UGC NET 2026: Application Form, Exam Dates, Eligibility, Syllabus

UGC NET 2026 Exam will be held in third week of August 2026 via online (CBT) mode. UGC NET (University Grant Commission National Eligibility Test) is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) twice a year.

Interested in Assistant Professor position in Indian Universities/ colleges through UGC NET?…Check exam details below.

UGC NET Eligibility | UGC NET Application | Syllabus

This exam is conducted at state level to determine the eligibility of individuals for Assistant Professor positions or Junior Research Fellowships and Assistant Professorships in various Indian Universities/ Colleges.

All You Need To Know About UGC NET 2026 Exam:

• Started preparing for UGC NET exam…Know the UGC NET Exam Pattern and Syllabus here.
• Check the detailed eligibility criteria before applying…Verify UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2026.
• Looking for expert guidance to prepare for UGC NET exam…Explore best UGC NET Tips & Tricks here.
• Stay informed about the important dates…Find out UGC NET Exam Schedule here.

Any queries? Leave your comments below.

In this article, we have mentioned complete details related to UGC NET 2026 including registration, dates, eligibility, pattern, syllabus, tips and tricks etc.

UGC NET 2026 Overview

UGC NET 2026 Exam Dates

Students can check the given table to know UGC NET Exam Dates 2026:

UGC NET 2026 Application Form

Here, we have mentioned some important guidelines to fill the UGC NET Application Form 2026:

• UGC NET 2026 Application Form will be made accessible via online mode only.
• Students will be able to fill applications in third week of April 2026 for June session.
• The application form for December Session will be made available in third week of November 2026.
• Applicants must review all guidelines and meet the eligibility requirements before filling the form.
• Each candidate should submit only one application, duplicates will be rejected.
• Applicants should ensure accuracy when filling out the form, including personal details, academic history, category and exam city preferences.
• A correction window will also be opened after the last date of submission for a limited timeline.
• A coloured or black and white photograph and signature must be uploaded in the specified format.
• The deadline for application submissions will be till third week of May 2026 for June session.
• Candidates should print a copy of Confirmation Page of the Application Form for future reference.

Application Fee:

• UGC NET 2026 Application Fee will be transferred via online mode.
• Candidates should pay the fee using Credit Card/ Debit Card/ Net Banking/ UPI Payment options.
• The nature of application fee will be non-refundable.

Students will have to pay the registration fee as given below:

UGC NET 2026 Application Correction

Candidates are advised to exercise utmost caution when filling out the application form to ensure accuracy. The authority will provide a correction window for candidates to rectify errors in their UGC NET application form 2026 using their login credentials.

Details provided in the application form, such as name, contact information, category, educational qualifications, date of birth, and exam city choices will be considered final. UGC NET Application Correction Window 2026 will be opened in third week of May 2026 for limited period of time.

How to Apply for UGC NET 2026 

Applicants can check the steps to register for UGC NET 2026 exam here:

• Step-1: Go through the UGC NET website (link will be given above).
• Step-2: Complete online Registration using own Email ID and Mobile No.
• Step-3: Save the system-generated application number and login details.
• Step-4: Fill out the application form with qualification, contact, address and personal details.
• Step-5: Upload the required documents like photograph, signature and category certificate in specified format.
• Step-6: Preview the application details and proceed to pay the application fee.
• Step-7: Download or print a copy of the application form after successful payment for future reference.

UGC NET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Before applying for exam, students should fulfill the following UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2026:

• Qualification: Applicants must possess a Master’s Degree or its equivalent from a recognized university or college.
• Age Limit: For JRF applicants, the maximum age will be 30 years as of the first day of the month. Age relaxation of 5 years will be applicable for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, PWD and Third Gender. There will be no age limit for Assistant Professor positions.
• Marks: Candidates should have a minimum of 55% marks (50% marks in case of candidates belonging to reserved categories).
• Appearing Candidates: Final year students or those awaiting results will be eligible to apply.

UGC NET 2026 Exam Pattern

To know the UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026, check the below section:

• Exam Mode: UGC NET 2026 exam will be conducted via online (CBT) Mode.
• Duration: Aspirants will be given 3 hours duration to solve the exam.
• Sections: The exam will consist of 2 sections: Paper-I & and Paper-II.
• Type of Questions: Students will have to solve Objective Type-Multiple Choice Questions.
• Number of Questions: Students will have to answer 150 questions in exam.
• Total Marks: Question paper will be worth a total of 300 marks.
• Medium: The medium of Question Paper shall be in English & Hindi, except language papers.
• Marking Scheme: For each right answer, students will get 2 marks and lose no marks for wrong answers.

