UGC NET Examination is conducted by NTA(National Testing Agency), and this examination is conducted twice a year in two cycles, that is, December and June cycles. Registration for the UGC NET December 2025 has started from 7th October 2025 and will remain open till 7th November 2025.
All the candidates who wish to appear in the examination must submit the form for the June cycle on the official website ugcnet.nta.ac.in.
The chairman of UGC Jagadesh Kumar has announced that UGC NET December 2025 will be conducted between 31st December 2025 to 07th January 2026 through Computer-Based Test (CBT). Here in this blog, we have given brief information about the UGC NET Examination.
UGC Examination
If you are aspiring to become a professor in India, you must appear in the UGC NET examination. This examination is conducted by NTA UGC. The examination is also helpful for candidates seeking to pursue a PhD.
The candidates can get funding from the government after clearing the entrance examination. UGC-NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test), conducted by the National Testing Agency, is a national-level examination and is highly competitive.
The students qualifying for JRF(Junior Research Fellowship) are eligible to teach as professors in the universities and also get funding from the government. On the other hand, candidates qualifying for assistant professors can apply as professors in Indian universities only. They do not get any funding from the government.
UGC NET Highlights
Here we have given some important highlights of the UGC-NET examination
|
Parameters |
Examination Details |
|
Name of the examination |
UGC-NET |
|
Full name of the Examination |
University Grants Commission- National Eligibility Test |
|
Exam conducted |
Twice a year |
|
Eligibility to appear in the exam |
Candidate must possess a master's degree or must be in the final year of a master's. |
|
Examination Mode |
Online |
|
Number of applicants |
9.45 lakhs |
|
Number of applicants appearing |
6.55 lakhs |
|
Examination Fees |
INR- 1150(general) INR-650(OBC) INR-325(SC/ST/PwD) |
|
Duration of the examination |
3 hours |
|
Timings |
Shift I- 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Shift II-3:00 PM to 06:00 PM |
|
Number of papers |
Two examinations are conducted Paper 1- 100 Marks Paper 2- 200 Marks |
|
Language of Examination |
Hindi and English |
|
Marking Scheme |
+2 marks for each correct question No negative marking for wrong answer |
|
The examination is conducted in |
181 cities |
|
Number of subjects |
85 subjects |
The examination is conducted for around 85 subjects, and the syllabus for all these subjects varies. The candidate has to study the bachelor’s and master's syllabi to clear the entrance examination.
The examination can also be used to take admission to the PhD in India. After clearing JRF, the candidates got a stipend of INR 35,000 per month. Let's understand the UGC NET posts a little deeper.
- Junior Research Fellowship - The top 1% candidates of the total applied candidates are eligible for the JRF posts. These students get a stipend of INR 35,000 for the first two years and later for 3 years INR 42,000 per month. The candidates get the stipend for only five years till they complete the PhD program. Such candidates can also become professors in any Indian University and can work as assistant professors.
- Assistant Professors -The candidates qualifying for the NET examination are only 6% of the total candidates who applied. The candidates can also apply for an assistant professor position in Indian Universities and Institutions. The candidates are not eligible to get the stipend.
UGC NET Examination Dates and Schedule
|
Tentative Dates |
Updates |
|
October 2025 |
Notification of the UGC NET examination |
|
December and January |
NET Examination |
|
February 2026 |
Expected date of release of results |
What is the alternative to pursuing a PhD without UGC-NET?
In India, if one person aspires to become a professor, he/she must either have passed the UGC-NET examination or have a doctorate.
The candidate looking to enrol in a PhD, on the other hand, must have to pass the competitive examinations as this is the only way to get admission to the PhD.
|
Working Professionals May be Interested! |
|
However, there is an alternative option that can be used to get the doctorate without an entrance examination. The students can enrol in Online doctorate programs.
These programs are offered by top foreign universities and are valid globally. You can pursue many doctorate programs like -
|
Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) |
|
|
Doctor of Education (EdD) |
Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) |
|
Doctor of Science (DSc) |
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) |
|
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) |
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) |
|
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) |
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) |
|
Doctor of Engineering (EngD) |
Doctor of Optometry (OD) |
|
Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) |
Doctor of Social Work (DSW) |
|
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) |
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) |
|
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) |
Doctor of Music (DMus) |
Online Doctorate program Vs PhD- Which is better?
|
Parameters |
Online Doctorate |
PhD |
|
Entrance examination |
No need to appear in the entrance examination to pursue an Online doctorate program. |
You must appear in the entrance examination to pursue a PhD. |
|
Lectures |
No need to attend the lectures. |
The candidate must attend the lectures regularly. There is no relaxation. |
|
Flexibility |
The candidate can work along with research work. |
The candidate can only study. You cannot do job along with research. |
|
Duration |
The duration of the doctorate program is 3-5 years. |
The duration of the program is 5-6 years. |
|
Approach |
It is a solid blend of both practical as well as theoretical knowledge. |
PhD is more about the theoretical understanding of the concepts. |
|
Focus |
It aims to find a practical solution for the market through research and studies. It is more about practical application. |
It aims to study theoretical concepts and dig deep to fetch the information through the research work. |
|
Approval |
The doctorate programs are offered by many foreign universities. |
Many universities offering PhD to the students. |
How to apply for the UGC NET Examination?
