UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Age limit, Qualification, Marks, Reservation

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Age limit, Qualification, Marks, Reservation

Edited By Namritha Bachwal | Updated on May 13, 2025 11:45 AM IST | #UGC NET
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UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - National Testing Agency provides the UGC NET eligibility criteria 2025 for the June session on the official website. The UGC NET 2025 eligibility criteria is elaborated in the official NET notification at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The UGC NET eligibility criteria comprises of the age limit, academic qualifications and other such conditions that candidates need to fulfill to be considered eligible for UGC NET exam. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria can fill out the UGC NET 2025 application form.

This Story also Contains
  1. UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025
  2. UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Reservations
  3. UGC NET Eligibility Criteria - Application Form
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Age limit, Qualification, Marks, Reservation
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Age limit, Qualification, Marks, Reservation

The minimum academic qualification for the NTA UGC NET 2025 eligibility is a post-graduation degree, and those who are awaiting the result of their master's degree can also apply for UGC NET. The age limit for JRF is not more than 30 years. However, according to the UGC NET eligibility criteria 2025, there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professors/Lecturers. To know more about the UGC NET eligibility criteria, read the full article below.

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025

Candidates must go through the UGC NET 2025 eligibility criteria before applying. UGC NET is conducted twice every year to determine the qualifying status for candidates aspiring to be JRF and Assistant Professors. Below is the age limit for different posts under UGC NET 2025:

UGC NET Age Limit 2025

Post

Age limit

UGC ET JRF age limit

30 years

UGC NET age limit for Assistant Professor

No upper age limit

Note: The JRF age limit for general category is not more than 30 years.

Read More: UGC NET 2025 Exam Pattern

UGC NET Age Relaxation 2025

The UGC NET 2025 age relaxation details is given in the table below:

Age Relaxation For UGC NET 2025

Category

Age relaxation

Candidates pursuing LLM degree

3 years

Ex-Army man (The length of service in the armed forces up to the first day of the month in which the concerned UGC-NET is conducted, i.e., December 1, 2023).

5 years

SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Female/Transgender

5 years

Research candidates (only on producing the certificate issued by appropriate authority)

5 years

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Educational Qualifications

As per the UGC NET qualification, candidates have to fulfill certain educational qualifications to be eligible for UGC NET exam 2025. The UGC NET 2025 educational qualifications have been specified below:

  • General/ unreserved/ General-EWS candidates must have a score of at least 55% in their Master's degree/ equivalent examination (MA, M.Sc, M.Com, M.Tech, MBA, etc.). The OBC/ SC/ ST/ PwD/ other gender categories must have a score of at least 50% in their Master's degree / equivalent examination to write this test.

  • Candidates who are pursuing their Master's degree or candidates who have appeared for their qualifying masters degree or candidates whose qualifying examination has been delayed are also eligible for this exam. Such candidates must complete their Master’s degree within 2 years from the date of the NET results.

  • Candidates who are from the third gender category will have the lowest subject-wise cut off compared to the other lower categories.

  • Candidates are advised to appear in the subject of their Post- Graduation only.

  • The candidates who have passed the 4 year bachelor's degree program must have a percentage of 75%. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent may be allowed for backward castes ( SC/ST/OBC).

  • Candidates who are still pursuing their 4 year bachelor's degree may also apply for the exam. However, the candidates will be awarded the JRF/ admission to Ph.D only after fulfilling certain requirements.

  • Candidates who are doing their Bachelors degree can choose the subject of their choice in the NET exam in the discipline they want to pursue their Ph.D.

UGC NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria - Subject Relevance (Masters)

Candidates while applying for UGC NET 2025 must make sure that they select the test for the subject they have studied in their post-graduation. In case the subject of the candidate is not given in the list given by NTA, candidates can choose the relevant subject from the list as per their preference.

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UGC NET 2025 Eligibility for JRF

Candidates who are appearing for UGC NET JRF are eligible for both Assistant Professors and fellowships programs. A candidate who qualifies for JRF will also be deemed qualified for a Lectureship. However, if any candidate qualifies for Lectureship won’t be considered qualified for JRF. In such a case, candidates will be considered for Lectureship only.

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Exemption (Eligibility for Assistant Professor)

  • Candidates must have qualified `NET/SET/SLAT to be appointed as Assistant Professors. In this case, the exemption (from appearing in NET/SET/SLET) will be governed by UGC regulations and amendments notified in the Gazette of India from time to time.

  • Candidates who have qualified for the UGC/CSIR JRF exam before the year 1990 are exempted from appearing for the UGC NET 2025 exam.

