Dreaming of a career in research or academia? The UGC NET Exam is your gateway to become Junior Research Fellow (JRF) or Assistant Professor in India’s top universities. But before you start preparing, you must ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria released by NTA.
The Eligibility Criteria for UGC NET JRF 2025 will be released by NTA in the official Information Bulletin for the June 2025 Session.
If you are a UGC NET 2025 aspirant, then you must know the complete UGC NET Eligibility Criteria for Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship before applying for the exam. As per the required UGC NET Qualification:
The Candidates must have completed a Master's degree with at least 55% marks to be eligible for the exam.
Candidates must be up to 30 years of age for the JRF. However, there is no age restriction to apply for the post of Assistant Professor and PhD admissions..
Here, you will find all the following information related to UGC NET 2025 Eligibility requirements such as education Qualification, Age Limit, and nationality.
UGC NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria
What Subject should I select for UGC NET?
Can B-Tech Graduates Apply for the UGC NET?
Is it possible to apply for UGC NET after doing a Master's in Commerce?
UGC NET Subjects for Various Diploma Courses
Eligibility for MBA Candidates
Exemptions for UGC NET Eligibility
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 - Are You Eligible to Appear?
To appear for the UGC NET Exam 2025, you must fulfil specific eligibility requirements set by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The UGC NET eligibility are divided into various parameters includes age limit, educational qualification, and Nationality etc.
The eligibility for JRF & Assistant professor is different and you have to specify this while filling out the application form. Below are the details of the UGC NET Eligibility Criteria.
UGC NET Educational Qualification
Educational Qualification is one of the crucial elements of the eligibility criteria. Educational qualification for assistant professors and JRF is the same but Admission to PhD different.
In order to appear for the UGC NET Exam, below we have mentioned Education qualification based on academic background:
Candidates must have at least 55 per cent aggregate marks (without rounding off) in master’s degree or equivalent degree from universities recognized by UGC - for General/EWS category candidates.
candidates belonging from SC/ ST/ OBC (non-creamy layer)/ PWD/ Transgender category need only 50 per cent aggregate marks in their master’s degree or equivalent degree from universities recognized by UGC.
Candidates who have completed a 4-year/8-semester undergraduate degree program with at least 75% marks or its equivalent grade on a point scale can also be eligible for UGC NET 2025.
You can still apply for the UGC NET Exam if the final exam results for your master's degree are awaited. However, you will be only considered for the award of JRF and Lectureship when you pass the master’s degree with the required percentage within 2 years of UGC NET Result declaration. Otherwise, you will be exempted from it.
PhD degree holders who have completed their master’s examination on or before 19th September 1991 (irrespective of the date of declaration of result) will be eligible for a relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks for appearing in the NTA NET.
Important Point-
Candidates who have qualified for the State Eligibility Test (SET) before June 1, 2002, are also eligible to apply for Assistant Professor positions.
If you have completed your post-graduate degree/diploma/certificate from a foreign university/institute. In that case, you should ascertain the equivalence of the diploma/degree/certificate with a degree from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) in New Delhi.
Candidates are neither required to send any certificate/document supporting their eligibility nor printout of their UGC NET Application Form to the NTA. However, candidates must mention their category in the form and bring relevant certificates at the time of admission/appointment.
You can apply for the NET Exam only for the subject in which you have completed your master’s degree/equivalent. But in case, the subject is not on the list, you may apply for the related subject. We have mentioned the list of subjects and courses that you can apply for in our UGC NET subjects blog.
Candidates belonging to the third gender category are eligible to draw the same relaxation in fee, age and Eligibility Criteria for NET.
UGC NET Age Limit Criteria and Relaxation
The applicants who are less than or equal to 30 years as of Jun 1, 2025, can apply for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). The candidates who fall under the category of SC/ST/OBC get relaxation according to UGC norms.