Here, check the marking scheme for UGC NET 2026 in detail below:

UGC NET 2026 Syllabus

UGC NET syllabus 2026 will be subject-specific and available separately for each discipline. The official syllabus will be published by the authority via online mode on the website.

The syllabus for UGC NET 2026 exam will be available in PDF format for all the course specializations in both English and Hindi medium. Students should download the syllabus  and prepare based on their chosen subject.

UGC NET 2026 Preparation Tips

Here, we have provided some useful UGC NET Preparation Tips 2026 to ace the exam:

• Start by thoroughly reviewing the exam pattern and syllabus.
• Create and stick to a daily study schedule.
• Choose appropriate study materials, including books and online resources.
• Make concise notes, focusing on areas needing improvement.
• Review past exam papers to understand the sections and marking scheme.

UGC NET Books 

Students must refer to the below mentioned books for UGC NET Exam Preparation:

UGC NET 2026 Exam Center

The authority will conduct UGC NET 2026 exam in more than 200 center in all over India. It will be mandatory for applicants to select at least four exam city preferences while filling the application form. 

UGC Exam Center 2026 will be located across various states/cities such as Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim, West Bengal, Goa, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

UGC NET 2026 Admit Card

UGC NET Admit Card 2026 will be released by the authority via online mode on the website. Students will be able to access their admit card in third week of August 2026 for June session and in fourth week of December 2026 for December Session.

Candidates must download their Admit Card from the authority website and present it at the designated examination center on the specified date, shift and time. The authority will also release the exam city slip, before the issue of admit card.

Candidates should carefully verify all details on the UGC NET 2026 admit card and report the officials immediately, if any discrepancy found on the admit card in candidate’s photograph, or signature etc.

UGC NET 2026 Answer Key

The authority will release UGC NET Answer Key 2026 via online mode, a few days after the exam. Students will be able to check the answer key in second week of September 2026 for June session and in fourth week of January 2027 for December 2026 session, through login.

Along with the answer key, question papers and recorded responses will also be released within 2-3 days post-exam. Candidates will be able to estimate their scores using the answer key and also raise objections against it by paying a non-refundable fee of Rs. 200/- per question.

UGC NET 2026 Result

Candidates will be able to access their results via online mode from the website using their application number or date of birth. The authority will declare the entrance exam result in third week of October 2026 for June session and in first week of February 2027 for December session.

UGC NET Result 2026 will be announced based on the final answer key and there will be no provision for re-evaluation. It is advised to take a printout of the scorecard and keep it safe for admission purposes.

UGC NET 2026 Cut Off

Candidates will be able to access the cut off marks via online mode after the results get announced. It will be released by the authority in third week of October 2026 for June session on the website.

Candidates must achieve the minimum cut off marks to obtain a rank in the merit list. The authority will prepare a separate category/ subject wise cut off list based on several factors such as number of students appearing for exam, reservation, difficulty level of exam, cut off trends etc.

UGC NET 2026 Reservation Criteria

Below check the UGC NET Reservation Criteria 2026 as per the policy of Govt. of India:

UGC NET 2026 Selection Procedure

UGC NET Selection Procedure 2026 for assistant professor positions and Junior Research Fellowships will be based on candidates’ scores obtained in the entrance exam. Candidates will be ranked and chosen according to their performance in entrance exam and cut off scores.

There will be no separate procedures held for selection of qualified candidates for JRF and assistant professor positions. The top 6% of candidates will be shortlisted for assistant professor and JRF eligibility. A separate merit list will be created for NET JRF qualified candidates.

UGC NET 2026 Participating Institutes

From the below section, check the list of some UGC NET Participating Institutes 2026:

• ICFAI University, Dehradun
• University of Allahabad
• Assam University, Silchar
• Jiwaji University, Gwalior
• University of Madras, Chennai
• SRM University, Amrawati
• Berhampur University, Orissa
• Zamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
• University of Delhi
• Mahatma Gandhi University, Meghalaya
• Goa University
• University of Calcutta
• National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy

Candidates are suggested to keep visiting the website to stay acknowledged with all the updates related to UGC NET 2026 exam dates, application, eligibility, syllabus and more.

In case you have any other queries related to UGC NET 2026, then feel free to ask us by leaving the queries in comment box below.