CSIR NET Eligibility Criteria 2025, Check Age Limit and Qualification

CSIR NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 is here! The official notification details the age limit, category-wise relaxation, and required educational qualifications for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), PHD and Lectureship. Don’t miss out—check the complete eligibility details and prepare accordingly!

Table of Contents

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the CSIR NET 2025 Notification for the December cycle. Therefore, being aware of the eligibility to appear in the test is crucial for candidates before applying for the CSIR Exam. With the official notification now available, aspirants can review the detailed eligibility requirements for the CSIR NET 2025 Examination in the article below.

CSIR NET Eligibility Criteria

The CSIR NET is an eligibility exam for Indian nationals seeking careers in research and academia. Qualifying for the exam opens doors for Junior Research Fellowships, allowing research under expert guidance, and makes you eligible for Assistant Professor positions and PhD programs in science fields at Indian universities and R&D institutions. Remember, universities may have additional requirements for PhD admissions and Assistant Professor roles.

CSIR NET Exam Qualification

Candidates may check the essential qualification as per their respective course from the article given below. The NTA has set a minimum educational qualification for candidates interested in the CSIR NET Notification 2025. Prospective candidates for the Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2025 cycle must meet the following eligibility criteria before applying. Candidates must fulfill one of the following criteria:

A. Based on Master’s Degree:

General / Unreserved / General-EWS candidates must have secured a minimum of 55% marks in a Master’s degree or equivalent.
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer), SC, ST, PwD, and Third-Gender candidates must have secured a minimum of 50% marks.

B. Candidates Appearing or Awaiting Results:

Students currently pursuing or awaiting the results of their final year Master’s degree can apply provisionally.
They must pass their Master’s degree with the required percentage (55% for General/EWS, 50% for reserved categories) within two years from the NET result date to be eligible for JRF or Assistant Professor.
Candidates qualifying for ‘Admission to Ph.D. Only must complete their Master’s degree with the required percentage within one year.

C. Based on 4-Year Bachelor’s Degree:

Candidates with a 4-year/8-semester Bachelor’s degree must have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate (or equivalent grade).
A relaxation of 5% is allowed for SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwD/EWS candidates.
Those in the final year/semester of such a program can also apply provisionally, subject to the same completion rules as Master’s degree candidates.
Important Note: Candidates qualifying based on a 4-year Bachelor’s degree are eligible for JRF and Ph.D. admission but not for the Assistant Professor role.

D. Other Categories:

Ph.D. Degree Holders who completed their Master’s level examination by September 19, 1991, are eligible for a 5% mark relaxation.
Third-Gender candidates are eligible for the same relaxations in fee, age, and qualifying marks as SC/ST/PwD categories.
Candidates with foreign qualifications or Post-Graduate diplomas must obtain an equivalence certificate from the UGC or the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), respectively.

CSIR NET Age Limit & Nationality

Candidates must follow all the CSIR NET Eligibility 2025 requirements to appear in the upcoming CSIR NET exam. Candidates need to follow the prescribed Age Limit set by NTA. The detailed CSIR NET Age Limit Criteria for the JRF & Lectureship have been mentioned below for different positions. Before applying for the CSIR NET December 2025 cycle, candidates must ensure they meet the following criteria concerning nationality and age.

Nationality

An applicant must be one of the following:

An Indian citizen, or
A subject of Nepal, or
A subject of Bhutan, or
A Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, to permanently settle, or
A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, or Vietnam with the intention of permanent settlement in India.

Age Limit & Relaxation

The age limit is primarily for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and is calculated as of December 01, 2025.

Category	Upper Age Limit for JRF	Relaxation
General / Unreserved	28 years	–
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)	28 years	Up to 3 years
SC / ST / PwD / Third Gender	28 years	Up to 5 years
Women Applicants	28 years	Up to 3 years
Candidates with Research Experience	28 years	Up to 5 years (Period spent on research post-Master’s)
Ex-Servicemen	28 years	Up to 5 years (Length of service in armed forces)

CSIR NET Subject-Wise Qualification 2025

Here we are discussing the Subject-Wise Qualification for the NET Exam 2025. Candidates need to score either of the below-mentioned qualifications with at least 55 % marks (for General and OBC Category) or 50% marks (SC/ST/Persons with Disability (PwD) candidates).

Subject	Educational Qualification
Life Science	Academic Qualification in Life Science only
Chemical Science	Candidate must hold a degree in M.Sc./BS/B-Tech or any other equivalent qualification in Chemistry.
Earth Science	Candidate must have completed their M.Sc./BS-MS/BS-4 Years/B-Pharma or any other equivalent degree in Earth Science
Mathematics	Candidate must hold an M.Sc./BS-MS/BS/B-Tech degree or any other equivalent qualification in Mathematics
Physical Science	Candidate must have completed M.Sc. Physics or BS-MS in Physics or any other equivalent qualification.

CSIR NET Reservation Criteria 2025

NTA has also shared the CSIR NET Reservation criteria for the reserved category only. CSIR has mentioned the stipulated norms regarding the marks relaxation for different categories. In the table below, there is a relaxation of marks for qualifying applicants from the reserved categories as per CSIR NET guidelines

Category	CSIR NET Relaxation in marks
CSIR NET Other Backward Classes (OBC)	5 %
CSIR NET Scheduled Caste (SC)	5 %
CSIR NET Scheduled Tribe (ST)	5 %

CSIR NET Eligibility: FAQs

What is the maximum age limit for CSIR NET exam?

Candidates should be maximum of 30 years as of the last application date, to be eligible to apply for CSIR NET JRF. However, there is no upper age limit for those applying for a Lectureship.

Is there any limit on the number of attempts for CSIR NET exam?

No, there are no limits on the number of attempts. Candidates can write the exam as many times as they want only if they are in the eligible age group.