ugc net 2025 everything you need to know

Home ❯ UGC NET ❯ UGC NET Exam 2025: Registration, Dates, Exam Centers, Pattern, Result

UGC NET Exam 2025: Registration, Dates, Exam Centers, Pattern, Result

Manisa Das Jun 11, 2025 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 25th June to 29th June 2025 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.

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.

UGC NET Key Highlights

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	16th April to 7th May 2025
Exam Date	25th June to 29th June 2025
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	2 marks each No Negative Markings
Total exam takers	6,49,640

What is UGC- NET?

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.

Students who don’t want to do UGC-NET can also do DBA, which doesn’t require any entrance examinations.

Qualified for	Eligible for
Qualified for	JRF	Assistant Professor	PhD
JRF	yes	yes	yes
Assistant Professor	no	yes	yes
PhD	no	no	yes

UGC- NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria

Applicants need to check their eligibility for the UGC-NET examination or not.

Age:

For JRF, the age limit is 30 years, provided with age relaxations to the candidates belonging to the reserved categories.
As for assistant professors and PhD only, there is no upper age limit for applying.

Educational Qualification:

Applicants need to complete their Master's degree from any UGC approved university with 55% or above marks.
Candidates having 4 years/ 8 semesters of a bachelor’s degree should have a minimum of 75% in aggregate to apply for UGC-NET.
Candidates having a 4-year bachelor's degree can only apply for a junior research fellowship, but not for an assistant professor position.

Work Experience:

Candidates don’t need any prior work experience for the exam, but students can mention it while filling out the form.

Number of Attempts of UGC-NET 2025 Exam

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 for 2-3 more years.

UGC-NET 2025 Marking Scheme

Students need to choose one of the options to answer the question.
Each questions carry 2 marks
For each correct answer, students will get 2 marks
No marks will be deducted if the answer is wrong
No marks will be given if the question is unanswered, marked up for review, or unattempted.

UGC-NET 2025 Syllabus

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	Download
Sociology	Download	Download
History	Download	Download
Anthropology	Download	Download
Commerce	Download	Download
Education	Download	Download
Social Work	Download	Download
Defence and Strategic Studies	Download	Download
Home Science	Download	Download
Public Administration	Download	Download
Population Studies	Download	Download
Music	Download	Download
Management (including Business Admn. Mgt./Marketing/ Marketing Mgt./Industrial Relations and Personnel Mgt./ Personnel Mgt./Financial Mgt./Co-operative Management)	Download	Download
Maithili	Download	Download
Bengali	Download	Download
Hindi		Download
Kannada	Download	Download
Malayalam	Download	Download
Oriya	Download	Download
Punjabi	Download	Download
Sanskrit	Download	Download
Tamil	Download	Download
Telugu	Download	Download
Urdu	Download	Download
Arabic	Download	Download
English	Download	Download
Linguistics	Download	Download
Chinese	Download	Download
Dogri	Download	Download
Nepali	Download	Download
Manipuri	Download	Download
Assamese	Download	Download
Gujarati	Download	Download
Marathi	Download	Download
French (French Version)	Download	Download
Spanish	Download	Download
Russian	Download	Download
Persian	Download	Download
Rajasthani	Download	Download
German	Download	Download
Japanese	Download	Download
Adult Education/ Continuing Education/ Andragogy/ Non Formal Education.	Download	Download
Physical Education	Download	Download
Arab Culture and Islamic Studies	Download	Download
Indian Culture	Download	Download
Labour Welfare/Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/ Labour and Social Welfare/Human Resource Management	Download	Download
Law	Download	Download
Library and Information Science	Download	Download
Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian and Peace Studies	Download	Download
Comparative Study of Religions	Download	Download
Mass Communication and Journalism	Download	Download
Performing Art - Dance/Drama/Theatre	Download	Download
Museology & Conservation	Download	Download
Archaeology	Download	Download
Criminology	Download	Download
Tribal and Regional Language/Literature	Download	Download
Folk Literature	Download	Download
Comparative Literature	Download	Download
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 including Defence/Strategic Studies, West Asian Studies, South East Asian Studies, African Studies, South Asian Studies, Soviet Studies, 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

UGC-NET Exam Fees 2025

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

UGC NET Registration 2025

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.

Create an account on ugcnet.nta.ac.in
Fill out the details, including date of birth, nationality, contact details, educational and personal details, exactly as on your identification cards.
Select your preferred exam city that works best for your availability.
Choose your subject
Pay the exam fee
Download the confirmation page

Previous Year UGC-NET 2024 Applicant’s Details

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

UGC-NET Exam Pattern

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
Features	PAPER 1	PAPER 2
Total Marks	100	200
NO. OF QUESTIONS	50	100

UGC-NET Score 2025

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 lifetime, and 1 year for PhD.

UGC-NET Exam Preparation

Going through the syllabus and understanding the papers.
Start by making a study plan for your studies.
Make use of the previous year's question papers, sample papers, and other materials.
Use mock tests to train yourself in completing your exam on time.
Identify your weak points and focus on improving your mistakes
If you require expert guidance, consider signing up for coaching sessions or study groups.

UGC-NET Test Centers

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

Top 10 Universities accepting the score

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 science
Calcutta University, Kolkata	State University	Multidisciplinary

Can I get a Dr. Degree without the UGC-NET Exam?

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. There are many reputable universities that 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 also study the DBA program.

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a doctoral degree program for experienced business professionals. However, due to a higher workload, there is an issue with studying regularly, so now it’s possible to do it online.

Some features of DBA:

DBA focuses on practical application and management.
DBA uses the existing theories to solve business problems.
DBA is for those who want to pursue a career in advanced management roles.
A DBA requires certain work experience to get admission

Online DBA course:

Here is a list of top universities that offer online DBA programs.

Universities Offering DBA	Specialization
Birchwood Online University DBA Online	Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Generative AI Human Resource Emerging Technology Data Science Business Data & Analytics Finance Management Supply Chain Management Marketing Management Healthcare Management Leadership and strategy International Business Sustainability Accounting Cyber Security Information Technology Computer Science Project Management Social Impact Management Digital Leadership Big Data Tourism and hospitality Strategic Marketing General Management Cloud Computing Blockchain Management and Technology Big Data and Robots FinTech Performing Arts Management Digital Transformation Public Policy Digital Marketing Electric and Hybrid Vehicles AR and VR Circular Economy Internet of Things Product Life Cycle Talent Management Quantum Computing E-commerce Customer Behaviour Management Corporate Governance Green Energy Robotics and Automation Real Estate Management Public Relations RisK management
Golden Gate University DBA Online	Generative AI Finance Marketing Emerging Technology Business Data & Analytics Leadership & Strategy Digital Leadership
Rushford Business School DBA Online	International Business Finance Healthcare Management HR Management Marketing Supply Chain Management Big Data Data Science Sustainability Business Analytics General Management
ESGCI International School of Management Paris DBA Online	Online DBA course
EIMT Online DBA	HR Finance Logistics & Supply Chain Tourism & Hospitality Generative AI Strategic Marketing Machine Learning AI Data Science Emerging Technology Green Energy
Swiss School of Business Management DBA Online	Business Analytics Finance management HR Management Marketing Management Healthcare Management Machine Learning Supply Chain Management Data Science Accounting Cyber Security Technology Entrepreneurship Project Management Social Impact Management Operations Management Strategic Management IT Management Crisis Management International Business Leadership AI Big Data Public Policy Product Life Management Digital Marketing
Edgewood College DBA Online	Leadership Finance Healthcare

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

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.