UGC NET 2025: Application Form (Active), Exam Date (Out), Pattern, Syllabus, Question Papers & More
The University Grant Commission (UGC) conducts the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) or NTA UGC NET exam year. UGC NET is an eligibility test which is conducted two times a year, once in June and the other in December. The latest UGC NET December 2025 Notification has been released online on 7th October 2025. Candidates can fill the form online up to 7th November 2025. Read on to get more information on this page.
UGC NET Dec 2025 Exam
The UGC NET exam date 2025 for the December cycle has been released online by the NTA. As per the latest notice released, the exam shall be held from 31st December to 7th January 2026 in online mode. Those who apply successfully for the UGC NET December exam will be able to take the exam by downloading their admit cards. However, before the admit card, the city intimation slip will be released 10 days before the exam date.
Given below is the official notice for the same.
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The NTA has released the UGC NET 2025 December notification on its website. Along with the notification, the apply online link has also been activated on the official website at www.nta.ac.in. The UGC NET notification has important detials related to the exam such as important dates, syllabus, apply online, etc. Candidates can apply online for UGC NET December session up to 7th November 2025. Scroll down for the latest updates about the UGC NET 2025 Dec notification & more.
UGC NET 2025 Exam Highlights
UGC NET exam is held twice a year. Here is a summary of the UGC NET 2025 exam. It highlights the major details related to the UGC NET exam.
| Particulars | NTA UGC NET details |
| Exam Name | University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency, NTA |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Frequency | Twice a year |
| Purpose of the exam | To appoint candidates for the post of Assistant Professor or Junior Research Fellowship or to pursue M.Phil/Ph. D |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours |
| Total Paper and Marks | Paper 1: 100 Marks |
| Paper 2: 200 Marks | |
| Total Questions | 150 MCQ (Each Paper) |
| Marking Scheme | +2 for each correct answer |
| No Negative Marking | |
| Medium of Exam | English and Hindi |
| Official website | ugcnet.nta.nic.in |
| Helpline No | 01206895200 |
UGC NET 2025 December Important Dates
The UGC NET application form can be filled up online from 7th October 2025 onwards up to 7th November 2025. There is the facility to make corrections in the online form as well from 10th to 12th November 2025. The exam will begin from 31st December to 7th January 2026. The table below has the list of important dates related to the UGC NET Exam.
| Events | Dates |
| UGC NET December Notification 2025 | 7th October 2025 |
| UGC NET December Application Form 2025 starts | 7th October 2025 |
| Apply Online Last Date | 7th November 2025 (11:50 pm) |
| Last date to pay the fee | 7th November 2025 (11:50 pm) |
| Correction of Application Form | 10th to 12th November 2025 |
| UGC NET Admit Card 2025 | -- |
| UGC NET 2025 Exam Date | 31st December 2025 to 7th January 2026 |
What is UGC NET?
UGC NET full form is University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) or NTA UGC NET. The UGC NET is a national-level eligibility test 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 UGC NET exam is held twice a year for 85 subjects. The syllabus for each of the subjects differ from each other. Until June 2018, the CBSE was the responsible body for conducting the UGC NET exam on behalf of UGC.
What are the Posts in UGC NET?
Through the UGC NET exam, the candidates are appointed to the post of Assistant Professor or the position of a Research Scholar based on their preference and qualifying marks. 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) are eligible to apply for the post of Assistant Professor and Research Scholar. The research Scholars will be paid a stipend of Rs. 37,000 (for the initial 2 years) and 42,000 (from the 3rd year) to complete their research. Such 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.
UGC NET 2025 Notification Download
The NTA has released the UGC NET 2025 notification PDF for the December cycle exam on its official website on 8th October 2025 at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. A direct link to download the UGC NET Dec notification PDF is also updated here.
| UGC NET December Notification 2025 PDF Download Link |
UGC NET Application Form 2025: Steps to Apply
The UGC NET application form 2025 for the December session has been released along with the notification. The steps to apply online for UGC NET is given below.
