The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially released the notification for the UGC-NET December 2025 examination. The registration process began on October 7, 2025, and will continue till November 7, 2025, through the official website ugcnet.nta.nic.in. Candidates will be allowed to make corrections in their submitted forms between November 10 and 12, 2025, as per the NTA schedule. The exam is scheduled to take place from December 31, 2025, to January 7, 2026, in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode across multiple cities in India.

According to the official NTA notice, the examination will be conducted for 85 subjects, assessing candidates for eligibility for Assistant Professorship and the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). The UGC-NET remains one of the most competitive national-level exams in the higher education sector, serving as a crucial qualification for teaching and research positions in universities and colleges across India.

The application fee has been fixed at ₹ 1,150 for the General category, ₹ 600 for General-EWS and OBC-NCL candidates, and ₹ 325 for SC, ST, PwD, and Third-Gender applicants. Candidates are advised to verify their Aadhaar, UDID, and category certificates before applying to avoid any discrepancies during verification or later stages of the admission process.

NTA has also issued an advisory urging aspirants to ensure all personal and academic details are accurate while submitting the application form. Admit cards will be released closer to the exam date, followed by the result declaration tentatively in the last week of January 2026.

The UGC-NET exam consists of two papers — Paper 1 (General Teaching and Research Aptitude) and Paper 2 (Subject-specific). Both papers are conducted in a single session of three hours without any break. Candidates are advised to visit the official website regularly for updates on the admit card release and city intimation slip.

This year’s notification marks a major milestone for aspirants seeking academic and research careers in India. With registration now open, candidates are encouraged to complete the process before the last date to avoid last-minute issues and begin their final phase of preparation in earnest.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the notification for the Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2025 examination, marking the beginning of the application process for aspiring researchers and lecturers. The registration window opened on 25 September 2025, and candidates can submit their applications online through the official website – csirnet.nta.nic.in.

According to the notification, the last date to apply is 24 October 2025 (till 11:50 PM), while the deadline to pay the examination fee is 25 October 2025. NTA has also provided an application correction window from 27 to 29 October 2025, allowing candidates to make necessary edits in their forms before the process closes.

The exam is scheduled for 18 December 2025 and will be conducted in computer-based test (CBT) mode. The paper will be held in two shifts – 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with each session lasting 180 minutes. Candidates will be able to download their city intimation slip and admit cards from the official portal in the weeks leading up to the exam.

The CSIR-UGC NET primarily assesses candidates in science and allied disciplines, including Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Earth/Atmospheric/Planetary Sciences. Successful candidates may qualify for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) or eligibility for appointment as Assistant Professor in Indian universities and colleges. While there is an upper age limit of 30 years for JRF aspirants, there is no age restriction for those applying only for Assistant Professor positions.

Meanwhile, the notification for the general UGC NET December 2025 cycle, which covers subjects in humanities, commerce, management, and social sciences, is still awaited. Aspirants are advised to keep a close watch on the official website ugcnet.nta.ac.in for the upcoming update.

With the December session now confirmed for the CSIR-UGC NET, experts suggest that candidates should begin or intensify their preparation, keeping in mind the prescribed syllabus and exam pattern, which remains largely unchanged from previous cycles. The December exam is seen as a crucial opportunity for thousands of postgraduates aiming to advance their careers in research and higher education.

The University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) is one of India’s most prestigious examinations for aspiring academicians and researchers. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), this exam determines eligibility for the post of Assistant Professor and the award of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and colleges. Over the years, UGC has also approved NET scores for PhD admissions, making the exam even more significant for students pursuing higher education.

The official notification for the UGC NET 2025 December session is expected to be released in September 2025. Once the schedule is announced, eligible candidates can register online through the official website, ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The application process will likely be open during October and November 2025, with an application correction window available within the same period. The examination itself is expected to be held in January 2026, conducted in two daily shifts — from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Before the exam, candidates will receive a city intimation slip, generally released 10 days before the test, which informs them of the city of their exam center. The admit card, containing the exact address and exam details, will be released about a week prior to the exam. The test will be conducted online in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode across 83 subjects. It will consist of two papers, both held in a single three-hour session. Paper 1, common to all candidates, will assess teaching and research aptitude, while Paper 2 will focus on subject-specific knowledge. In total, there will be 150 multiple-choice questions carrying 300 marks, with no negative marking for incorrect answers.

The eligibility criteria for UGC NET require candidates to hold a master’s degree with at least 55% marks (50% for SC, ST, OBC, PwD, and EWS candidates). For the Junior Research Fellowship, the maximum age limit is 31 years with applicable relaxations, while there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor eligibility. The application fee has been fixed at ₹1150 for General candidates, ₹650 for OBC/EWS, and ₹325 for SC/ST/PwD categories.

Results of the UGC NET are usually declared within two to three months of the exam. Qualified candidates are awarded an e-certificate, which remains valid for two years in the case of JRF and for a lifetime in the case of Assistant Professor eligibility. These certificates can be downloaded directly from the official UGC NET portal.