UGC NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria - Check Age Limit, Marks Required, No of Attempts, Important Factor

UGC NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria

The UGC NET 2025 eligibility criteria for Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) are prescribed by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Candidates must possess a Master’s degree or equivalent with at least 55% marks (50% for OBC-NCL/SC/ST/PwD/Transgender candidates) from a recognised university to appear for the UGC NET.
As per current guidelines, candidates with only a four-year undergraduate degree are not eligible to appear for UGC NET for JRF or Assistant Professor; such qualifications are applicable for direct PhD admission, not NET eligibility. Earlier and presently, a master’s degree remains mandatory for appearing in the UGC NET exam.

The UGC NET December 2025 Exam was conducted from December 31, 2025 to January 7, 2026. The eligibility criteria differ for JRF and Assistant Professor, particularly in terms of age limit, while educational qualification requirements remain the same. Candidates can find complete and updated details regarding the UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 here.

Basic Eligibility Criteria for UGC NET 2025

Aspirants must note that their UGC NET application is considered valid only if they fulfil the prescribed age and educational qualification criteria. The UGC NET eligibility criteria for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor differ mainly in age limits, while educational qualifications remain the same. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has clearly defined all eligibility conditions, including relaxations for reserved categories.

Educational Qualification (Common for JRF & Assistant Professor)

• Candidates must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent from a UGC-recognised university with at least 55% marks.
• Candidates belonging to OBC (NCL)/SC/ST/PwD/Transgender categories are eligible with 50% marks.
• Final-year Master’s degree candidates may apply provisionally but must complete their qualification within two years from the date of the UGC NET result.
• PhD degree holders who completed their Master’s degree on or before 19 September 1991 are eligible for a 5% relaxation in aggregate marks.

Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)

• The upper age limit is 30 years as on the cut-off date specified by NTA.
• Age relaxation up to 5 years is applicable for SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwD/Women candidates.
• Additional age relaxation is provided for candidates with research experience, as per UGC norms.

Assistant Professor

• There is no upper age limit for applying for the Assistant Professor post through UGC NET.
• Candidates who have qualified UGC NET, SET, or CSIR-NET are eligible, subject to applicable rules.

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria for Master’s Degree Qualified Candidates

Candidates must take a look at the educational qualification requirements according to the UGC NET eligibility criteria.

• Candidates must have secured at least 55% marks in their Masters's degree without rounding off the score 

• Or, the candidates must have qualified for any equivalent examination from a university or institution which is recognized by the UGC. 

• Candidates belonging to reserved categories such as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class, and Persons with disabilities or transgender candidates must score 50% to be eligible to appear for this examination.

Eligibility Criteria for Candidates Pursuing a Master’s Degree

• Candidates who are pursuing a Master’s Degree or Equivalent Course and have appeared for their qualifying examination and are awaited for the result.

• Candidates who have appeared for the Master’s Degree examination and the results have been delayed are also eligible to apply for this test. 

• Such applicants will be admitted provisionally and shall be considered eligible for Assistant Professor only after they have passed the Master’s degree or equivalent examination with at least 55% 

• Candidates belonging to reserved categories such as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class, and Persons with disabilities or transgender candidates must score 50% to be eligible to appear for this examination. 

• Candidates must complete the master’s degree within two years of the release of UGC NET results with the required percentage of marks. 

Eligibility Criteria for Transgender Category

• Candidates belonging to this category would get an equal relaxation in fee, age, and qualifying criteria for the NET examination as the other reserved categories such as Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, and Persons with Disabilities. 

• The subject-wise cut-off for this category is lowest among the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class, and Persons with Disabilities.

Eligibility Criteria for Ph.D. Degree Holders

• The candidate who holds a Ph.D. degree and has completed the Masters by 1991, September would be eligible for this examination. 

• The Ph.D. degree holder candidates will get a 5% relaxation for NET qualified candidates.

UGC NET 2025 General Eligibility for All Applicants

There are some general requirements that all applicants must fulfil as per the UGC NET eligibility criteria prescribed by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Check the general eligibility conditions for UGC NET 2025 below:

• Candidates should appear in the subject of their post-graduation or a closely related subject, as allowed by NTA, if their exact PG subject is not listed.
• Candidates are not required to submit any eligibility documents at the time of online application. However, they must ensure that they meet all eligibility conditions, as ineligibility detected at any stage will lead to cancellation of candidature.
• The online registration is provisional, and NTA does not verify eligibility documents during the application process. Verification is done at later stages.
• Candidates holding a post-graduate diploma/certificate from an Indian university or a foreign degree/diploma/certificate must ensure its equivalence to a Master’s degree of a recognised Indian university, certified by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

Age Limit (Applicable for JRF Only)

• The upper age limit for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is 30 years as prescribed by NTA.
• A relaxation of up to 5 years is applicable for SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwD candidates, women, transgender candidates, candidates with research experience, and those who have served in the armed forces.
• A 3-year age relaxation is applicable for LLM degree holders.
• There is no upper age limit for candidates applying for the Assistant Professor post through UGC NET.

UGC NET Eligibility 2025 and Exemptions for Assistant Professor

• SET/SLET and NET would be the minimum eligibility condition for recruitment and appointment of Asst. Professor in Universities, Institutes and Colleges. 

• The applicants who have passed the UGC/CSIR/ JRF examination prior to 1989 are also exempted from appearing in NET.

• The exemption from the NET/SET/SLET will be governed by UGC regulations and amendments notified in the Gazette of India from time to time. 

• Candidates who clear the State Eligibility Test from any UGC recognized University are exempted from NET to be eligible for Asst. Professor from anywhere in India.

UGC NET Eligibility 2025: Reservation Policy

Reservation category candidates must be aware of the reservation policy followed by the UGC NET exam to understand what kind of relaxations and concessions they are entitled to according to the UGC NET eligibility requirements. The commission carries out the Government of India's stated Reservation Policy. In all colleges and universities, every seat is reserved in accordance with the percentage set for each category. The seat reservation for UGC NET is mentioned in the table below:

UGC NET Eligibility 2025: Nationality Status Requirements

One of the most vital parts of the UGC NET eligibility criteria that candidates are required to fulfill before applying for the exam is the nationality status requirement. Candidates must be Indian citizens in order to apply for the UGC NET examination. If an aspirant holds citizenship of any other country apart from India, they are ineligible for the UGC NET examination. That being said, Indian Nationals who reside overseas are eligible for the UGC NET exam. Such candidates must produce proper documentation and paperwork to verify their nationality and other UGC NET eligibility criteria to apply for the exam.