UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2023: Check Age Limit, Qualification

UGC NET Eligibility 2023

UGC NET Eligibility 2023 is defined by the exam organising body which is the National Testing Agency (NTA). The candidates who plan to apply for the post of Assistant Professor or Junior Research Fellowship award in Indian Universities and Colleges have to qualify the UGC NET 2023 exam which is held twice in a year by NTA to determine the qualifying status of the candidates to be appointed as JRF and Assistant Professor. To be eligible to fill the UGC NET application form, one has to fulfill the following given UGC NET eligibility criteria: 

• UGC NET Age Limit
• UGC NET Educational Qualification
• UGC NET Nationality 
• UGC NET Subject Eligibility Criteria 

We have explained the above given UGC NET eligibility criteria in detail below. 

UGC NET Eligibility Educational Qualification

The candidates who shall be applying for the UGC NET exam should ensure that they fulfill the UGC NET educational qualification that is prescribed by the NTA. Given below is the UGC NET qualification: 

• Candidates should have secured at least 55% in their Master’s Degree. Those who are from OBC non-creamy layer / Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST) / Persons with disability (PWD) category should have secured at least 50% marks.
• The candidates who have appeared or will be appearing for the for the Masters degree and whose results are awaited
• The candidates who are awaiting their final year result will be allowed to take admission (if selected) only if they pass their Master’s exam with 55% (50% for SC/ST/PWD).
• PhD degree holders whose Master’s degree was completed on September 19, 1991 (regardless of the result declaration date) are eligible for a relaxation of five percent marks in the aggregate i.e., only 50 percent marks are required for such candidates.

⇒ Check here UGC NET Syllabus and UGC NET Exam Pattern

UGC NET Age Limit 2023

Candidates who will be applying for the UGC NET exam should ensure that they fulfil the UGC NET age limit for Assistant Professor and UGC NET JRF post. Check the UGC NET age limit below for each of the posts. 

UGC NET Assistant Professor Age Limit 

There is no age limit to apply for the post of UGC NET Assistant Professor or Lecturership. Candidates of any age limit can apply for the UGC NET Assistant Professor post provided they fulfill the other parameters required for the exam. 

NET JRF Age Limit 2023

The candidates who apply for UGC NET exam 2023 should not be more than 30 years as on 1st day of the month in which the examination is concluded i.e. 01.12.2023. Check here NET JRF age limit notice.

⇒ Download UGC NET Question Paper

UGC NET JRF Age Limit Relaxation 2023

There is an age limit relaxation for the UGC NET JRF exam 2023. Candidates who belong to SC, ST, OBC, PwD, women, and other category are eligible to avail age limit relaxation. Check the table below to learn about the UGC NET JRF age limit relaxation. 

UGC NET Eligibility 2023: Exemptions (For Assistant Professor)

The candidates who apply for Assistant Professor will be allowed for exemptions in the UGC NET eligibility criteria. Check below the UGC NET exam exemptions:

• Those who have received a Ph.D. degree in accordance with the GC regulations, 2009 are exempted from meeting the minimum UGC NET eligibility criteria. 
• Those who have qualified the UGC/CSIR JRF exam before 1989 are exempted from appearing in the UGC NET 2023 exam. 
• Candidates who have qualified any of the 
• Candidates who have cleared UGC/CSIR JRF examination before 1989 are exempted from appearing for UGC NET 2023 exam State Eligibility Test (SET) such as MH SET, APSET, KSET, etc. before June 1, 2002, are exempted from appearing for UGC NET 2023 exam. Such candidates are allowed to apply for the Assistant Professor post on the basis of the SET score. 
• The candidates who have qualified the  State Eligibility Test after June 1, 2002 can apply for Assistant Professor in colleges/universities that are located in the state from where they have qualified the SET exam. 

UGC NET Subject Eligibility Criteria 2023 

The UGC NET exam is composed of two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2. While Paper 1 is the General Paper on Teaching and Research Aptitude which is common to all the candidates, candidates need to select the specific subject for Paper 2. According to the UGC NET notification, the candidates have to appear in the subject that they studied in their Graduation only. Some exceptions attached to the UGC NET subject eligibility are as follows: 

• Candidates with a Master’s Degree in Geography (with specialization in Population Studies) or Mathematics/ Statistics are eligible to appear for 'Population Studies (Subject Code 015).
• Candidates with a Master’s Degree in Humanities (including languages) and Social Sciences can appear for 'Women Studies' (Subject Code 074).

UGC NET Eligibility 2023: Reservation Policy

According to the UGC NET eligibility reservation policy, the candidates gave a seat reservation policy as per the category of candidates. Check the following table to know the category-wise seat reservation. 

UGC NET Eligibility - Nationality

For the UGC NET Exam 2023, only those candidates who hold Indian citizenship are allowed to apply for the exam. In case an Indian citizen resides overseas but holds a valid proof of his/her Indian citizenship can apply for the exam. 

Also Check;

FAQs on UGC NET Eligibility 

What is UGC NET Eligibility Percentage? 

Candidates who are willing to appear for the UGC NET exam must have obtained Master's degree or equivalent from a recognized university with at least 55% marks. Those are from SC/ST/OBC/PWD are required to get at least 50%.

What is UGC NET age limit? 

The UGC NET Age limit for Junior Research Fellowship exam is 30 years, as decided by the National Testing Agency. The SC/ ST/ OBC has a relaxation of 5 years, whereas, for LLM & armed forces candidates, relaxation is 3 years. No upper age limit is applicable for the post ofr UGC NET Assistant Professor though. 

Can Final Year candidates apply for UGC NET exam 2023? 

Yes, final-year candidates who are pursuing a post-graduation course or Master's or those waiting for the final result of their post-graduation can apply for the UGC NET exam. However, such candidates must complete their PG degree examination within two years from the date of NET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified as per the UGC NET website.