UGC NET Exam 2025: Dates, December Notification (Soon), Application, Eligibility, Syllabus & PYQ

University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) or NTA UGC NET is a national-level exam conducted to determine the eligibility of candidates for only Assistant Professor or both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor posts in Indian universities and colleges. The NTA UGC NET 2025 exam will be held for a total of 85 subjects. The syllabus differs for all 85 subjects and is prescribed by the University Grants Commission itself. Until June 2018, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the NET exam on behalf of UGC. Now UGC NET exam is being conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

UGC NET Posts

The candidates who will qualify for the NET JRF and  Assistant Professorship through the UGC NET will be offered an assistant professor's position or the position of a research scholar. The candidates can get the difference between these two positions below:

• Junior Research Fellowship (JRF): The candidates who will qualify for the JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) can apply for the position of assistant professor and research scholar. The research scholars will be paid a stipend of 37,000 (for the initial 2 years) and 42,000 (from the 3rd year) to complete their research in a specific field. The candidates qualifying for the JRF can also apply for the position of assistant professor in different universities along with a career as a research scholar. 
• Assistant Professors: The candidates qualifying for the eligibility exam for the position of Assistant professor can apply for the position to teach in different universities/colleges. The candidates can also apply for the PhD. However, the candidates qualifying for the PhD will not be eligible to get any stipend from the Government to complete their PhD. 

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• Check Subject Lists with Code

UGC NET Exam Highlights 2025

The highlights of the UGC NET 2025 exam are given below.

Exam Particulars	Exam Details
Exam Name	UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test)
Conducting Body	National Testing Agency (NTA)
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Twice a year
UGC NET Eligibility	Must Posses Post Graduation Degree or Appearing for the Final Year in the Post Graduation
Mode of Exam	Online (CBT)
No. of Applicants Registered	10,19,751 (June 2025)
No. of Test-takers	7,52,007 (June 2025)
Candidates qualified for JRF and Assistant Professor	5, 269 (June 2025)
Candidates qualified for Assistant Professor and Admission to Ph.D	54,885 (June 2025)
Candidates qualified for Ph.D only	1,28,179 (June 2025)
Exam Fees	INR 1,150 for the General category INR 600 for OBC INR 325 for SC/ ST/ PwD/Third Gender
Exam Duration	180 minutes
Exam Time	Shift 1 - 09:00 am to 12:00 noon Shift 2 - 03:00 pm to 06:00 pm
No. of Papers and Total Marks	Paper-1: 100 marks Paper-2: 200 marks
Total Questions	50 MCQs in Paper 1 and 100 MCQs in Paper 2
Marking Scheme	+2 for each correct answer No negative marking for incorrect answer
Language/Medium of Exam	English and Hindi
Exam Purpose	Determine the eligibility of candidates for posts of only Assistant Professor or both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor in Indian universities and colleges
No. of Test Cities	181
Official Website & Helpline No.	https://ugcnet.nta.ac.in 011-69227700 011-40759000

UGC NET Notification 2025

The UGC NET December notification will be released tentatively in September 2025 at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The candidates will be able to download the NTA UGC NET notification PDF by following the steps given below:

Step 1: Go to the official website 

Step 2: Click on the UGC NET 2025 Dec Notification link 

Step 3: The UGC NET 2025 notification will appear on the screen 

Step 4: Download the notification pdf and save it for later use

UGC NET 2025 Dec Cycle Notification PDF: to be updated  

UGC NET Notification Details 2025

The NTA UGC NET notification will be released by the NTA on the official website as an 'Information Bulletin' for the December Session. The Official Notification PDF contains the following details:

• Application process
• Exam dates and schedule
• Eligibility criteria
• Exam pattern and syllabus
• Qualifying marks and cut-off criteria
• Validity of NTA UGC NET Exam
• Exam centers list
• Admit card
• Verification of eligibility

UGC NET 2025 Exam Schedule (December Session)

The NTA will release the UGC NET exam date for the December cycle. The important dates are provided below for the candidates. 