UGC NET JRF Age Limit Criteria are different from lectureship. Below is the UGC NET Exam age limit:
For Junior Research Fellowship (JRF):
For Junior Research Fellowship, you must not be above 30 years of age as on the 1st day of the month when the examination is concluded.
For Assistant Professor:
For candidates applying for the post of Assistant Professor through the UGC NET Exam, there is no upper age limit. Therefore, Candidates of any age can apply for this post.
Age Relaxation for JRF
Candidates applying for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) are eligible for age relaxation under specific categories. NTA provides age relaxation for certain categories of candidates applying for JRF, you can check from the below table:
| Category |
Age Relaxation (in Year) |
| OBC, ST, SC, PWD, Transgender |
5 years |
| Research Experience (only if an approved university or institute produces the certificate) |
5 years |
| L.L.M. Degree |
3 years |
| Females Applicants |
5 years |
| Armed Forces services |
5 years |
UGC NET Nationality
Candidates must be an Indian citizen to appear for this exam. Foreign nationals can apply subject to eligibility as per University Grant Commission (UGC) guidelines.
If you fulfill all these Eligibility Criteria for assistant professor/JRF, then you must download the following free study kit by experts. These sample notes and papers will help you take your preparation in the right direction.
| Download Free UGC NET Material for All Subjects [Trusted & Recommended by 4600+ Selected Students] |
Also, you can use the free UGC NET Rank Predictor to check the expected all-India percentile score. Along with it, you will get other benefits such as paper analysis, question paper PDF, career catalog, etc.
If you are preparing for UGC NET June 2025, you must know all information related to it.
UGC NET Subject Eligibility - What Subject should I select?
The subject of post-graduation must be related to the UGC NET subject chosen for the exam. In this section, you will find the queries regarding the subjects for UGC NET Eligibility Criteria.
Every year, many aspirants get confused about the subject eligibility for UGC NET 2025 which sometimes affects the application process. Check out these NTA NET subjects’ eligibility queries to know whether you can apply for the exam.
Can B-Tech Graduates Apply for the UGC NET?
An engineering candidate must have completed or should be pursuing an M-Tech degree to appear for the UGC NET.
You can download the list of engineering courses and their eligible UGC NET Subjects by clicking the below link.
UGC NET Qualification - Eligible Subjects for B.Tech Graduates
Can an Art Student Apply for UGC NET?
It would help if you had a master’s degree in arts to give the NET exam.
Here are all the art courses in which you can appear for the NTA UGC NET Exam. Kindly click the link below-
Eligibility UGC NET - Suitable Subjects for Arts
Download UGC NET 2025 Mock Test Papers Free PDF
Can an M.Sc. student appear for UGC NET Exam?
To check the details of UGC NET science subjects and courses, you must click the below-mentioned link.
UGC NET Qualification - Eligible Subjects for MSc
Is it possible to apply for UGC NET after doing a Master's in Commerce?
Below is the list of all the courses in commerce. Candidates can apply for different subjects of UGC NET according to these courses. Please click the link below.
Eligibility for UGC NET - Suitable Subjects for Commerce
UGC NET Subjects for Various Diploma Courses
If you want to apply for the UGC NET Exam after qualifying for the diploma courses, below is the list of UGC NET subjects for which you can appear in the exam. Please click the link below.
Eligible UGC NET Subjects for Diploma
How to Become a Professor after doing an MBA?
Candidates with MBA degrees have wonderful opportunities to fulfill their dreams of becoming lecturers in India’s prestigious universities by qualifying for the National Eligibility Test conducted by NTA.
Check the list of all the latest management courses from which you can choose the suitable UGC NET Subjects. Refer to the link below.
UGC NET Qualification - Eligible Subjects for MBA
Once you check the UGC NET eligibility 2025 then you must check the other important steps of the process. Such as:
UGC NET Online Coaching & Course
UGC NET Eligibility Exemption for Assistant Professor & PhD
The University Grant commission provides certain exemptions from UGC NET eligibility criteria for candidates who meet specific qualifications or have cleared alternative exams. The UGC has specified some exemptions for candidates appearing for the Assistant Professors. Below are the key exemptions:
Candidates who have successfully cleared the UGC/ CSIR JRF examination before 1989 are exempted from appearing in UGC NET.
