NEST Eligibility Criteria 2023: Age Limit, Relaxation & Qualification

NEST Eligibility criteria 2023 will be prescribed jointly by the NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai for candidates who wish to apply for the entrance test. In this Shiksha article, candidates can go through educational qualifications and age limit criteria that form a part of the eligibility criteria for NEST 2023.

NEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria

NEST 2023 official site has been generated and candidates can check further details regarding the examination when it will be updated on the website. NEST 2023 exam dates and the schedule of the registration process/application forms are expected to be released by the third week of February. Before preparing for the examination candidates must know the eligibility criteria. NEST 2023 eligibility criteria determine whether a candidate is eligible to apply for the Integrated 5- year MSc Programme courses the participating institutions offer. Candidates who wish to apply for NEST 2023 must meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by NISER.

NEST 2023 Courses Offered

Below is the list of courses provided at NISER by NEST 2023:

NEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria

To meet the eligibility criteria for appearing in the NEST 2023 Exam for integrated course admissions, aspirants must satisfy the below-mentioned requirements. 

NEST 2023 Qualifications

Below is the list of educational qualifications required for appearing in NEST 2023:

Note- The Eligibility criteria is taken from last year and the exact NEST 2023 eligibility will be notified when the application form for NEST 2023 will be out.

• Candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM–DAE CEBS for the Integrated MSc programme 2023–28 should be from regular science stream in classes 11 and 12. It is mandatory for all aspiring candidates to write the NEST 2022 examination. 
• Candidates must have passed the class 12 examination from any recognised Board in India in the years 2020 or 2021 or should be appearing for the same in 2023. Candidates who are appearing for the board examination in 2023 must pass it by the time of admission into the programme.
•  Also, candidates must secure at least 60 percent marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in class 12 examination to be eligible for admission to NISER and CEBS. Candidates satisfying all the above criteria will be considered for admission strictly on the basis of the Merit List of NEST 2023.
•  For candidates belonging to scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and Divyangjan categories, the minimum requirement of marks is relaxed to 55 percent in aggregate or equivalent grade in class 12 examination. Where only letter grades are available, a certificate from the concerned Board specifying equivalent percentage of marks is required to be submitted. In absence of such a certificate, the decision of the admissions committee of the concerned institution will be final.

NEST 2023 Age Limit

• General and OBC category candidates born on or after August 01, 2003 are eligible for admission to the Integrated MSc programme of NISER/CEBS. 
• The age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC / ST / Divyangjan candidates.

NEST 2023: Reservation of seats

For the Integrated MSc programme 2022–27, total number of seats at NISER and CEBS were 200 and 57, respectively. NISER and CEBS follow the Govt. of India rules for reservation of seats. The categories and the extent of reservation are as follows:

Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non–Creamy Layer (OBC–NCL): 

• 27 percent of seats are reserved for OBC–NCL. The class should have been mentioned in the central list of OBCs . If offered admission under the OBC-NCL category, the candidate must produce the relevant valid certificate on the date of admission. 
• Candidates belonging to the creamy layer of OBC are NOT entitled to reservation. Such candidates are treated as belonging to the General category. The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) as notified by some of the State Governments are as such NOT eligible to avail any reservation unless they satisfy the OBC–NCL criteria.
•  Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of society is allowed in the General-EWS category for admission to CEBS. 

Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST): 

• 15 percent of seats are reserved for the SC category candidates and 7.5 percent of seats are reserved for the ST category candidates. The benefit of reservation will be given only to those castes and tribes that are mentioned in the respective lists of corresponding states published by the Government of India.
•  The number of seats reserved for SC, ST, OBC (Non–Creamy–Layer) and Divyangjan candidates is according to the Government of India norms. To claim seats under the reserved category, relevant documents must be furnished at the time of admission. All category certificates should be written in either English or Hindi. In case certificates are written in any other language, a translated copy must also be provided.

Divyangjan: 

• 5 percent of seats are reserved in every category, i.e., General, OBC–NCL, SC and ST for persons with disabilities (Divyangjan). The benefit would be given only to those who have at least 40 percent impairment irrespective of the type of disability i.e., locomotor, visual or dyslexic. Leprosy–cured candidates who are otherwise fit to pursue the course are also included in this sub–category. 
• Candidates are advised to ensure that the certificate is in accordance with the latest guidelines of the Government of India. The reservation for Divyangjan candidates is horizontal and hence, unfilled seats will be allotted to candidates belonging to the respective categories i.e., unfilled SC (Divyangjan) seats will be allotted to candidates belonging to the SC category and so on. 

If selected, the candidates must produce all original certificates at the time of admission failing which the offer of admission will be cancelled.

NEST 2023 Intake at NISER AND CEBS

Please note that proposed student intake at NISER and CEBS is given below for session 2022-2027. However, candidates can expect round-of seats for the session 2023-2028. The number of expected seats available at NISER and CEBS for admission in the year 2023-28 session would be as  follows:

NOTE-

• 2 supernumerary seats are reserved at both NISER and CEBS for eligible candidates from Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh as per existing government regulations. 
• A student with a certain category rank will take a general seat if he/she secures a suitable general ranking. For example, if the topper of the exam (General rank 1) happens to be an OBC candidate, he/she would get OBC rank 1, as well. In such a case, he/she would be admitted against the General rank so that all OBC seats remain available even after his/her admission. 

National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is conducted jointly by the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and Mumbai University - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai. The NEST Exam is conducted annually to offer admission for Integrated MSc programmes in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.

Read More:

• NEST 2023 Prep Tips: How to Prepare for NEST in 3 Months
• Last Minute Tips for NEST 2023 - Revision, Admit Card, Mock Tests 
• https://www.shiksha.com/science/articles/important-topics-for-nest-syllabus-blogId-29799