| University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test | |
| Acronym: | UGC–NET |
| Type: | Computer based test (CBT) |
| Test Admin: | National Testing Agency |
| Qualification: | Master's degree or equivalent |
| Year Started: | [1] |
| Duration: | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Score Range: | 0–100 (Paper I) 0–200 (Paper II) |
| Score Validity: | Three years (JRF) Lifetime (Assistant professor) One Year (PhD admission) |
| Offered: | Twice annually (June & December) |
| Attempt Restriction: | No restriction |
| Regions: | India |
| Language: | Mainly English and Hindi |
| Test Takers: | 5,44,485 (Dec 2021, June 2022 merged cycles) |
| Website: | |
The University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test (UGC–NET) is a standardised test in India, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of the University Grants Commission, to determine the eligibility of candidates for the awarding of; Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as assistant professor, and admission to PhD in Indian universities and colleges. The exam can be taken in any one of the 85 subjects.[2] UGC–NET is one of the National Eligibility Tests (NET).[3]
Until July 2018, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the exam, which was taken over by the NTA since December 2018. Currently, the exam is being conducted twice a year in the months of June and December in CBT-mode.[4] From December 2018 onward, NTA started releasing the UGC-NET e-certificate and JRF award letter online on its official website for the qualified candidates.
A student has to obtain the minimum qualifying marks in UGC–NET, with aggregate 55% and 50% in their postgraduate's or master's degree, for General and Others respectively. The paper is divided into two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 is a general exam containing 50 questions of two marks each, for a total of 100 marks. Paper 2 is a subject-specific exam containing 100 questions of two marks each, for a total of 200 marks. The candidates have to score a total of (both in papers 1 and 2) 150 questions in three hours. There is no separate cutoff for any of the papers and, the cutoff is decided on the aggregate marks. Amongst those candidates who have obtained minimum qualifying marks, a merit list is prepared subject-wise and category-wise using the aggregate marks of two papers secured by such candidates. [5]
A state-level equivalent exam of NET exam is conducted by the Indian states/UTs in their jurisdiction called State Eligibility Test/State Level Eligibility Test, determining eligibility for lectureship/assistant professorship at universities and colleges in that particular state/UT only.
The new guidelines of UGC, suggested the use of UGC NET scores for PhD admissions. For this purpose; a new qualification category "PhD only" was added from UGC NET June 2024 onwards. Some have welcomed this change.[6]
The NTA announced that the 2024 UGC NET exam would be conducted in OMR mode. The exam was conducted on the 18th of June 2024, in 2 shifts across the country. But, due to the reports of alleged paper leaks; the exam was cancelled on 19th June 2024, and a fresh examination was announced afterwards. [7] NTA held the re-exam in CBT mode from August 21 to September 5, and published the results on 17th October 2024.