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UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Age limit, Qualification, Marks, Reservation
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UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - National Testing Agency has provided the UGC NET December eligibility criteria 2025 for the December session on the official website. The UGC NET 2025 eligibility criteria is elaborated in the official UGC NET notification at ugcnet.nta.nic.in. The UGC NET eligibility criteria 2025 comprises of the age limit, academic qualifications and other such conditions that candidates need to fulfill to be considered eligible for UGC NET exam. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria can fill out the UGC NET application form.
This Story also Contains
- UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025
- UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Reservations
- UGC NET Eligibility Criteria - Application Form
The minimum academic qualification for the NTA UGC NET 2025 eligibility is a post-graduation degree, and those who are awaiting the result of their master's degree can also apply for UGC NET. The age limit for JRF is not more than 30 years. However, according to the UGC NET eligibility criteria 2025, there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professors/Lecturers. To know more about the UGC NET eligibility criteria, read the full article below.
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025
Candidates must go through the UGC NET 2025 eligibility criteria before applying. UGC NET is conducted twice every year to determine the qualifying status for candidates aspiring to be JRF and Assistant Professors. Below is the age limit for different posts under UGC NET 2025:
UGC NET Age Limit 2025
Post | Age limit |
UGC ET JRF age limit | 30 years |
UGC NET age limit for Assistant Professor | No upper age limit |
Note: The JRF age limit for general category is not more than 30 years.
Read More: UGC NET 2025 Exam Pattern
UGC NET Age Relaxation 2025
The UGC NET 2025 age relaxation details is given in the table below:
Age Relaxation For UGC NET 2025
Category | Age relaxation |
Candidates pursuing LLM degree | 3 years |
Ex-Army man (The length of service in the armed forces up to the first day of the month in which the concerned UGC-NET is conducted, i.e., December 1, 2023). | 5 years |
SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Female/Transgender | 5 years |
Research candidates (only on producing the certificate issued by appropriate authority) | 5 years |
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Educational Qualifications
As per the UGC NET qualification, candidates have to fulfill certain educational qualifications to be eligible for UGC NET exam 2025. The UGC NET 2025 educational qualifications have been specified below:
General/ unreserved/ General-EWS candidates must have a score of at least 55% in their Master's degree/ equivalent examination (MA, M.Sc, M.Com, M.Tech, MBA, etc.). The OBC/ SC/ ST/ PwD/ other gender categories must have a score of at least 50% in their Master's degree / equivalent examination to write this test.
Candidates who are pursuing their Master's degree or candidates who have appeared for their qualifying masters degree or candidates whose qualifying examination has been delayed are also eligible for this exam. Such candidates must complete their Master’s degree within 2 years from the date of the NET results.
Candidates who are from the third gender category will have the lowest subject-wise cut off compared to the other lower categories.
Candidates are advised to appear in the subject of their Post- Graduation only.
The candidates who have passed the 4 year bachelor's degree program must have a percentage of 75%. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent may be allowed for backward castes ( SC/ST/OBC).
Candidates who are still pursuing their 4 year bachelor's degree may also apply for the exam. However, the candidates will be awarded the JRF/ admission to Ph.D only after fulfilling certain requirements.
Candidates who are doing their Bachelors degree can choose the subject of their choice in the NET exam in the discipline they want to pursue their Ph.D.
UGC NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria - Subject Relevance (Masters)
Candidates while applying for UGC NET 2025 must make sure that they select the test for the subject they have studied in their post-graduation. In case the subject of the candidate is not given in the list given by NTA, candidates can choose the relevant subject from the list as per their preference.
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UGC NET 2025 Eligibility for JRF
Candidates who are appearing for UGC NET JRF are eligible for both Assistant Professors and fellowships programs. A candidate who qualifies for JRF will also be deemed qualified for a Lectureship. However, if any candidate qualifies for Lectureship won’t be considered qualified for JRF. In such a case, candidates will be considered for Lectureship only.
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Exemption (Eligibility for Assistant Professor)
Candidates must have qualified `NET/SET/SLAT to be appointed as Assistant Professors. In this case, the exemption (from appearing in NET/SET/SLET) will be governed by UGC regulations and amendments notified in the Gazette of India from time to time.
Candidates who have qualified for the UGC/CSIR JRF exam before the year 1990 are exempted from appearing for the UGC NET 2025 exam.
Those candidates who have qualified for the State Eligibility Tests (SETs) before the year 2002 are also exempted from appearing for UGC NET 2025. However, such candidates will have to apply for Assistant Professors in the Universities/Colleges of the state of which they have qualified the SET.
Eligibility criteria of other TET exams
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Reservations
In the UGC NET, the reservation policy of the Government of India is applicable as per which in central universities and Institutions the reservation of seats shall be as follows:
- 15% seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates.
- 7.5% seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates.
- 27% seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) candidates.
- 10% for General - Economically Weaker Sections candidates.
- 5% seats in the above-mentioned categories for Persons with Disability (PwD) with 40% or more disability.
For detailed information on the UGC NET eligibility criteria 2025 aspirants are advised to download the UGC NET information brochure.
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria - Application Form
The National Testing Agency has released the UGC NET December 2025 application form on October 7, 2025 on the official website at ugcnet.nta.nic.in. The UGC NET application form last date is November 7, 2025. The UGC NET exam 2025 application form is available in online mode only. Candidates need to upload scanned copies of their photograph and signature along with the payment of the application fee to successfully complete the UGC NET 2025 application process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the age limit for the UGC NET exam 2026?
A:
The maximum age limit for JRF is 30 years while there is no upper age limit for the post of assistant professor.
Q: Am I guaranteed a job after clearing UGC NET 2026?
A:
No, candidates are not guaranteed a job after clearing UGC NET 2026. The exam is just an eligibility requirement to apply for the post of JRF and Assistant Professor at universities and colleges in the country.
Q: I am a graduate, can I apply for UGC NET?
A:
Yes, graduates with a 4 year bachelors degree need to meet certain UGC NET eligibility criterias before applying for the examination.
Q: Is there any age relaxation for reserved category candidates?
A:
As per the eligibility criteria of UGC NET 2026, reserved category candidates are given age relaxation in the UGC NET exam.
Q: Where can I get the UGC NET eligibility criteria details?
A:
Candidates can check the UGC NET 2026 eligibility criteria in the official brochure.
Q: Is there any upper relaxation in UGC NET age limit for OBC?
A:
Yes, candidates belonging to the OBC category can avail the UGC NET age relaxation of 5 years.
Q: Who will determine the UGC NET eligibility criteria?
A:
The UGC NET eligibility criteria is determined by the NTA.
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