UGC NET December 2026 Notification Out: Last Date 28 October 2026, Apply Online, Fees, Reservation, Eligibility, Exam Date

UGC NET December 2026, UGC NET 2026 last date 28 October, http://ugcnet.nta.nic.in, UGC NET reservation, UGC NET eligibility.

UGC NET December 2026 Notification Released - Registration Closes on 28 October 2026.

Good news for aspirants! The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the official public notice on 08 October 2026 for UGC NET December 2026. The online application portal is now active at http://ugcnet.nta.nic.in.

UGC NET is conducted to determine eligibility of Indian nationals for (1) Award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and appointment as Assistant Professor, (2) Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D., and (3) Admission to Ph.D. only in Indian Universities and Colleges.

The exam will be held in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode for 87 subjects.

Complete Schedule of UGC NET December 2026

Starting of Online Application: 08 October 2026.

Last Date to Apply Without Late Fee: 28 October 2026 up to 11:50 PM.

Last Date for Payment of Examination Fee: 28 October 2026 up to 11:50 PM through Credit Card, Debit Card, Net Banking or UPI.

Late Application Window With Late Fee of Rs. 500: From 29 October 2026 to 31 October 2026 up to 11:50 PM.

Last Date of Payment With Late Fee: 31 October 2026 up to 11:50 PM.

Correction Window: From 02 November 2026 to 04 November 2026 up to 11:50 PM. You can correct your particulars in this window only.

Exam City Intimation Slip: To be intimated later on official website.

Admit Card Download: To be intimated later.

Exam Dates: From 14 December 2026 to 19 December 2026. Your centre, date and shift will be mentioned on your admit card.

Answer Key and Response Sheet: Will be announced later.

Official Websites: https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in and http://www.nta.ac.in

Application Fee Details:

General / Unreserved category has to pay Rs. 1150. General-EWS and OBC-NCL category has to pay Rs. 600. SC, ST, PwD and Third Gender candidates have to pay Rs. 325. If you apply between 29 to 31 October, you have to pay Rs. 500 extra as late fee in addition to your category fee.

UGC NET December 2026 Reservation Policy - Full Details.

NTA follows Government of India reservation policy. The number of candidates to be qualified for Assistant Professor is 6% of total candidates who appeared in both papers. These 6% slots are divided category-wise as per reservation.

SC category gets 15% reservation. ST category gets 7.5% reservation. OBC-NCL category as per central list gets 27% reservation. General-EWS gets 10% reservation. PwD candidates with 40% or more disability get 5% reservation horizontally across all categories.

For Third Gender candidates, cut-off will be lowest among all categories. For JRF, slots are also divided category-wise separately as per same reservation policy.

Educational Qualification - Who Can Apply?

For Master's Degree Holders: If you belong to General, Unreserved or EWS, you must have secured at least 55% marks without rounding off in your Master's degree. If you belong to OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD or Third Gender, you need at least 50% marks.

For Final Year Students: If you are in final year or your result is awaited, you can apply provisionally. You must complete your Master's with required percentage within two years from the date of NET result.

For 4-Year Bachelor's Degree (NEP 2020): If you have 4-year / 8-semester bachelor's degree with at least 75% marks (70% for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, PwD, EWS), you are eligible. But you are eligible only for JRF and Ph.D. admission, not for Assistant Professor.

Ph.D. Relaxation: Ph.D. degree holders whose Master's was completed on or before 19 September 1991 get 5% relaxation in aggregate marks.

Age Limit and Relaxation for JRF and Assistant Professor:

There is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D. You can apply at any age.

For Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), the upper age limit is 30 years as on 01 June 2026.

Relaxation in upper age limit for JRF is 5 years for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, PwD, Third Gender and Women candidates. 3 years relaxation for LLM holders. 5 years relaxation for Armed Forces personnel. Up to 5 years relaxation for candidates with research experience, limited to period spent on research.

Minimum Qualifying Marks in UGC NET

To be considered for result and merit list, you must appear in both Paper 1 and Paper 2. General and EWS candidates must secure at least 40% aggregate in both papers taken together. OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and Third Gender candidates must secure at least 35% aggregate in both papers taken together.

8 Most Important Instructions You Must Follow

1. Apply only through online mode at http://ugcnet.nta.nic.in. No offline mode is accepted.

2. Submit only one application form. Submitting multiple forms will lead to disqualification.

3. Strictly follow the Information Bulletin available on NTA website. Non-compliance will lead to summary disqualification.

4. Provide your own email and mobile number or your parents/guardians only. All communication from NTA will be sent on that email and mobile via SMS.

5. Fill all particulars very carefully because no changes will be allowed after final submission except in correction window. Use Aadhaar verification while filling the form for smooth entry at exam centre and for JRF processing.

6. Registration is enabled through Meri Pehchan single sign-on service of Ministry of Electronics and IT for convenience.

7. If you face any difficulty, contact NTA helpdesk at 011-40759000 or 011-69227700 or email at ugcnet@nta.ac.in.

8. All dates are tentative and may change due to any reason. Keep checking the official website regularly.

How to Apply Step-by-Step

Step 1: Go to http://ugcnet.nta.nic.in and click on UGC NET December 2026 Registration.

Step 2: Register using Meri Pehchan or with your email and mobile to get application number and password.

Step 3: Login and fill your personal details, academic qualification, subject selection, category, and exam city preference.

Step 4: Upload scanned photograph and signature in prescribed format.

Step 5: Pay the application fee before 28 October 11:50 PM to avoid late fee.

Step 6: Download and save the confirmation page for future reference.

 Final Advice for Aspirants

The last date without late fee is 28 October 2026. Do not wait till the last day because the server becomes very slow. Complete your application by 25 October. If you miss it, you still have a chance till 31 October with Rs. 500 extra late fee. Start preparing now because the exam is from 14 to 19 December 2026.

Direct Link to Apply: https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in

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Disclaimer Note: Information is based on NTA official notice dated 08 Oct 2026 at http://ugcnet.nta.nic.in. Dates, fees, reservation & eligibility may change. Please verify from the official website before applying.