UGC NET December 2026 Application Form, Exam Date, Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The NTA has released the notification for the December cycle of the University Grant Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET), which is a twice-a-year competitive exam. Furthermore, the online registrations started from October 8, 2026 at https://ugcnet.ntaonline.in/. Candidates are able to fill UGC NET December 2026 Application Form and check detailed information such as eligibility criteria, application process, important dates, and exam pattern through the notification. Last date to fill the UGC NET Application Form is October 31, 2026 (up to 11:50 PM) Extended.

What is the UGC NET Exam?

Eventually, the full name for UGC-NET is the University Grants Commission - National Eligibility Test. Furthermore, the NTA administers the exam to screen qualified students for admission to Indian institutions and colleges as Assistant Professors, Junior Research Fellows, and PhDs. Candidates who pass the UGC NET exam can apply for the desired positions at their preferred colleges. However, their final selection will be based on the selection criteria established by the relevant university/institute.

UGC NET December Notification 2026

According to the UGC NET exam is conducted twice a year in June and December. Furthermore, the National Testing Agency (NTA ) released the UGC NET 2026 December application form for 85 Subjects on 08 October 2026, along with the notification on the official website at ugcnet.nta.ac.in you can download from the direct link given below. The last date to fill the UGC NET Application Form is October 31, 2026 (up to 11:50 PM) Extended. After completing the application form, students should start their exam preparation, which will be held from 14 to 19 December 2026.

UGC NET December Notification 2026

UGC NET June Notification 2026

UGC NET December 2026 Application Form Overview

Exam Component	Details
Name of Organization	UGC
UGC Full Form	University Grants Commission
Exam Name	UGC NET December
Exam Cycle	December 2026
Notification Release Date	08 October 2026
Online Application Form	08 October 2026
Last Date of Application Form	31 October 2026 (11:50 PM) (Extended)
Correction Date	02-04 November 2026 (11:50 PM)
Date of Examination	14 to 19 December 2026
Conducting Body	National Testing Agency (NTA)
Application Mode	Online at the Official Website
Eligibility	Master’s degree with required marks
Age Limit for JRF	Maximum 30 years (Relaxation for reserved categories)
Age Limit for Assistant Professor	No upper age limit
Reservation Policy	SC: 15%, ST: 7.5%, OBC-NCL: 27%, EWS: 10%, PwD: 4%
Application Fee (Tentative)	General: ₹1,150, OBC-NCL: ₹600, SC/ST/PwD: ₹325
Exam Mode	Online (Computer-Based Test)
Exam Frequency	Twice a Year
Exam Purpose	Eligibility Test for  Assistant Professor Junior Research Fellow (JRF) PhD Admissions
Official website	View

UGC NET December 2026 Application Form Important Dates

The exam for the UGC National Eligibility Test NET Assistant Professor / JRF December 2026 Examination online application has start on 08 October 2026. Check all important dates from the table below.

Events	NTA UGC NET JRF December 2026 Examination	UGC NET June 2026	NTA UGC NET JRF December 2025 Examination
Apply Online Start Date	08 October 2026	29 April 2026	07 October 2025
Last Date for Apply Online	31 October 2026 (11:50 PM) Extended	20 May 2026	07 November 2025
Pay Exam Fees Last Date	31 October 2026 (11:50 PM) Extended	20 May 2026	07 November 2025
Correction Date	02-04 November 2026 (11:50 PM)	22 May 2026 to 24 May 2026	10 to 12 November 2025
Exam Date	14 to 19 December 2026	22 June 2026 to 30 June 2026	31 December 2025 to 07 January 2026
Admit Card Available	few Days Before the Exam	By 15 June 2026	28 December 2025
NTA UGC NET JRF Answer Key 2026	After the exam Notify	To be announced	14 January 2026

UGC NET 2026 Application Fee

The Application fee for the December 2026 session depends on the category of the candidate. It can be paid online by using different payment methods such as credit card, debit card, net banking, or UPI.

Category	Application Fee (INR)
General/Unreserved	₹1150
OBC-NCL / EWS	₹600
SC / ST / PwD / Third Gender	₹325

How to Fill the UGC NET December 2026 Application Form? 

 Follow the steps given below to complete the UGC NET Registration 2026, or students can directly apply through the link given below.