UGC NET Dec Session Events	Release Dates
UGC NET Notification	September 2025 (tentatively)
UGC NET Application Form	to be updated here
UGC NET Form Correction Window 2025	to be updated here
UGC NET City Slip 2025	to be updated here
UGC NET Admit Card	to be updated here
UGC NET Exam Date 2025	to be updated here
UGC NET Answer Key 2025	to be updated here
UGC NET June Result 2025	to be updated here

UGC NET Applicaton 2025

UGC NET application online form for the Dec session will be released soon along with the notification 2025. The steps to apply online are given below:

1. Visit the website- ugcnet.nta.ac.in

2. Click on the ‘Application form’ link mentioned at the bottom of the home page

3. Click on the ‘New Registration’

4. Enter the required details and complete the registration

5. Fill out the complete application form

6. Upload scanned pictures of passport size photo (10-200 kb) and signature (4-30 kb). Both images should be in JPEG format

7. Pay the UGC NET application fee (Gen - INR 1,150; OBC/EWS - INR 600; SC/ST/PwD/ Transgender - INR 325)

8. Save and submit the form

9. Download the confirmation page

Direct link to apply for UGC NET Dec session 2025: to be updated here

How to Apply for the UGC NET Exam? (Step-by-Step Video)

The candidates who will apply for the December cycle exam must note that the photograph and signature must be uploaded within the given limits or it will not be uploaded in the NTA NET online registration form. The size of the photo and signature have been given below for the candidates. 

What Are The Pre Requisites for UGC NET Registration Process 2025?

Candidates who wish to apply for the exam must know the pre-requisite information for making an application for the NTA NET Dec exam. The list of the pre-requisite information has been given below for the candidates that they should keep ready before filling out the application form:

1. Copy of Board/ University Certificate for Name, Mother's Name, Father's Name, etc. 

2. Identification Card

3. Degree Certificate or last semester result

4. Active Email ID and Mobile Number

5. Four cities and choice of centres 

6. Code of subject 

7. Category certificate, PwD certificate (if applicable)

8. Scanned photograph and signature 

What IsThe Size of Photo & Signature To Apply For UGC NET 2025?

The dimensions and the size for the UGC NET exam photo and signature have been given below for the candidate's ease:

• UGC NET photo size and dimensions: The photograph must be in the dimension of 3.5cm x 4.5 cm and between 10kb to 200kb in JPG/JPEG format
• UGC NET signature size: The signature must be in JPG/JPEG 4 kb to 30 kb size

Know About UGC NET Application Correction 2025

The NTA activated the application correction window after the closing of the UGC NET registration window for Dec session. The candidates who filled out the application form for the NET exam will be allowed to make the corrections in the online form by following the steps given below:

1. Visit the official website of the exam

2. Login using the application number and password

3. Click on the link/button available for the UGC NET application form correction

4. Read the instructions and click on the ‘I Agree' checkbox

5. Click on the Proceed for Application button

6. Make the necessary changes in the application form

7. Click on the Submit button

8. Review the corrections made and click on the checkboxes given at the bottom of the page

9. Pay the additional fee, if any.

10. Click on the Final Submit button

11. Take a printout of the revised Confirmation Page

UGC NET Application Form 2025: Corrections Allowed 

UGC NET application form particulars in which candidates can make corrections if required include:

• Personal details
• Choice of exam centre
• Educational details
• Scanned photo and signature

Candidates can make corrections in any of the particulars of the online application form, excluding the following fields:

For candidates who have verified Aadhaar Card	No change allowed in the mobile number, email address, permanent address & correspondence address No change allowed in candidate’s name, date of birth and gender No change is allowed in the photo Change is allowed either in the father’s name or mother’s name (anyone only)
For candidates who have not verified the Aadhaar for modification	No change allowed in the mobile number, email address, permanent address & correspondence address No change is allowed in the photo Change is allowed either in the candidate’s name or father’s name or mother’s name (anyone only)

The basic criteria that candidates must fulfill to meet UGC NET Eligibility 2025 are mentioned below in terms of the age limit and qualification:

Age Limit 2025

• Candidates should not be more than 30 years of age to be eligible for NTA NET JRF 
• There is no age restriction to applying for the post of Assistant Professor
• A relaxation of five years in age criteria is given to reserved category candidates

Educational Qualification 2025

• Candidates should have completed UG (four-year course) or must be in the final year.
• Candidates should have completed their post-graduation from a UGC-recognised college/university

• A relaxation of five per cent in educational qualification is given to reserved category candidates

• Candidates who have cleared the State Eligibility Test (SET) before June 1, 2002, are exempted from taking the UGC NET exam

EWS Certificate 

The candidates who have applied for the UGC NET exam under economically weaker sections and if they qualify for the exam will get the UGC NET EWS certificate. The candidates falling under the EWS will get a 10 per cent reservation in the recruitment exam. However, the candidates don't have to upload the NTA UGC NET EWS certificate while filling out the application form for the recruitment exam but the certificate has to be presented in front of the recruitment committee.