If you wish to apply for the examination, you can apply on the official website of the NTA.
Here we have given the application procedure to apply for the examination -
- Visit the official website of the NTA- ugcnet.nta.ac.in.
- Check for the notification of the NTA June examination.
- Click on the notification link and you will find the pdf.
- Now, download the PDF, and check for the application link.
- Open a new registration link and make a new registration with a valid number and name.
- Fill the details in the application form and upload all the essential documents.
- Now, make the fee payment of the application form.
- The fee for the unreserved general category is INR 1150, for OBC INR 600 and for SC/ST/ Women/PwD the fee is INR 325.
Documents required to apply for the UGC NET examination
- A Copy of the University Certificate/Board for verification of Name, Mother's Name, Father's Name, and date of birth.
- Degree Certificate/last semester result
- Choice of centres
- Category certificate, PwD certificate (if applicable)
- Identification Card- Aadhar card/ Voter ID card or other
- Active Email ID & Mobile Number
- Subject Code
- Scanned signature and photograph.
Subjects in UGC NET
Here we have given the subjects in which the UGC-NET examination is conducted.
|
General Paper on Teaching & Research Aptitude |
Labour Welfare |
|
Political Science |
Library and Information Science |
|
Economics |
Law |
|
Philosophy |
Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian and Peace Studies |
|
Sociology |
Mass Communication and Journalism |
|
Psychology |
Comparative Study of Religions |
|
History |
Performing Art |
|
Commerce |
Archaeology |
|
Anthropology |
Museology & Conservation |
|
Education |
Criminology |
|
Defence and Strategic Studies |
Folk Literature |
|
Social Work |
Tribal and Regional Language/Literature |
|
Home Science |
Comparative Literature |
|
Population Studies |
Women Studies |
|
Public Administration |
Sanskrit traditional subjects |
|
Music |
Visual Art |
|
Maithili |
Social Medicine & Community Health |
|
Management |
Geography |
|
Bengali |
Forensic Science |
|
Kannada |
Kashmiri |
|
Hindi |
Pali |
|
Malayalam |
Konkani |
|
Punjabi |
Electronic Science |
|
Oriya |
Computer Science and Applications |
|
Sanskrit |
Environmental Sciences |
|
Telugu |
Prakrit |
|
Tamil |
Politics |
|
Urdu |
Human Rights and Duties |
|
English |
Bodo |
|
Arabic |
Tourism Administration and Management. |
|
Linguistics |
Santali |
|
Dogri |
Sindhi |
|
Chinese |
Yoga |
|
Nepali |
Hindu Studies |
|
Assamese |
Russian |
|
Manipuri |
Indian Knowledge System |
|
Gujarati |
Persian |
|
French (French Version) |
German |
|
Indian Culture |
Physical Education |
|
Spanish |
Japanese |
|
Arab Culture and Islamic Studies |
Adult Education |
|
Marathi |
Rajasthani |
UGC NET Syllabus
The syllabus for paper 2 for different subjects is given below -
|
Subject Code |
Subject Name |
PDF of the syllabus |
|
0 |
General Paper on Teaching & Research Aptitude |
Download |
|
1 |
Economics |
Download |
|
3 |
Philosophy |
Download |
|
4 |
Psychology |
Download |
|
5 |
Sociology |
Download |
|
6 |
History |
Download |
|
7 |
Anthropology |
Download |
|
8 |
Commerce |
Download |
|
9 |
Education |
Download |
|
10 |
Social Work |
Download |
|
11 |
Defence and Strategic Studies |
Download |
|
12 |
Home Science |
Download |
|
14 |
Public Administration |
Download |
|
15 |
Population Studies |
Download |
|
16 |
Music |
Download |
|
17 |
Management |
Download |
|
18 |
Maithili |
Download |
|
19 |
Bengali |
Download |
|
20 |
Hindi |
Download |
|
21 |
Kannada |
Download |
|
22 |
Malayalam |
Download |
|
23 |
Oriya |
Download |
|
24 |
Punjabi |
Download |
|
25 |
Sanskrit |
Download |
|
26 |
Tamil |
Download |
|
27 |
Telugu |
Download |
|
28 |
Urdu |
Download |
|
29 |
Arabic |
Download |
|
30 |
English |
Download |
|
31 |
Linguistics |
Download |
|
32 |
Chinese |
Download |
|
33 |
Dogri |
Download |
|
34 |
Nepali |
Download |
|
35 |
Manipuri |
Download |
|
36 |
Assamese |
Download |
|
37 |
Gujarati |
Download |
|
38 |
Marathi |
Download |
|
39 |
French (French Version) |
Download |
|
40 |
Spanish |
Download |
|
41 |
Russian |
Download |
|
42 |
Persian |
Download |
|
43 |
Rajasthani |
Download |
|
44 |
German |
Download |
|
45 |
Japanese |
Download |
|
46 |
Adult Education |
Download |
