyotish/ Navya Vyakarna/ Vyakarna/ Mimansa/ Navya Nyaya/ Sankhya Yoga/ Tulanatmaka Darsan/ Shukla Yajurveda/ Madhav Vedant/ Dharmasasta/ Sahitya/ Puranotihasa /Agama). |
|
Download |
Women Studies |
Download |
Download |
Visual Art (including Drawing & Painting/Sculpture, Graphics/Applied Art/History of Art) |
Download |
Download |
Geography |
Download |
Download |
Social Medicine & Community Health |
Download |
Download |
Forensic Science |
Download |
Download |
Pali |
Download |
Download |
Kashmiri |
Download |
Download |
Konkani |
Download |
Download |
Computer Science and Applications |
Download |
Download |
Electronic Science |
Download |
|
Environmental Sciences |
Download |
|
Politics, including International Relations/International Studies, Defence/Strategic Studies, West Asian Studies, South East Asian Studies, African Studies, South Asian Studies, Soviet Studies, and American Studies. |
Download |
Download |
Prakrit |
Download |
Download |
Human Rights and Duties |
Download |
Download |
Tourism Administration and Management. |
Download |
Download |
Bodo |
|
Download |
Santali |
|
Download |
Yoga |
Download |
Download |
Sindhi |
Download |
Download |
Hindu Studies |
Download |
Download |
Indian Knowledge System |
Download |
Download |
Disaster Management |
Download |
Download |
Ayurveda Biology |
Download |
Download |
Candidates should always check the UGC-NET website for updated exam fees and policies. Applicants need to pay registration fees only through the online mode. Category-wise exam fees are mentioned for students’ reference.
Category |
UGC-NET Exam 2025 Fees |
General |
INR 1150 |
OBC-NCL/General EWS |
INR 600 |
SC/ST/PWD/Third Gender |
INR 355 |
Candidates should check the start date and end date for the registration, so they do not miss out on the last date. Students can register as soon as possible if they don’t want their exam centers to be too far away.
Applicant’s Type |
Qualified Students for |
|||
Registered |
Appeared |
JRF & Assistant Professor |
Assistant Professor & PhD program |
PhD |
8,49,166 |
6,49,490 |
5,158 |
48,161 |
1,14,445 |
The UGC-NET exam has a 2-paper structure. Paper 1 is common for all, and Paper 2 is subject-specific. The exam is a (CBT) computer-based test; all the questions are objective and multiple-choice. The duration of this exam is 180 minutes (3 hours), and there are no negative markings for incorrect answers.
Features |
UGC-NET 2025 Exam Pattern |
|
PAPER 1 |
PAPER 2 |
|
Total Marks |
100 |
200 |
NO. OF QUESTIONS |
50 |
100 |
The total marks from paper 1 and paper 2 are 300, from which a candidate needs to get 200-300 marks to qualify for JRF. The qualifying marks depend on the subject the candidate is choosing and whether they belong to any reserved category.
Students need to get good marks in both papers in order to qualify for the exam. The validity for UGC- NET JRF is for three years from the date of clearing, for an assistant professor, it is for a lifetime, and 1 year for PhD.
UGC NET test centers are pan-India. Applicants need to check their admit card to verify their exam city and centers. Applications need to follow all the instructions given on their admit card on the day of the examination.
Here is a table of States and cities of UGC-NET test centers.
States |
Number of Cities |
City list |
Andaman and Nicobar |
1 |
Port blair |
Andhra Pradesh |
23 |
Anantpura, Bhimavaram, Chittoor, Eluru, Guntur, Kadapa, Kakinada, Kurnool, Machilipatnam, Nandyal, Narasaraopet, Nellore, Ongole, Proddatur, Rajahmundry, Srikakulam, Surampalem, Tadepalligudem, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram |
Assam |
5 |
Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur |
Arunachal Pradesh |
1 |
Naharlagun |
Bihar |
11 |
Arrah, Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, Bihar Sharif, Darbhanga, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea, Rohtas, Samastipur |
Chandigarh |
1 |
Chandigarh/Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar |
Chattisgarh |
6 |
Ambikapur, Bhilai Nagar, Bilaspur (Ch), Durg, Jagdalpur, Raipur |
Dadra and Nagar Havelli |
1 |
Silvassa |
Delhi |
1 |
New Delhi |
Diu |
1 |
Diu |
Goa |
1 |
Panaji/Mapusa |
Gujarat |
12 |
Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhuj, Gandhinagar, Himmatnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Vapi |
Haryana |
4 |
Ambala, Hisar, Faridabad, Gurugram |
Himachal Pradesh |
7 |
Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Una |
Jammu and Kashmir |
4 |
Jammu, Pulwama, Samba, Srinagar (J&K) |
Jharkhand |
6 |
Bokara, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Ramgarh, Ranchi |
Karnataka |
14 |
Ballari (Bellary), Belagavi (Belgaum), Bengaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Davanagere, Dharwad, Hassan, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Udupi |
Kerala |
17 |
Alappuzha, Chengannur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Moovattupuzha, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Piyyannur, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Wayanad |
Ladkah |
1 |
Kargil |
Lakshadweep |
1 |
Kavaratti |
Leh |
1 |
Leh |
Madhya Pradesh |
9 |
Indore, Bhopal, Balaghat, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Khandwa, Sagar, Satna, Ujjain |
Maharastra |
27 |
Ahmednagar, Akola, Amravati, Beed, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Dhule, Chhatrapati Shamaji Nagar, Gadchiroli, Jalgaon, Jalna, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Parbhani, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Thane, Wardha, Yavatmal |
Manipur |
1 |
Imphal |
Meghalaya |
2 |
Shillong, Tura |
Mizoram |
1 |
Aizawl |
Nagaland |
2 |
Dimapur, Kohima |
Odisha |
18 |
