The National Testing Agency (NTA) issued the notice for UGC NET December 2026 on 8 October 2026. It is a computer based test in 87 subjects, and after a corrigendum to the information bulletin the exam days are 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 21 December 2026. The form is closed now: the last date moved once, to 31 October, and the correction window ended on 4 November. What is left in this cycle is the exam city slip, the admit card, the exam itself, the answer key and the result.
A NET result is used in three ways. A candidate can qualify for the Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor, for appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to PhD, or for PhD admission only. That third use is why this exam matters to almost everyone who wants a PhD seat at a Central University.
UGC NET December 2026: important dates
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Notice issued and online form opened | 8 October 2026 |
| Last date to submit the form (after the extension) | 31 October 2026, 11:50 PM |
| Last date to pay the fee, for forms already submitted | 1 November 2026, 11:50 PM |
| Correction window | 2 to 4 November 2026 |
| Exam city intimation slip | 23 November 2026 |
| Admit card | 7 December 2026 |
| Exam days | 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 21 December 2026 |
| Answer key, recorded responses and result | To be announced by NTA |
NTA calls every date in its notices tentative. The exam days have moved once already: the first notice gave 14 to 19 December, and the revised bulletin keeps 14 to 18 December and adds 21 December. The day and shift of your own subject will be on your city slip and admit card.
Who can apply
- Master’s degree: at least 55% marks, without rounding off, for General (Unreserved) and General-EWS candidates, and at least 50% for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates.
- Final year or result awaited: such candidates are admitted provisionally. They must reach the required percentage within two years of the NET result for JRF or Assistant Professor, and within one year for PhD-only.
- Four-year bachelor’s degree: a four-year or eight-semester degree with at least 75% aggregate marks (5% relaxation for the categories the bulletin names) is enough to appear for JRF and PhD admission. It is not enough for Assistant Professor, which needs the master’s degree.
NAAC A++
NIRF #2 (2025)Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1969View details
NAAC A++
NIRF #4 (2025)Jamia Millia IslamiaNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1920 · 239 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #5 (2025)University of DelhiNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, JEE MainEst. 1922View details
NAAC A
NIRF #6 (2025)Banaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1916 · 1300 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #10 (2025)Aligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, NET/JRF, NEET UGEst. 1920View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #18 (2025)University of HyderabadHyderabad, TelanganaAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1974 · 2000 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #37 (2025)Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityLucknow, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1996View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #77 (2025)Central University of PunjabBathinda, PunjabAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2009 · 500 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #79 (2025)Tezpur UniversityTezpur, AssamAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1994 · 262 acresView details
NAAC A
NIRF #82 (2025)Mizoram UniversityAizawl, MizoramAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2000View detailsAge limit
For the Junior Research Fellowship a candidate must not be more than 30 years old as on 1 December 2026. The relaxations are:
- up to 5 years for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates and for women;
- 3 years for holders of an LL.M. degree;
- the period of research experience, and service in the armed forces, up to 5 years.
Taken together the relaxation cannot go past 5 years. For appointment as Assistant Professor and for PhD admission there is no upper age limit at all, which is why many candidates above 30 still sit the test.
Application fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General (Unreserved) | Rs. 1,150 |
| General-EWS and OBC-NCL | Rs. 600 |
| SC, ST, PwD and third gender | Rs. 325 |
The fee was paid online by card, net banking or UPI. A change of category in the correction window that raised the fee had to be paid for before the change was accepted, and a fee already paid is not refunded.
Exam pattern
| Paper | Questions | Marks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 50 | 100 | Teaching and research aptitude, the same for every subject |
| Paper 2 | 100 | 200 | The subject the candidate chose |
- Both papers are answered in one sitting of 180 minutes with no break between them.
- Each correct answer carries 2 marks. There is no negative marking.
- Questions are in English and Hindi, except in the language papers.
- The shift and its timing are printed on the admit card.
How the result decides your category
To be considered at all, a candidate has to appear in both papers and score at least 40% in the two together (General and EWS) or 35% (reserved categories). From those who cross this mark, the top 6% of the candidates who appeared, spread across the categories, qualify for Assistant Professor, and the JRF list is drawn from within that group. Subjects held in more than one shift are normalised by the equi-percentile method. The percentile printed on the score card does not decide who qualifies.
For PhD admission the UGC rule gives 70% weight to the NET marks and 30% to the university’s interview. The marks of the PhD-only category are valid for one year from the result, while the JRF award letter is valid for three years.
What NET means at Central Universities
Many Central Universities now admit to PhD on NET scores instead of an entrance test of their own. JNU, for instance, interviews JRF, NET and GATE candidates in separate categories. A candidate who qualifies in December 2026 can apply in the PhD rounds of 2027, but every university fixes its own seats, subjects and interview dates, so read the PhD notice of each one you are aiming for. The UGC NET page of this site collects every step of the exam in one place, together with those university notices.
What to carry on the exam day
- The admit card, printed on A4 paper, with the self-declaration filled in.
- One passport-size photograph, the same as the one in the form.
- An original photo ID that is valid: PAN card, passport, Aadhaar card, voter ID, driving licence or another ID the bulletin lists.
- The PwD certificate, where it applies, and a document for any change of name.
The revised bulletin added three practical rules. The centre gate closes 30 minutes before the exam begins. Pens are given at the centre, so a ball pen is not to be carried. Normal shoes, slippers and low-heeled sandals are allowed, but long boots are not.
What comes next
- 23 November: the exam city slip, which tells the city and the date, not the centre. It is not an admit card.
- 7 December: the admit card with the centre, the shift and the reporting time.
- 14 to 21 December: the exam, subject by subject.
- After the exam: the provisional answer key and the recorded responses, with a short window to challenge a key for a fee, and then the result.
The earlier steps of this cycle are on this site too: the extension of the fee payment date and the correction window.
