UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2023

UGC NET eligibility criteria for Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship are standardised by the University Grant Commission. The eligibility criteria for UGC NET exam are given in the official notification and on the official website. The basic eligibility for the applicants is to have a Master’s degree in the relevant subject from a recognised university. The upper age limit for JRF is 30 years. The applicant must have at least 55% marks in their Master’s Degree.

Read in detail about the University Grant Commission on the linked page.

The UGC NET age limit and qualifications are different for both exams. This article aims to provide detailed information on UGC NET eligibility criteria for aspirants’ assistance.

Aspirants of other government exams can check the links to know about different examinations.

UGC NET Eligibility – Overview

Aspirants can check the following links for assistance – 

Eligibility Criteria – UGC National Eligibility Test 

UGC-NET is a test to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for ‘ Assistant Professor’ and ‘Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professor ’ in Indian universities and colleges.

It is mandatory for candidates to fulfill the UGC NET eligibility criteria to appear for the Junior Research Fellowship- JRF and Assistant Professorship exams.

The eligibility criteria for UGC NET exam is classified into the following aspects – 

1. UGC NET Nationality
2. UGC NET Age Limit, relaxation and exemptions
3. UGC NET Qualification

Before starting to fill the application form, candidates must check the UGC NET eligibility criteria including the educational qualification, age limit, relaxation and exemption. 

However, candidates must note the following points regarding the proof of eligibility:

1. Candidates are not required to send any certificates or documents to NTA in support of their eligibility. 
2. The National Testing Agency does not verify the details provided by the candidates in the application form and hence their candidature is purely provisional subject to the fulfillment of eligibility criteria.
3. However, if NTA or UGC detects any ineligibility at any stage, the candidature will be canceled and legal action may be taken against the candidates.

It is important to note, by qualifying for the UGC NET exam, a candidate becomes eligible to teach in colleges, universities, or educational institutions, as a professor or an academician.

Moreover, if they are able to qualify with exceptionally good scores, they also qualify for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF).

A JRF candidate becomes eligible to receive handsome monthly stipends to conduct research and complete their Ph.D. while also teaching at the same time.

UGC NET Nationality

Nationality plays a crucial role in UGC NET eligibility criteria. Only individuals who are Indian citizens are eligible to apply for the UGC NET exam. Candidates holding citizenship of any other country are not eligible to apply. However, if an Indian citizen resides abroad, they can still participate in the exam. It is important for such candidates to possess the necessary documentation to verify their Indian nationality.

UGC NET Age Limit 

The UGC NET age limit for general and other categories for both the JRF and Assistant Professor positions are given below in detail.

UGC NET Age Limit For JRF:

According to the UGC NET 2023 June notification, the age limit for candidates aiming for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is 30 years as of 1st June 2023. This age limit is applicable only for the current cycle of the examination.

However, there are certain relaxations in the age limit for candidates belonging to certain categories. The specific relaxations are as follows:

1. OBC-NCL (Non-Creamy Layer) category candidates: Up to 3 years of relaxation in the upper age limit.
2. SC/ST/PwD/Transgender category candidates: Up to 5 years of relaxation in the upper age limit.

However, there are certain other age relaxations given to reserved candidates which is given in detail in the table below – 

UGC NET Age Limit For Assistant Professor : For candidates applying for the post of Assistant Professor through the UGC NET examination, there is no upper age limit specified. Candidates who successfully clear the UGC NET examination for Assistant Professor positions are eligible to apply for the job at any point in their life.

UGC NET Eligibility – Educational Qualification

The conditions of UGC NET Qualification for Assistant Professor or Junior Research Fellowship programs are as follows – 

1. Candidates are advised to appear in the subject of their post-graduation only. The candidates whose post-graduation subject is not covered in the list of subjects given by UGC, may appear in a related subject.
2. Candidates who have secured at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in Masters Degree OR equivalent examination from universities or institutions recognised by UGC in Humanities (including languages) and Social Science, Computer Science & Applications, Electronic Science etc. are eligible for this Test. 
3. The Other Backward Classes (OBC) belonging to non-creamy layer / Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST) / Persons with disability (PWD) category candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (without rounding off) in Masters degree or equivalent examination are eligible for this Test.
4. Candidates who have appeared OR will be appearing at the qualifying Masters degree (final year) examination and whose result is still awaited OR candidates whose qualifying examinations have been delayed may also apply for this Test. 
   • However, such candidates will be admitted provisionally and shall be considered eligible for award of JRF/Assistant Professor eligibility only after they have passed their Masters degree examination or equivalent with at least 55% marks (50% marks in case of OBC (Non-creamy layer)/ SC/ ST/ PWD (Persons with disability) category candidates). 
   • Such candidates must complete their P.G. degree examination within two years from the date of NET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified.
5. The Ph.D. degree holders whose Masters level examination had been completed by 19th September, 1991 (irrespective of date of declaration of result) shall be eligible for a relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks (i.e., from 55% to 50%) for appearing in UGC NET.

Candidates applying for the NET exam should carefully review the reservation criteria based on UGC NET qualification. The government of India has implemented a Reservation Policy that the commission follows. This policy ensures a specific percentage of seats is reserved for each category in all colleges and universities. The reservation percentages for different categories are as follows:

UGC Eligibility Criteria For NET Exam – Certificates Required

1. Candidates belonging to OBC (Non-creamy layer) /SC/ ST/ PWD category are required to submit an attested copy of the category Certificate along with online printout of their Application Forms (obtained while applying on-line). 
2. Other candidates are not required to submit any certificates/documents in support of their eligibility along with printout of their Application Form. Therefore, the candidates, in their own interest, must satisfy themselves about their eligibility for the Test. In the event of any ineligibility being detected by the Commission at any stage, their candidature will be canceled and they shall be liable for legal action.
3. Candidates having post-graduate diploma/ certificate awarded by Indian University/ Institute or foreign degree/ diploma/ certificate awarded by the foreign University/ Institute should in their own interest, ascertain the equivalence of their diploma/ degree/ certificate with Masters degree of recognized Indian universities from Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi.

UGC NET Eligibility: Exemptions

The University Grant commission of India has specified some exemptions for candidates appearing for the National Eligibility Test for Assistant Professorship-

1. NET/ SLET/ SET shall remain the minimum eligibility condition for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professors in Universities/ Colleges/ Institutions. 
2. Provided that candidates, who are or have been awarded a Doctorate Degree in accordance with the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2009, shall be exempted from the requirement of the minimum eligibility condition of NET/ SLET/ SET for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professor or equivalent positions in Universities/ Colleges/ Institutions.
3. The candidates who have passed the UGC/ CSIR JRF examination prior to 1989 are also exempted from appearing in NET.
4. The candidates who have cleared the State Eligibility Test (SET) accredited by UGC for eligibility for Assistant Professor held prior to 1st June 2002, are exempted from appearing in NET, being eligible to apply for Assistant Professor anywhere in India. 
   • For SET held from 1st June 2002 onwards, the qualified candidates are eligible to apply for the post of Assistant Professor only in the universities/ colleges situated in the state from where they have cleared their SET.

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