National Eligibility Test (NET) is conducted on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC) by the National Testing Agency (NTA) every year. It is conducted for Indian citizens to determine their eligibility for the post of Assistant Professor and Junior Research fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and colleges. UGC NET is currently being carried out in 84 subjects at 91 centers across the country. It is held twice a year: June and December.

The popularity of the exam can be estimated from the simple fact that almost 10 lakh students apply for UGC NET every year and less than 6% are successful in the exam. For the exam in June 2020, the application process will start from March 16th and the latest date to fill the application will be April 16, 2020. The exam will be held between June 15—20. Candidates are willing to apply for UGC NET in December 2020 must lookout for the release of the notification in August 2020.

UGC NET Application Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification: For applying to UGC NET, a candidate must have a Master’s degree or equivalent from a recognized Indian university. Candidates who are pursuing their final semester of Master’s degree or are waiting for their final results at the time of application may also apply. Their selection will be however provisional, subject to their passing the final exam with a minimum of 55% marks for general candidates and 50% for OBC-NCL/SC/ST/PwD/Transgender category candidates.

Age criteria: The age limit for UGC NET application is 30 years for general category. Relaxation of 5 years is given to OBC-NCL/SC/ST/PwD/Transgender category candidates.

UGC NET Application Process

UGC NET application is an online process and the applicant needs to open the page from the official UGC NET exam site. The applicant needs to proceed after reading the instructions carefully. There will be a registration page on the website where the applicant will have to register to give some basic details about himself. On successful registration, an application number will be generated which the applicant will have to use to fill his application form. The applicant will also be required to upload their scanned photograph and signature in JPEG format.

The applicant then needs to pay his examination fees through one of the many payment options available on the website. On successful payment of the fees, the web page displays a confirmation message confirming the successful application process. Applicants are advised to keep a printout and screenshot of the same for future reference.

UGC NET Application Fees

Fees for the application process can be paid electronically only, using the various payment options available on the UGC NET application website. The fee is different for different categories. For December 2019 exam, the fee was as follows:-

1. For General Candidates – INR 1000 only
2. For EWL and OBC-NCL candidates – INR 500 only
3. For SC/ST/PwD/Transgender candidates – INR 250 only

UGC NET Application Form

1. Candidates are advised to check their eligibility criteria before the application process itself. Indian students who have received their Master’s degree from a foreign university must ascertain whether or not their degree is recognized by an Indian University.
2. Candidates other than general must check, verify and ascertain their category from the annexure attached with the application form. They are advised in their own interest to keep their category certificate ready.
3. Candidates are advised to fill in the form by visiting the official website only.
4. Candidates are also advised to keep their scanned signature and images in a prescribed format ready before filling up the application process.
5. An applicant can fill only one application form.
6. UGC NET only accepts online forms of application.
7. The candidate must remember to take printouts of the payment and application confirmation page.

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