UGC NET Syllabus is prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Syllabus is different for Paper 1 and Paper 2. The Paper 1 syllabus  is common for all candidates. On the other hand, the Paper 2 syllabus varies for all 85 subjects. Candidates need to choose the subject for Paper 2 while submitting the NTA NET application form.

UGC NET Exam 2025	Syllabus
Paper 1	Teaching Aptitude Research Aptitude Comprehension Communication Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude Logical Reasoning Data Interpretation Information and Communication Technology (ICT) People, Development, and Environment Higher Education System
Paper 2	It is subject-specific and the candidates have to choose paper 2 in accordance with their specialisation. Total subjects are 85 including History, Commerce, Environmental Science, Geography, Sociology, English, Hindi, Computer Application, Ayurveda Biology, and more.

Note:

Paper 1 comprises 50 questions from 10 units that hold a total weightage of 100 marks.

Paper 2 holds a weightage of 200 marks for 100 questions.

The Commission introduced 'Ayurveda Biology' as an additional subject in the UGC NET exam.

Download UGC NET Paper 2 PDF Syllabus: Click Here 

Also Read: Interview With UGC Chairman on UGC NET Syllabus Revision

UGC NET Pattern 2025

The UGC NET is conducted in CBT mode (Computer Based Test mode). UGC NET exam pattern comprises two papers- Paper 1 and 2. As per the prescribed NTA NET 2025 exam pattern, both papers contain multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Candidates need to complete both papers in a single duration of three hours. Have a look at the detailed UGC NET exam pattern 2025 below. 

UGC NET Paper	Number of Questions	Marks
Paper 1	50	100
Paper 2	100	200
Total	150	300

UGC NET 2025 Reservation Policy 

The UGC NET reservation policy is applicable for the candidates according to the norms of the reservation policy of India. Candidates can check the reservation policy according to the category in the table below:

Category	Reservation of seats (In %)
Scheduled Castes (SC)	15
Scheduled Tribes (ST)	7.5
Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL)	27
General-Economically Weaker Sections (General- EWS)	10
Persons with Disability (PwD) with 40% or more disability	5

The candidates preparing for the UGC NET exam must go through the last-minute preparation tips to score good marks and uplift their chances of getting qualified. The UGC NET last-minute prep tips for the candidates are provided below :

• The candidates must focus on accuracy rather than guessing for the right answer. However, the UGC NET exam does not have a negative marking scheme but candidates must go for the question that they know perfectly and then solve the rest paper by guessing:
• Focus on time management
• Read the questions carefully 

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How to prepare for UGC NET in 1 month?

The NTA will release the UGC NET city intimation slip 2025 for December all exam dates on the official website at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The steps to download the UGC NET city intimation slip is provided below:

Step 1: Go to the official website 

Step 2: Click on the UGC NET 2025 Advanced City Intimation link 

Step 3: Fill out the credentials asked for login- application number, date of birth, security pin, etc. 

Step 4: Click on the submit button

Step 5: The city slip 2025 will appear on the screen

Step 6: Check the exam city for the UGC NET exam 2025

Direct Link for the UGC NET City Slip 2025 for Dec cycle: to be updated here

UGC NET Admit Card 2025

The NTA UGC NET Dec admit card will be released for all exam dates on the official website-ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The steps to download the admit card are given below:

Step 1: Visit the official website 

Step 2; Click on the ‘Download Admit Card for UGC-NET Dec 2025' link

Step 3: Log in using the 'Application Number', 'Date of Birth', and 'Security Pin'

Step 4: Download the UGC NET Admit Card 2025

Step 5: Take the printout for future use

Direct Link to Download: UGC NET 2025 Dec session Admit Card for all exam dates: to be updated here

Candidates can check the UGC NET Dec exam analysis 2025 for different subjects here after the conduction of an exam based on the students' feedback. The exam analysis helps candidates to check the reviews by the aspirants who appeared for the exam, memory-based questions, expected cut-off, and more. Candidates can check below the UGC NET June session 2025 exam analysis.

UGC NET (Session-Wise) Exam	Question Paper Analysis
December 2024	Jan 16, 2025 Analysis  Jan 10, 2025 Analysis for all Shifts Jan 9, 2025 Analysis for all Shifts Jan 8, 2025 Analysis for all Shifts Jan 7, 2025 Analysis for All Shifts Jan 3, 2025 Shift 1 Analysis Here

Also Read:

• UGC NET Previous Years' Exam Analysis