- Visit the official website at ugcnet.nta.ac.in
- Click on the ‘Application form’ link mentioned at the bottom of the home page
- Click on the ‘New Registration’
- Enter the details asked to complete the registration process.
- Fill out the all the details asked in the application form
- Upload scanned documents in JPEG format
- Pay the required amount of UGC NET application fee.
- Save and submit the form
- Download the confirmation page
Application Fee for UGC NET 2025 Exam
All the candidates who apply for the UGC NET 2025 exam ned to pay an application fee as per their categories.Without payment of the application fee, the form will not be accepted. The category wise application fee is given in the table below.
| Category | Application Fee |
| General (Unreserved) | Rs. 1,150 |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) / EWS | Rs. 600 |
| SC / ST / PwD / Transgender | Rs. 325 |
What Documents to Upload in UGC NET Application Form: List with Dimensions
The candidates are required to upload their photographs and signature in the UGC NET application form 2025. The list of documents to upload along with the size and format is given in the table below.
| Document | Dimensions (cm) | File Size Limit | Format |
| Photograph | 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm | 10 KB – 200 KB | JPG/JPEG |
| Signature | Not specified | 4 KB – 30 KB | JPG/JPEG |
UGC NET Application Form 2025 Correction
The NTA will activate the UGC NET application form correction window after the application form date is closed. In case any candidate has made an error in the application form, then he/she will be able to make corrections to it. However, candidates must take a note that only certain details can only be corrected.
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025: Educational Qualification, Age Limit and EWS Criteria
All the candidates need to fulfill the UGC NET exam eligibility criteria. The eligibility consists of meeting the age limit, educational qualification. The requirement for candidates belonging to the EWS category is given below in the table.
| Criteria | Details |
| Age Limit (2025) | • For JRF: Maximum 30 years • For Assistant Professor: No age limit • Age relaxation: 5 years for reserved categories |
| Educational Qualification (2025) | • Must have completed a UG (4-year course) or be in the final year • Must have completed post-graduation from a UGC-recognised university/college • 5% relaxation in marks for reserved category candidates • Candidates who cleared SET before June 1, 2002, are exempted from UGC NET |
| EWS Certificate | • EWS candidates who qualify will get a UGC NET EWS Certificate • 10% reservation in recruitment exams • No need to upload the certificate during application, but it must be presented to the recruitment committee |
UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025
UGC NET exam pattern 2025 consists of two papers, paper 1 and paper 2. Both papers have multiple-choice questions. The duration for UGC NET exam is 3 Hours for both papers. 2 mark is awarded for every correct answer and there is no negative marking in the exam. UGC NET exam pattern has been tabulated below.
| UGC NET Paper | Number of Questions | Marks |
| Paper 1 (Teaching/Research Aptitude) | 50 | 100 |
| Paper 2 (Based on the core subject) | 100 | 200 |
| Total | 150 | 300 |
UGC NET Syllabus
UGC NET syllabus has a total of 83 papers. Each paper consists of a different syllabus. We have formulated the detailed UGC NET syllabus in the table below. Check the list of important topics related to the UGC NET syllabus.