Candidates who have qualified the State Eligibility Test (SET) after 1st June 2002, can apply for the post of Assistant Professor only in colleges/ universities that are located in the state where they appeared for the SET exam.
Candidates who have qualified the State Eligibility Test (SET) before 1st June 2002, they are eligible to apply for the Assistant Professor positions nationwide.
Candidates who completed M.Phil. or Ph.D. before 1991 are exempted from UGC NET for Assistant Professor recruitment.
The PhD degrees awardee in accordance with UGC Regulations, 2009 are exempted
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 Frequently Asked Questions
Here in this section, you can check the most common questions related to the UGC NET Eligibility Criteria. You can also check the NTA UGC NET FAQs if you have any queries regarding the UGC NET exam.
Question - What is the minimum qualification required for UGC NET 2025?
Answer - The minimum percentage required in Master’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university with at least 55% marks.
Question - How many times can I attempt the UGC NET exam?
Answer - There is no restriction on the number of attempts for the UGC NET exam. Candidates can appear multiple times as long as they meet the eligibility criteria.
Question - Can I apply for UGC NET with a distance education degree?
Answer - Yes, candidates with a Master’s degree obtained through distance education can apply for UGC NET.
Question - Is B.Tech students eligible for UGC NET?
Answer - Yes, B.Tech students can appear for the UGC NET exam if they pursue or have pursued M.Tech with minimum qualification marks.
Question - Can a graduate apply for the UGC NET exam?
Answer - A graduate student cannot apply for the UGC NET exam.
Question - Can I give the UGC NET exam without PhD?
Answer - Yes, you can appear for the UGC NET exam without a Ph.D. A Ph.D. is not mandatory to take the UGC NET exam.
Question - What is the UGC NET age limit/relaxation criteria for candidates appearing in the exam?
Answer - There is no age limit for the post of Assistant Professor in NTA NET. But, the UGC NET JRF Age limit is 30 years.
Question - What is the age limit for net for female general category?
Answer - For female candidates in the General category, the UGC NET age limit depends on whether they are applying for JRF or Assistant Professor. You can check in this article.
Question - Is there any exemption available for the UGC NET Eligibility for the assistant professor?
Answer– Yes, there are exemptions available for the eligibility of Assistant Professorship. Officials will notify you in regard to the exemption of these exams that will be governed by UGC Regulations.
Question - What is UGC NET Reservation policy of the Government of India?
Answer - The reservation policy applicable to the UGC NET is as per the Government of India rule. According to this, in the Central Universities and Institutions that are deemed to be Universities, the reservation of seats shall be as follows as:
| Category |
Reservation of seats |
| Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates |
15% |
| Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates |
7.5% |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) |
27% |
| General – Economically Weaker Sections (General – EWS) candidates |
10% |
| Persons with Disabilities (PwD) with 40% or more disability |
05% |
Question - Am I eligible for UGC NET Exam after PGDM/PGDMB Degree?
Answer– Yes, you can apply for the UGC NET exam after PGDM/PGDMB.
Question - Is a Ph.D. mandatory to become an Assistant Professor?
Answer - No, a Ph.D. is not mandatory to become an Assistant Professor in India. If you qualify for the UGC NET exam, you are eligible to apply for Assistant Professor positions in universities and colleges.
Question - Can I apply for UGC NET while in the final year of my Master’s degree?
Answer - Yes, final-year Master’s students can apply for UGC NET.
Question - Can the 12th pass apply for UGC NET?
Answer - No, Class 12 pass candidates are not eligible to apply for the UGC NET exam.
Question - Is Master's degree necessary for UGC NET?
Answer - Yes, Masters is necessary for appearing for the NET exam.
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