|
47 |
Physical Education |
Download |
|
49 |
Arab Culture and Islamic Studies |
Download |
|
50 |
Indian Culture |
Download |
|
55 |
Labour Welfare |
Download |
|
58 |
Law |
Download |
|
59 |
Library and Information Science |
Download |
|
60 |
Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian and Peace Studies |
Download |
|
62 |
Comparative Study of Religions |
Download |
|
63 |
Mass Communication and Journalism |
Download |
|
65 |
Performing Art |
Download |
|
66 |
Museology & Conservation |
Download |
|
67 |
Archaeology |
Download |
|
68 |
Criminology |
Download |
|
70 |
Tribal and Regional Language/Literature |
Download |
|
71 |
Folk Literature |
Download |
|
72 |
Comparative Literature |
Download |
|
73 |
Sanskrit traditional subjects |
Download |
|
74 |
Women Studies |
Download |
|
79 |
Visual Art |
Download |
|
80 |
Geography |
Download |
|
81 |
Social Medicine & Community Health |
Download |
|
82 |
Forensic Science |
Download |
|
83 |
Pali |
Download |
|
84 |
Kashmiri |
Download |
|
85 |
Konkani |
Download |
|
87 |
Computer Science and Applications |
Download |
|
88 |
Electronic Science |
Download |
|
89 |
Environmental Sciences |
Download |
|
90 |
Politics |
Download |
|
91 |
Prakrit |
Download |
|
92 |
Human Rights and Duties |
Download |
|
93 |
Tourism Administration and Management. |
Download |
|
94 |
Bodo |
Download |
|
95 |
Santali |
Download |
|
100 |
Yoga |
Download |
|
101 |
Sindhi |
Download |
|
102 |
Hindu Studies |
Download |
|
103 |
Indian Knowledge System |
Download |
Syllabus of Paper 1 of UGC NET
Paper 1 of UGC-NET is the same as all the subjects and has the same syllabus.
The paper comprises of the topics like -
- Reading comprehension
- Teaching aptitude
- Research Ethics
- Logical reasoning and Aptitude
- Communications
- Information & Communication Technology
- Data Interpretation
Examination Pattern
The examination of UGC-NET consists of two papers paper 1 and paper 2. Paper 1 is the same for all the subjects. Paper 2 is subject-based. Here we have given the pattern for the entrance examination.
|
Parameters |
Paper 1 |
Paper 2 |
|
Examination Mode |
Online |
Online |
|
Examination Duration |
3 hours |
3 hours |
|
Type of Examination |
Same for all candidates |
It is a subject-specific examination. |
|
Question Type |
Multiple choice questions(MCQ) |
Multiple choice questions(MCQ) |
|
Total Questions |
50 |
100 |
|
Total Marks |
100 |
200 |
|
Marking Scheme |
2 marks for the right answer and 0 marks for the wrong answer. |
2 marks for the right answer and 0 marks for the wrong answer. |
Eligibility criteria to enrol in the examination
The candidate looking to apply for the examination must have to fulfil certain eligibility criteria.
The candidate must be passed in post-graduation or must be in the final year of the post-graduation.
Universities offering PhD after UGC NET
Many universities offer admission to pursue PhD after clearing the UGC-NET examination.
Here we have mentioned some of the top universities -
|
Jawaharlal Nehru University |
Presidency University |
|
University of Delhi |
University of Calcutta |
|
Aligarh Muslim University |
University of Allahabad |
|
Mizoram University |
ICFAI University |
|
Hidayaullah National Law University |
Jamia Millia Islamia |
|
North Eastern Hill University |
Assam University |
|
Dibrugarh University |
University of Madras |
|
Jiwaji University |
Banaras Hindu University |
|
Sarguja University |
What is the Validity of the UGC NET Certificate?
UGC NET assistant professor certificate is valid for a lifetime, while the award letter is valid for three years. The candidate who clears the NET examination is eligible to become a professor in an Indian University or institute.
The candidates who apply for the UGC JRF examination are eligible to pursue a PhD that will be funded by the government of India and also are eligible to get an assistant professorship.
Conclusion
If you are also aspiring to pursue PhD but are worried about the UGC-NET examination, then opt for the alternative to the entrance examination which is an online doctorate program. These programs are pursued by the top universities abroad and are globally approved. These online doctoral programs are more towards the practical application of theoretical knowledge.
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