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UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025, Age Limit and Qualification

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025 on its official website. Candidates applying for Assistant Professor positions, PhD admission, or the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) must carefully check their eligibility through the application form. Reviewing the UGC NET Eligibility 2025 in detail is essential to avoid disqualification at later stages. The NTA has clearly defined the eligibility requirements for JRF, PhD admission, and Assistant Professor posts, and this article provides comprehensive information to help aspirants understand the criteria for pursuing a career as a university or college professor.

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025

To appear for the UGC NET 2025 exam, candidates must fulfill the eligibility criteria, including educational qualifications, age limits, and reservation norms, as outlined in this post. The official notification provides detailed information on these requirements, and this article also summarizes the key UGC NET 2025 eligibility criteria to help aspirants confirm their qualification before applying.

UGC NET Eligibility 2025- Overview

Candidates should refer to the table below to review the key highlights of the UGC NET eligibility criteria. This table provides a clear and concise overview, allowing aspirants to quickly understand the requirements for appearing in the exam.

UGC NET Eligibility 2025
UGC NET Eligibility Criteria Age Limit
  • 30 years for Junior Research Fellowship
  • No age limit for Assistant Professorship
UGC NET Education Eligibility Criteria Master’s Degree or equivalent with minimum 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwD/Transgender candidates)
UGC NET Eligibility Number of Attempts No limit on attempts for JRF & AP
UGC NET Eligibility Nationality Indian
Subject UGC NET Eligibility The subject of your Post-Graduation

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria

Before applying for any post through the NTA UGC NET exam application, candidates must carefully review the detailed information and qualifications required for the position. The complete eligibility criteria for UGC NET 2025 are provided below to help aspirants ensure they meet all necessary requirements before applying.

1. Candidates who have appeared for their qualifying master’s degree (Final year) examination and whose result is still awaited can appear in the UGC NET 2025 Examination as per UGC NET Education Eligibility.

OR

Candidates who have secured at least 55% marks in Master’s Degree OR equivalent examination from universities/ institutions recognized by UGC in Humanities (including languages) and Social Science, Computer Science & Applications, Electronic Science, etc. are eligible for this Test as per UGC NET Eligibility Criteria.

2. For Ph.D. degree holders: The Ph.D. degree holders whose Master’s level examination has been completed by 19 September 1991 (irrespective of the 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 NET

3. For the Transgender category: The transgender category would be eligible to draw the same relaxation in fee, age, and UGC NET JRF Eligibility (i.e. JRF and Assistant Professor) as are available to SC/ST/PwD categories. The subject-wise cut-offs for this category should be the lowest among those for SC/ST/PwD/OBC–NCL categories in the corresponding subject.

4. For Reserved Category: The Other Backward Classes(OBC)/ Scheduled Caste(SC)/Scheduled Tribe(ST)/ persons with disability(PwD) category candidates who have secured at least 50% marks in Master’s degree or equivalent examination are eligible for this test.

UGC NET Age Limit

The candidates should check out the UGC NET Age Limit to ensure they are eligible for the UGC NET Exam 2025. UGC NET Eligibility Criteria Age Limit

  • No maximum age limit is prescribed for Lectureship or Asst. Professorship.
  • Revised Age Limit for For Junior Research Fellowship -Not more than 30 years

UGC NET Age Relaxation

In the UGC NET Examination, UGC NET Eligibility Criteria Age Limit & age relaxation have been given to various categories which are mentioned below:

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria Age Limit & Relaxation
S. No. Category Age Limit & Relaxation
1 Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe 5 years
2 Other Backward Classes (OBC -NCL)
3 Women
4 Persons with disabilities (PwD)
5 Transgender
6 Candidates having research experience A period spent on research – Maximum 5 years
7 Candidates possessing L.L.M. Degree 3 years
8 Candidates who have served in the armed forces 5 years

UGC NET Eligibility For Assistant Professor

  • NET/SET/SLET is the minimum eligibility requirement for recruitment and appointment as Assistant Professors in universities, colleges, and institutions. Exemptions from NET/SET/SLET are governed by UGC regulations and any amendments notified in the Gazette of India.
  • Candidates who passed the UGC/CSIR JRF examination before 1989 are exempt from appearing in NET.
  • For SET candidates: Those who cleared the State Eligibility Test (SET) for Assistant Professor before 1st June 2002 are exempt from NET and can apply for Assistant Professor positions anywhere in India.
  • Candidates who cleared SET from 1st June 2002 onwards are eligible to apply for Assistant Professor posts only in universities or colleges located in the state where they passed the SET.
  • PhD degree holders, as per UGC Regulations 2009, are exempt from meeting the minimum eligibility criteria for UGC NET.

UGC NET Eligibility For SC, ST, OBC and GEN

The reservation policy of the Government of India applies to UGC-NET as the NET Eligibility Criteria. According to this, in the Central Universities and Institutions that are deemed to be Universities, the reservation of seats shall be as follows as recommended by the UGC NET Eligibility:

  • 15% of the seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates
  • 7.5% of the seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates
  • 27% of the seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) candidates as per the Central List
  • 10% of the seats for General – Economically Weaker Sections (General – EWS) candidates
  • 04% of the seats in the mentioned categories for Persons with Disability (PwD) with 40% or more disabilities.
  • Reservation for Kashmiri Migrant (subject to notification from Ministry of Education for Academic Session 2021-22).
UGC NET Related Articles
UGC NET Notification 2025 UGC NET Application Form 2025
UGC NET Previous Year Question Paper

 

UGC NET Eligibility Criteria 2025, Age Limit and Qualification_3.1

 

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UGC NET Eligibility Criteria

Who can appear for the UGC NET 2025 exam?

Candidates must have a Master’s degree or equivalent with at least 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwD/Transgender candidates) in their qualifying exam. Final-year students awaiting results are also eligible to apply.

What is the age limit for UGC NET 2025?

For the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), the maximum age is 30 years. There is no age limit for candidates applying for Assistant Professor positions.

Is there age relaxation for reserved categories?

Yes. Age relaxations are as follows:
SC/ST – 5 years
OBC-NCL – 3 years
Women – 3 years
PwD – 10 years
Transgender – same relaxation as SC/ST/PwD
Research experience – up to 5 years
L.L.M. degree holders – 3 years
Armed forces service – 5 years

Are there any exemptions from UGC NET for Assistant Professor posts?

Yes. Exemptions apply to:
Candidates who cleared UGC/CSIR JRF before 1989
SET candidates who cleared before 1st June 2002 (eligible anywhere in India)
SET candidates who cleared after 1st June 2002 (eligible only in their respective state)
PhD degree holders as per UGC Regulations 2009

What are the educational qualifications required for UGC NET 2025?

A Master’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university with minimum 55% marks (50% for reserved categories) in any subject relevant to the NET exam.

Are there specific relaxations for transgender candidates?

Yes. Transgender candidates are eligible for the same relaxations in age, fee, and eligibility for JRF and Assistant Professor posts as SC/ST/PwD categories.

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