UGC NET Eligibility 2024: Check Age Limit and Qualification

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2024 is prescribed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the official notification. Candidates intending to apply for the exam should carefully review the notification to confirm their eligibility. It encompasses various factors such as age limit, qualifications, nationality, reservation policies, and others.

According to the official notification, candidates holding a master's degree and aged below 30 years are eligible to apply for the exam. They must also fulfill other conditions specified in the notification. Failure to meet any of these requirements will lead to the rejection of their UGC NET application. 

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2024

All interested candidates must ensure they meet the UGC NET eligibility criteria before applying for the exam. UGC-NET assesses candidates' eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship, Assistant Professorship, admission to PhD programs, and more in Indian universities and colleges. Key highlights of the UGC NET 2024 eligibility criteria are outlined below for candidates' reference.

Also, read:

• UGC NET Syllabus
• UGC NET Exam Pattern
• UGC NET Subject List
• UGC NET Preparation

UGC NET Age Limit 2024

The UGC NET age limit varies for JRF and assistant professor positions. Candidates must ensure they do not exceed the specified age limit on the prescribed date when applying for the exam. There is no upper age limit for applying to UGC NET for Assistant Professor and admission to PhD programs. Check the UGC NET age limit for all posts below.

UGC NET JRF Age Limit

Candidates must not exceed 30 years of age as of the 1st day of the month in which the examination concludes, i.e., June 1, 2024, when applying for the UGC NET 2024 exam.

UGC NET Assistant Professor Age Limit

• There is no upper age limit for the candidates applying for the UGC NET Assistant Professor post.
• There is no upper age limit for the candidates applying for UGC NET Admission to PhD.

UGC NET Age Relaxation

As per UGC NET Eligibility 2024, there shall be a relaxation on the upper age limit for reserved category candidates. Relaxation will also be given to the candidates with research experience, limited to the period spent on research in the relevant/related subject of the post-graduation degree, subject to the submission of a certificate issued from the appropriate authority. Here is the UGC NET age limit relaxation for all the categories.

UGC NET Educational Qualification

UGC NET educational qualification is one of the important elements of the eligibility criteria. Failing to possess prescribed qualifications will lead to disqualification of their candidature. Check the educational qualification for the UGC NET 2024 below.

• General/Unreserved/General-EWS candidates who have obtained at least 55% marks in a Master’s Degree or equivalent examination from universities/institutions recognized by UGC in Humanities and Social Science (including languages), Computer Science and Applications, Electronic Science etc. are eligible for this test. The Other Backward Classes (OBC) belonging to Non-Creamy Layer/Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Persons with Disability (PwD)/Third gender category candidates who have obtained at least 50% marks in master’s degree or equivalent examination are eligible for this test.
• Candidates who are pursuing their Master’s degree or equivalent course or candidates who have participated in their qualifying Master’s degree (final year) examination and whose result is still awaited or candidates whose qualifying examinations have been delayed may also apply for this test.
• Candidates belonging to the third gender category are eligible to draw the same relaxation in fee, age and NET eligibility (i.e. JRF and Assistant Professor) as are available to SC/ST/PWD categories.
• The candidates having passed a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme must have at least 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be applicable for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy
• layer)/Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidate.

UGC NET Eligibility 2024: Nationality

The nationality criteria play an important role in the eligibility for the UGC NET 2024 exam. As per the UGC NET Eligibility 2024, the candidate must be a citizen of India when applying for the exam.

Also, read:

UGC NET Eligibility 2024: Reservation Policies

The Reservation Policy of the Government of India is applicable to the UGC-NET 2024 Exam. As per UGC NET eligibility, the reservation of seats for different categories is as follows.

UGC NET Environmental Science Eligibility 2024

According to the UGC NET Environmental Science eligibility criteria, candidates applying for the JRF post must not exceed 30 years of age, while there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor and Admission to PhD. Candidates must have secured at least 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/OBC/Persons with Disability (PwD)/Third gender) in a Master’s Degree or equivalent examination as the minimum UGC NET educational qualification.

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria for Assistant Professor

As per eligibility criteria, the following exemptions will be provided to the candidates applying for the assistant professor post.

• NET/SET/SLET will be the minimum eligibility criteria to recruit eligible and appoint candidates for the Assistant Professors in Universities/Colleges/ Institutions. In this case, exemption from NET/SET/SLET will be governed by UGC regulations and amendments prescribed in the Gazette of India from time to time.
• The candidates who have participated in the UGC/CSIR/ JRF examination before 1989 are also exempted from participating in NET.
• The candidates who have cleared the States Eligibility Test (SET) accredited by UGC for Assistant Professor held before 01st June 2002, are exempted from participating in NET, and are eligible to apply for Assistant Professor anywhere in India. For SET conducted from 1st June 2002 onwards, the qualified candidates can apply for the Assistant Professor post only in the universities/colleges located in the State from where they are declared successful in their SET.

UGC NET Subject Eligibility 2024

Candidates should carefully choose their subject, considering their qualifications and other relevant factors when completing the application form for the UGC NET 2024 exam. The UGC NET exam consists of two papers: Paper 1, which covers Teaching and Research Aptitude and is mandatory for all, and Paper 2, which is subject-specific. According to the UGC NET notification, candidates must select the subject of their post-graduation. Exceptions to this rule are outlined below.

• Candidates with a Master’s Degree in Geography (with specialization in Population Studies) or Mathematics/ Statistics can appear in the subject “Population Studies” (Code 015).
• Candidates with a Master’s Degree in Humanities (including languages) and Social Sciences can appear in the subject “Women Studies” (Code 074).