The UGC NET December 2026 application closes on 28 October 2026 at 11:50 pm, and the exam runs from 14 to 19 December. If you are applying, that gives you six days to finish the form and about seven weeks to prepare. Both are enough if you plan them properly, and this guide covers both: what to check before you submit, and a realistic week-by-week plan to the exam.
Dates and fees below are from coverage of the National Testing Agency's (NTA) December 2026 notification, checked on 19 October 2026. NTA has also posted a corrigendum to the information bulletin, so read the latest version on the official site before you submit.
UGC NET December 2026 dates at a glance
Application window: 8 to 28 October 2026 (form and fee by 11:50 pm on the 28th)
Late application with extra fee: 29 to 31 October 2026
Correction window: 2 to 4 November 2026
Exam: 14 to 19 December 2026, computer-based, with 20 and 21 December listed as buffer dates if needed
City slip and admit card: to be announced
These are from Careers360 and PW, which summarise the NTA notice. The official notices are listed on the NTA website.
Fees and who is eligible
The application fee, as reported:
General/Unreserved: ₹1,150
General-EWS and OBC-NCL: ₹600
SC, ST, third gender and PwD: ₹325
Applying in the late window (29 to 31 October) costs an extra ₹500. Bank charges and GST are on top.
Eligibility is mainly about your master's marks:
General, Unreserved and General-EWS: at least 55% in a master's degree from a UGC-recognised university.
OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and third gender: at least 50%.
Final-year master's students and those awaiting results can apply, but must later meet the marks requirement.
Four-year bachelor's degree holders can be considered for JRF and PhD admission, but not for Assistant Professor eligibility, according to PW's summary. Check the bulletin for the exact conditions.
On age: there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor or PhD admission. For the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), the upper limit is 30 years as on 1 December 2026, with relaxations for certain categories that the bulletin lists.
A five-point check before you submit
Most problems with NTA forms come from small mismatches, not big mistakes. Before you pay, check these:
Your subject code. The exam covers 87 subjects. Pick the one that matches your master's, and double-check the code against the bulletin's list.
Name and date of birth exactly as on your certificates. A mismatch with your documents is a common reason for trouble later.
What you are applying for. NET results cover JRF, Assistant Professor eligibility and PhD admission, and the age and degree rules differ for each. Read the bulletin's section on this before you choose, especially if you are close to the JRF age limit.
Category certificates. If you claim EWS, OBC-NCL or another category, make sure your certificate is valid as per the bulletin's rules.
Photo and signature. Upload clear, recent scans in the format and size the portal asks for.
Save the confirmation page as a PDF and keep the fee receipt. If something is wrong, the 2 to 4 November correction window is your chance, but not everything can be edited, so get it right the first time.
The exam pattern
The exam is three hours, with two papers in a single sitting:
Paper 1: 50 questions, 100 marks. General teaching and research aptitude, the same for every subject.
Paper 2: 100 questions, 200 marks, in your chosen subject.
That is 150 questions for 300 marks, with no negative marking, according to Careers360's summary. No negative marking means you should attempt every question, but it does not make guessing a strategy. Your score still comes from what you know.
A seven-week preparation plan to 14 December
This plan assumes you have studied your subject at master's level and can give two to three hours on weekdays and more on weekends. Adjust the weeks, but keep the order.
Week 1 (22 to 28 October): apply, then map the syllabus
Finish the form in the first two days. Then download the official syllabus for Paper 1 and your Paper 2 subject, and mark every unit as strong, medium or weak. Solve one recent previous-year paper untimed, just to see where you stand.
Weeks 2 and 3 (29 October to 11 November): weak units first
Spend about two-thirds of your time on Paper 2 weak units and one-third on Paper 1. In Paper 1, data interpretation and reasoning reward practice more than reading, so do a small set of questions daily.
Weeks 4 and 5 (12 to 25 November): cover the rest, start timed practice
Move to medium units. From week 4, do one timed section a day: 50 Paper 1 questions in one hour, or a Paper 2 block. Keep a mistakes notebook. Every wrong answer gets one line: what you got wrong and why.
Week 6 (26 November to 2 December): full mocks
Take three full three-hour mocks, ideally at the same time of day as your exam slot. Spend as long reviewing each mock as you spent writing it.
Week 7 (3 to 13 December): revise, do not start new topics
Revise from your mistakes notebook and short notes. Download your city slip and admit card as soon as NTA releases them, and check the centre location in advance. Sleep normally the last few nights; a tired brain loses marks on easy questions.
A realistic word on outcomes
NET is competitive, and qualifying in December does not guarantee a job or a fellowship by itself. JRF and Assistant Professor eligibility are separate outcomes, and PhD admission rules vary by university. That said, seven focused weeks is a serious amount of time if you protect it. Apply this week, sort out your subject map, and let the plan do the rest.
Always confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official NTA notice before acting; coaching and news summaries can lag behind corrigenda.