| Subject | UGC NET Topics |
| Teaching Aptitude | Teaching: Concept, Objectives, Levels of teaching (Memory, Understanding, and Reflective), Characteristics, and basic requirements. Learner’s characteristics: Characteristics of adolescent and adult learners (Academic, Social, Emotional, and Cognitive), Individual differences. Factors affecting teaching related to: Teacher, Learner, Support material, Instructional facilities, Learning environment, and Institution. Methods of teaching in Institutions of higher learning: Teacher centred vs. Learner-centered methods; Off-line vs. Online methods (Swayam, Swayamprabha, MOOCs, etc.). Teaching Support System: Traditional, Modern, and ICT based. Evaluation Systems: Elements and Types of Evaluation, Evaluation in Choice Based Credit System in Higher Education, etc |
| Research Aptitude | Research: Meaning, Types, and Characteristics, Positivism and Postpositivism approach to research. Methods of Research: Experimental, Descriptive, Historical, Qualitative and Quantitative methods. Steps of Research. Thesis and Article writing: Format and styles of referencing. Application of ICT in research. Research ethics |
| Comprehension | A passage of text is assigned. Questions are asked from the passage to be answered. |
| Communication | Communication: Meaning, types and characteristics of communication. Effective communication: Verbal and Non-verbal, Inter-Cultural and group communications, Classroom communication. Barriers to effective communication. Mass-Media and Society |
| Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude | Types of reasoning. Number series, Letter series, Codes and Relationships. Mathematical Aptitude (Fraction, Time & Distance, Ratio, Proportion and Percentage, Profit and Loss, Interest and Discounting, Averages etc.). |
| Data Interpretation | Sources, acquisition and classification of Data. Quantitative and Qualitative Data. Graphical representation (Bar-chart, Histograms, Pie-chart, Table-chart and Line-chart) and mapping of Data. Data Interpretation. Data and Governance. |
| Information and Communication Technology (ICT) | ICT: General abbreviations and terminology. Basics of Internet, Intranet, E-mail, Audio and Video-conferencing. Digital initiatives in higher education. ICT and Governance. |
| Logical Reasoning | Understanding the structure of arguments: argument forms, structure of categorical propositions, Mood and Figure, Formal and Informal fallacies, Uses of language, Connotations and denotations of terms, Classical square of opposition. Evaluating and distinguishing deductive and inductive reasoning. Analogies. Venn diagram: Simple and multiple use for establishing validity of arguments. Indian Logic: Means of knowledge. Pramanas: Pratyaksha (Perception), Anumana (Inference), Upamana (Comparison), Shabda (Verbal testimony), Arthapatti (Implication) and Anupalabddhi (Non-apprehension). Structure and kinds of Anumana (inference), Vyapti (invariable relation), Hetvabhasas (fallacies of inference) |
| People, Development and Environment | Development and environment: Millennium development and Sustainable development goals. Human and environment interaction: Anthropogenic activities and their impacts on the environment. Environmental issues: Local, Regional and Global; Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Waste (solid, liquid, biomedical, hazardous, electronic), Climate change and its Socio-Economic and Political dimensions. Impacts of pollutants on human health. Natural and energy resources: Solar, Wind, Soil, Hydro, Geothermal, Biomass, Nuclear and Forests. Natural hazards and disasters: Mitigation strategies. Environmental Protection Act (1986), National Action Plan on Climate Change, International agreements/efforts -Montreal Protocol, Rio Summit, Convention on Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, International Solar Alliance |
| Higher Education System | Institutions of higher learning and education in ancient India. Evolution of higher learning and research in Post Independence India. Oriental, Conventional, and Non-conventional learning programs in India. Professional, Technical, and Skill Based education. Value education and environmental education. Policies, Governance, and Administration |
UGC NET Question Paper 2025
Candidates who are going to take the UGC NET exam 2025 should practice the previous year’s UGC NET question papers to get acquainted with the questions that are asked in the exam. The question papers are medium to get familiar with the exam pattern, question trend, marking scheme and more.
UGC NET 2025 Admit Card
NTA issues UGC NET 2025 Admit Card to the candidates subject to the fulfilment of the eligibility conditions. The admit card for the December session has been released on the NTA website. Candidates must visit the official website of NTA UGC NET, i.e., ugcnet.nta.nic.in and click on the link ‘Download Admit Card’.
Candidates need to bring the Admit Card along with a passport-size photograph affixed to it and one more passport size photograph to be affixed on the attendance sheet. Hence, the candidates are advised to keep the print copy of their admit cards in good condition and follow the instructions mentioned on the admit card before the day of the examination.
NTA UGC NET Dec Answer Key 2025
The UGC Answer Key 2025 will be released by the officials after the completion of the exam. The answer key allows one to know the correct answer key to each question and also enables one to raise objections against incorrectly marked answer, if any.
UGC NET Result 2025
The UGC NET result 2025 will be released by the officials online. The result will allow them to know their qualifying status. Candidates who will be successful in the UGC NET Dec exam.
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