• Firstly, go to the official website: ugcnet.nta.ac.in
• Click on “UGC NET December 2026 Registration”
• Register with a valid email ID and mobile number.
• Provide personal, educational, and communication details.
• Upload a passport-size photo and signature in the prescribed format.
• Pay fee through Credit Card/Debit Card/UPI/Net Banking.
• Eventually, download the confirmation page for reference

UGC NET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Furthermore, the candidates need to check their UGC NET eligibility criteria to appear for the exam. The UGC NET eligibility criteria are divided into three parts:

• (i) Nationality;
• (ii) Educational Eligibility;
• (iii) Age limit.

UGC NET 2026 Educational Eligibility

• Candidates who have passed or are appearing for a Master’s degree in the relevant subject with at least 55% marks are eligible.
• Those with a 4-year Bachelor’s degree are also eligible.

NTA UGC NET Notification 2026: Age Limits As On NTA Rules.

• For JRF: Maximum Age: 31 Years
• For NET: No Age Limit
• Additional Age Relaxation as per UGC NET December 2026 Examination Guidelines

UGC NET 2026 Exam: Subject Available

S No.	Subject Name			S No.	Subject Name
1	Adult Education/Continuing Education/Andragogy/Nonformal Education.			44	Maithili
2	Anthropology			45	Malayalam
3	Arab Culture and Islamic Studies			46	Management (including Business Admin Mgt./Marketing/Marketing Mgt./Industrial Relations and Personnel Mgt./Personnel Mgt./Financial Mgt./Cooperative Management)
4	Arabic			47	Manipuri
5	Archaeology			48	Marathi
6	Assamese			49	Mass Communication and Journalism
7	Bengali			50	Museology & Conservation
8	Bodo			51	Music
9	Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian and Peace Studies			52	Nepali
10	Chinese			53	Oriya
11	Commerce			54	Pali
12	Comparative Literature			55	Performing Art - Dance/Drama/Theatre
13	Comparative Study of Religions			56	Persian
14	Computer Science and Applications			57	Philosophy
15	Criminology			58	Physical Education
16	Defence and Strategic Studies			59	Political Science
17	Dogri			60	Politics including International Relations/International Studies including Defence /Strategic Studies, West Asian Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, African Studies, South Asian Studies, Soviet Studies, American Studies.
18	Economics / Rural Economics /Co-operation  / Demography / Development Planning /Development Studies / Econometrics/ Applied Economics / Development Economics /Business Economics			61	Population Studies
19	Education			62	Prakrit
20	Electronic Science			63	Psychology
21	English			64	Public Administration
22	Environmental Sciences			65	Punjabi
23	Folk Literature			66	Rajasthani
24	Forensic Science			67	Russian
25	French (French Version)			68	Sanskrit
26	Geography			69	Sanskrit traditional subjects (including Jyotisha/Sidhanta Jyotish/ Navya Vyakarna/ Vyakarna/ Mimansa/ Navya Nyaya/ Sankhya Yoga/ Tulanatmaka Darsan/ Shukla Yajurveda/ Madhav Vedant/ Dharmasasta/ Sahitya/ Puranotihasa /Agama).
27	German			70	Santali
28	Gujarati			71	Sindhi
29	Hindi			72	Social Medicine & Community Health
30	Hindu Studies			73	Social Work
31	History			74	Sociology
32	Home Science			75	Spanish
33	Human Rights and Duties			76	Tamil
34	Indian Culture			77	Telugu
35	Indian Knowledge System			78	Tourism Administration and Management.
36	Japanese			79	Tribal and Regional Language/Literature
37	Kannada			80	Urdu
38	Kashmiri			81	Visual Art (including Drawing & Painting/Sculpture Graphics/Applied Art/ History of Art)
39	Konkani			82	Women Studies
40	Labour Welfare / Personnel Management / Industrial Relations/ Labour and Social Welfare / Human Resource Management			83	Yoga
41	Law			84	Disaster Management
42	Library and Information Science			85	Ayurveda Biology
43	Linguistics			86	NA

UGC NET 2026 Exam Pattern

The UGC NET exam consists of two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2. Additionally, the UGC NET exam duration will be three hours, and both papers contain objective-type multiple-choice questions (MCQs). A total of 150 questions for 300 marks, combining paper 1 and paper 2. Furthermore, the UGC NET exam does not have a negative marking scheme.

UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026

Paper	Number of Questions	Marks	Type	Duration
Paper I	50	100	General Aptitude	3 hours (No break)
Paper II	100	200	Subject-Specific
Total	150	300	MCQs (No negative marking)

UGC NET 2026 Syllabus

According to the UGC NET test, there is a prescribed syllabus that is separated into two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 is a generic paper that applies to all applicants preparing for the UGC NET exam. It also includes questions about mathematical, research, teaching abilities, and other topics. Paper 2 is subject-specific, with questions from the subject chosen by the candidates when filling out the UGC NET application form.

UGC NET 2026 Syllabus (Paper 1)

Paper 1 comprises 50 questions from 10 units, and the total marks are 100, or Paper 1 holds a weightage of 100 marks.

Teaching Aptitude

• Teaching: Concept, Objectives, Levels of teaching, Characteristics, and requirements.
• Learner’s characteristics: Adolescent and adult learners, Individual differences.
• Factors affecting teaching: Teacher, Learner, Support material, Instructional facilities, Learning environment, Institution.
• Methods of teaching in higher learning institutions: Teacher-centered vs. Learner-centered, offline vs. online methods.
• Teaching Support System: Traditional, Modern, and ICT-based.
• Evaluation Systems: Elements, Types, Evaluation in Choice-Based Credit System, Computer-Based Testing, Innovations

Research Aptitude

• Research: Meaning, Types, Characteristics, Positivism, Post-positivist approach.
• Methods of Research: Experimental, Descriptive, Historical, Qualitative, Quantitative.
• Steps of Research.
• Thesis and Article writing: Format, referencing.
• Application of ICT in research.
• Research ethics

Comprehension

• Questions based on a given passage

Communication

• Communication: Meaning, types, characteristics.
• Effective communication: Verbal, Non-verbal, Intercultural, group communications, Classroom Communication.
• Barriers to Effective Communication.
• Mass-Media and Society.

Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude

• Types of Reasoning.
• Number series, Letter series, Codes, Relationships.
• Mathematical Aptitude: Fractions, Time and Distance, Ratios, Proportions, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Interest, Discounting, Averages.

Logical Reasoning

• Structure of Arguments.
• Deductive and Inductive Reasoning.
• Venn Diagram.
• Indian Logic

Data Interpretation

• Sources, Acquisition, and Classification of Data.
• Quantitative and Qualitative Data.
• Graphical Representation
• Data and Governance

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• ICT: General Abbreviations.
• Basics of Internet, Intranet, E-mail, Audio and Video-conferencing.
• Digital Initiatives in Higher Education.
• ICT and Governance

People, Development, and Environment

• Development and Environment: Millennium Development, Sustainable Development Goals.
• Human and Environment Interaction: Anthropogenic activities, impacts on the environment.
• Environmental Issues: Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Waste, Climate change, Socio-Economic and Political dimensions.
• Impacts of pollutants on human health.
• Natural and Energy Resources: Solar, Wind, Soil, Hydro, Geothermal, Biomass, Nuclear, Forests.
• Natural Hazards and Disasters: Mitigation Strategies.
• Environmental Protection Act, National Action Plan on Climate Change, International agreements/efforts

Higher Education System

• Institutions of Higher Learning and Education in Ancient India.
• Evolution of Higher Learning and Research in Post-Independence India.
• Traditional and Alternative Learning Programs
• Professional, Technical, and Skill-Based Education
• Value Education and Environmental Education
• Policies, Governance, and Administration

UGC NET 2026 Syllabus (Paper 2)

Candidates will see the UGC NET Syllabus for Paper 2. Moreover, A candidate might select the subject for paper 2 of his or her postgraduate degree or a similar subject. Soon, the link below will provide you with the UGC NET Paper 2 curriculum for all 85 subjects.

NTA UGC NET 2026 Admit Card

Eventually, the NTA UGC NET 2026 admit card will be released by the authority on the official website at ugcnet.nta.ac.in few days before the exam. Furthermore, the NTA will release the UGC NET 2026 Admit Card for the December session on the official website be very soon. It will be accessible only through the candidates' login. The UGC NET admit card comprises the details, including exam venue, shift timing, etc. Candidates will be able to download the UGC NET admit card by following the steps as mentioned below:

• Visit the official website 
• Click on the ‘Download Admit Card for UGC-NET Dec 2026' link
• Log in using the 'Application Number', 'Date of Birth', and 'Security Pin.'
• Download the UGC NET Admit Card 2026
• Take the printout for future use

UGC NET Recommended Book

Book Name	Book Type	Book Link
NTA UGC General Paper 1 Teaching & Research Aptitude Book In English	Question Bank	View Book

UGC NET December 2026 FAQs