Angur, Balangir, Baragarh, Balasore, Baripada, Berhampur, Bhadrak, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Jeypore, Kendrapara, Kendujhar, Puri, Rayagada, Rourkela, Sambhalpur |
Puducherry |
1 |
Puducherry |
Punjab |
6 |
Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala. Ludhiana |
Rajasthan |
13 |
Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Dausa, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sriganganagar, Sikar, Udaipur |
Sikkim |
1 |
Gangtok |
Tamil Nadu |
26 |
Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari, Karur, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Nagercoil, Namakkal, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Sivaganga, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tirupur, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Viluppuram, Virudhunagar. |
Telangana |
11 |
Hyderabad, Jagtial, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kothagudem, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Siddipet, Suryapet, Warangal |
Tripura |
1 |
Agartala |
Uttar Pradesh |
31 |
Agra, Akbarpur, Aligarh, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Ballia, Bareilly, Bulandshahr, Chandauli, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Mau, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Greater Noida, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Rai Bareilly, Saharanpur, Varanasi |
Uttarakhand |
5 |
Almora, Dehradun, Haldwani, Pauri Garhwal, Roorkee |
West Bengal |
13 |
Asansol, Bankura, Burdwan (Bardhaman), Durgapur, Hooghly, Howrah, Kalyani, Kolkata, Murshidabad/Baharampur, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Siliguri, Suri |
Students can go to any of the institutions for their PhDs; here are some top universities where students can consider for their higher studies.
Universities |
Type |
Research Area |
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) |
Institution of National Importance |
Engineering, Technology, Science |
Jawaharlal Nehru University |
Central University |
Social Sciences, International Studies |
Jamia Millia Islamia |
Central University |
Humanities, Social Sciences, Science |
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore |
Institution of National Importance |
Science, R&D |
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh |
Central University |
Multidisciplinary |
University of Delhi (DU), Delhi |
Central University |
Multidisciplinary |
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad |
Central University |
Humanities, social sciences |
Calcutta University, Kolkata |
State University |
Multidisciplinary |
Applicants who got lower marks than the cut-off marks or couldn’t get into any of the PhD programs can continue their higher studies online. Many reputable universities offer online DBA programs.
Students who don’t want to give the UGC-NET exam or have received lower than the cut-off marks can still earn their doctoral degree through the DBA program. The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a doctoral degree program for experienced business professionals. For individuals with a higher workload or those who have an issue with studying regularly, it’s now possible to do it online.
Here is a list of top universities that offer online DBA programs.
Universities Offering DBA |
Specialization |
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The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the National Eligibility Test on behalf of the University Grants Commission. This examination determines the eligibility of Indian students pursuing higher education as Junior Research Fellow, Assistant Professor, or PhD.
The minimum passing marks for students belonging to the general category are 120 out of 300 marks. And for SC/ST/OBC/PWD/Third gender, it is 105 out of 300 marks.
Students who hold a master’s degree from a UGC recognised university with a minimum of 55% are eligible for the UGC-NET examination. Students who are enrolled in 4 four-year undergraduate program from any recognised university can also apply for this exam. Applicants can also apply for UGC-NET in their last year of a master’s or a 4-year undergraduate degree.
A net-qualified student can expect a salary range of INR 35,000 to INR 1,05,000 per month, depending on the position (Assistant Professor or JRF) and nature of institution (Private or Government).
University Grants Commission- National Testing Eligibility (UGC-NET) determines students' eligibility for two specific roles- Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship.
Students who want to do Phd without UGC-NET can apply to universities that conduct their own exams and interview process.
Yes, the NET examination is conducted twice a year, typically in June and December.
Yes, after qualifying, UGC-NET students are eligible for many government jobs, specifically in the field of research and teaching. UGC-Net opens doors for professors and assistant professors in universities, colleges, both government and private.
A PhD program typically takes 3 to 6 years to complete. The duration of completion depends on the field of study and the university.
There are no limitations on the number of attempts in UGC-NET. But there is an age eligibility criterion; for applying to JRF, it is a 30-year age criterion, and 35 years for reserved categories.
By Manisa Das
3 Years of experience/ academic writer/ freelance writer
Academic writing expert and freelancer with 3 years of experience, specializing in law, business, and social sciences. I deliver clear, well-researched, and high-quality content with a strong foundation in social science and business studies.
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