  • Those candidates who have qualified for the State Eligibility Tests (SETs) before the year 2002 are also exempted from appearing for UGC NET 2025. However, such candidates will have to apply for Assistant Professors in the Universities/Colleges of the state of which they have qualified the SET.

Eligibility criteria of other TET exams

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Reservations

In UGC NET the reservation policy of the Government of India is applicable as per which in central universities and Institutions the reservation of seats shall be as follows:

  • 15% seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates.
  • 7.5% seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates.
  • 27% seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) candidates.
  • 10% for General - Economically Weaker Sections candidates.
  • 5% seats in the above-mentioned categories for Persons with Disability (PwD) with 40% or more disability.

For detailed information on the UGC NET eligibility criteria 2025 aspirants are advised to download the UGC NET information brochure.

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria - Application Form

The National Testing Agency will open the UGC NET application correction window on may 14, 15, 2025 on the official website at ugcnet.nta.nic.in. The last date to submit the UCG NET application form was May 12, 2025 (extended date). NTA released the UGC NET June 2025 application form in online mode on April 16, 2025. The UGC NET exam 2025 application form will be available in online mode only. Candidates need to upload scanned copies of their photograph and signature along with the payment of the application fee to successfully complete the UGC NET 2025 application process.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the age limit for the UGC NET exam 2025?

The maximum age limit for JRF is 30 years while there is no upper age limit for the post of assistant professor.

2. Am I guaranteed a job after clearing UGC NET 2025?

No, candidates are not guaranteed a job after clearing UGC NET 2025. The exam is just an eligibility requirement to apply for the post of JRF and Assistant Professor at universities and colleges in the country.

3. I am a graduate, can I apply for UGC NET?

Yes, graduates with a 4 year bachelors degree need to meet certain UGC NET eligibility criterias before applying for the examination.

4. Is there any age relaxation for reserved category candidates?

As per the eligibility criteria of UGC NET 2025, reserved category candidates are given age relaxation in the UGC NET exam.

5. What is the UGC NET age limit for female?

The UGC NET age limit 2025 for female candidates is 30 years for JRF and no upper age limit for Assistant Profesor. 

6. Where can I get the UGC NET eligibility criteria details?

Candidates can check the UGC NET 2025 eligibility criteria in the official brochure released on the site.

7. Is there any upper relaxation in UGC NET age limit for OBC?

Yes, candidates belonging to the OBC category can avail the UGC NET age relaxation of 5 years.

8. Who will determine the UGC NET eligibility criteria?

The UGC NET eligibility criteria are determined by the NTA.

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Questions related to UGC NET

Have a question related to UGC NET ?

Hello Aspirant,

To prepare for CSIR UGC Net Examination you need to follow some steps:

1.Know the exam pattern

Total Marks 200

It consists 3 section-

Part A(Aptitude common for all).

Part B and C(Subject specific questions)

2.Choose your subject for this examination

As this examination consider in different subjects,so you need to choose one among these subjects.

https://csirhrdg.res.in/Home/Index/1/Default/2666/78 check about subjects from official website.

3.Collect the right study material.

4.Make a study plan and follow it.

All the best for your CSIR UGC NET preparation.





Hello Aspirant,

You can easily get the UGC NET question paper of political Science and Hindi very easy from its official website and also from trusted website.

You can download the question paper from the below link-

https://www.ugcnetonline.in/previous_question_papers.php

All the best for your UGC NET Examination.

Hello,

You can download the syllabus in hindi language from the National Testing Agency Portal (NTA). NTA has all the syllabus and previous year papers, arranged chronologically. Please go through its official portal and you can download the syllabus in your device.

Hope this helps. All the best!

Hello,

To download the question paper for Hindi UGC NET, please visit the official website of UGC. All the previous year papers can be found in that website. The previous year question paper tab is right beside the syllabus tab. You can also refer to some good books online to get the question papers.

Hope this helps. All the best!

Hello there,

Here’s a simple strategy to prepare for UGC NET in Social Work:

  1. Know the syllabus : Cover both Paper 1 (teaching & research aptitude) and Paper 2 (Social Work topics like theories, methods, policies, etc.).

  2. Use standard books : Refer to authors like U. Ghai, Sanjay Bhattacharya, and IGNOU materials for Paper 2.

  3. Make short notes : Summarize each topic for quick revision.

  4. Practice MCQs : Solve previous years' papers and mock tests regularly.

  5. Revise often : Set a revision schedule weekly to retain concepts.

  6. Follow current affairs : Focus on social policies, government schemes, and recent developments in social work.

Stay consistent with 4–5 hours of study daily, and focus on understanding rather than memorizing.


I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries, feel free to share your questions with us, and we will be happy to assist you.

Thank you, and I wish you all the best in your bright future.

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