UGC NET December 2026 Notification Out: Dates, Fees and How to Apply

On 8 October 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) issued a public notice opening the online registration portal for UGC NET December 2026. The form went live the same day. The last date to apply is 28 October 2026, and the exams will run from 14 December to 19 December 2026.

That leaves less than three weeks to register on time and about nine weeks before the first paper. This blog goes through the notice line by line: the dates, the fees, the late fee window, who can apply, how to fill the form and what is still to be announced.

What the NTA public notice announces

The notice is titled "Opening of the online registration portal for submission of Online Application Form for UGC-NET December 2026 examination". It explains that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has entrusted NTA with the task of conducting UGC NET. The test checks the eligibility of Indian nationals for three different purposes:

•        Award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and appointment as Assistant Professor

•        Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.

•        Admission to Ph.D. only

NTA will conduct UGC NET December 2026 for 87 subjects in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode. A CBT simply means you answer on a computer screen at an exam centre instead of writing on paper. Applications are accepted in online mode only, through ugcnet.nta.nic.in.

So the first decision for every candidate is which of the three outcomes they are aiming for. That choice shapes how you plan your preparation, and it matters again when you read the age rules later in this blog.

Every date in one place

Notice the cut-off time. Every deadline closes at 11:50 PM, not at midnight. A candidate who starts payment at 11:55 PM on the last day has already missed it.

Application fee by category

The fee can be paid through credit card, debit card, net banking or UPI. The notice also mentions a late fee of Rs. 500 for the late submission window. How that late fee is charged is explained in the Information Bulletin on the NTA website, so read that part before you pay.

Why 28 October is the date to plan around

A late window does exist. It runs from 29 October to 31 October and carries a Rs. 500 late fee. But it gives you only three days, and any portal slowdown or payment failure in those days leaves you with no room.

One detail in the notice is easy to miss. It speaks of the last date of a successful transaction. An attempted payment that fails or hangs does not count. Pay early enough to see the confirmation and keep it.

The correction window from 2 November to 4 November comes after the application deadline. Treat it as a checking stage, not as a second chance to finish the form. Submit a complete and careful application first, then use these three days to review your particulars.

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Who can apply: eligibility and age limits

The public notice does not list eligibility rules. The points below come from the UGC NET June 2026 notification, which was the previous cycle. Check the December 2026 Information Bulletin to confirm that they remain the same.

A Master's degree or equivalent from a UGC-recognised university or institution is the base requirement. General and EWS candidates need 55% aggregate marks. OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and Third Gender candidates need 50%. Final-year Master's students whose results are awaited can also apply, and their eligibility is considered provisionally once results are declared.

Age works differently for the two posts. For JRF the maximum age is 30 years, with relaxation of up to 5 years for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, Third Gender and women candidates. For Assistant Professor there is no upper age limit. Supporting documents for any relaxation must be submitted with the application.

Filling the form: eight steps and three rules

The steps below follow the application process listed for the previous cycle. The portal screens may differ slightly, so follow the December bulletin where it says otherwise.

1.     Go to the official website, ugcnet.nta.nic.in.

2.     Click the UGC NET December 2026 application form link.

3.     Register with basic details such as name, email ID and mobile number.

4.     Log in with the generated credentials and fill in the full application form.

5.     Upload your photograph (10 to 200 KB, JPEG) and signature (10 to 50 KB, JPEG).

6.     Upload the required documents, such as the degree certificate and the category certificate if applicable.

7.     Pay the fee online by UPI, net banking or credit or debit card.

8.     Submit the form and save the confirmation page for future reference.

Now the three rules that come straight from the December notice. First, apply in online mode only, through the NTA website. An application in any other mode will not be accepted. Second, submit only one application. Third, follow the instructions in the Information Bulletin strictly, because the notice warns about non-compliance.

Keep your scanned documents and photo files ready before you open the form. Most delays come from file size errors, not from the form itself.

How the two papers are built

The exam pattern also comes from the June 2026 notification, so confirm it in the December bulletin. UGC NET has two papers that are held back to back with no interval between them. Both are objective MCQs, and the exam is available in English and Hindi.

Paper 1 is common for every candidate. It has 50 questions for 100 marks and runs for 1 hour. Paper 2 is based on the subject you choose. It has 100 questions for 200 marks and runs for 2 hours. Each correct answer earns +2 marks, and there is no negative marking.

Look at the marks split. Paper 1 carries 100 of the 300 marks, so one third of your total comes from a paper that tests the same ten units for everyone. Those units are teaching aptitude, research aptitude, reading comprehension, communication, mathematical reasoning and aptitude, logical reasoning, data interpretation, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), people, development and environment, and the higher education system covering governance, polity and administration.

A candidate who is strong in the subject but ignores these units gives away marks that are easy to protect. Because wrong answers cost nothing, leaving a question blank has no benefit. Practising full-length mock tests under the one-hour and two-hour limits is the most direct way to get comfortable with this.

What qualifying can lead to

The three purposes named in the notice lead to different paths. Qualifying makes you eligible for Assistant Professor posts in colleges and universities, for Ph.D. admission, or for a fellowship through JRF.

According to the earlier cycle page, a Junior Research Fellow receives Rs. 37,000 per month for the first two years, and a Senior Research Fellow receives Rs. 42,000 per month for the next three years. The same page lists the Assistant Professor basic pay at Rs. 57,700 under Pay Level 10, with an approximate monthly package between Rs. 90,000 and Rs. 1.1 lakh once allowances are added. These are figures from the previous cycle page, so treat them as a guide and not as a promise.

The page also links UGC NET to government fellowships, namely the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC), the National Fellowship for Other Backward Classes (NFOBC) and the Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students (MANF). Because the JRF has an age limit of 30 and the Assistant Professor route has none, your age decides how much weight the fellowship route deserves in your plan.

What is still to be announced

Three things are marked "to be intimated later" or "to be announced later": the exam city, the admit card and the display of recorded responses and answer keys. Check ugcnet.nta.nic.in and www.nta.ac.in regularly, because NTA will publish them there.

For help with the application, the notice gives the NTA telephone number 011-40759000 and the email ugcnet@nta.ac.in.

A simple way to hold the timeline in your head: finish the form and payment before 28 October, review your details from 2 to 4 November, watch the website for the exam city and admit card, and spend the rest of the time on mock tests before 14 December.

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Questions candidates are asking

Q1. When did registration for UGC NET December 2026 begin?

The online application opened on 8 October 2026, the date of the NTA public notice.

Q2. What is the last date to apply without a late fee?

28 October 2026, up to 11:50 PM. The fee must also be paid by the same time.

Q3. Can I still apply after 28 October?

Yes, but only from 29 October to 31 October 2026 (up to 11:50 PM), and with a late fee of Rs. 500.

Q4. When can I correct mistakes in my form?

The correction window runs from 2 November to 4 November 2026, up to 11:50 PM.

Q5. On which dates will the exam be held?

UGC NET December 2026 will be held from 14 December to 19 December 2026. Your own centre, date and shift will be shown on your admit card.

Q6. How much do I have to pay as the application fee?

The fee is Rs. 1150 for General/Unreserved, Rs. 600 for General-EWS/OBC-NCL and Rs. 325 for SC/ST/PwD/Third Gender candidates.

Q7. How many subjects are there, and in what mode is the test?

NTA will conduct the exam for 87 subjects in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.

Q8. Can I send more than one application?

No. The notice says only one application is to be submitted by a candidate.

Q9. Is offline application possible?

No. Candidates can apply in online mode only, through ugcnet.nta.nic.in. An application in any other mode will not be accepted.

Q10. When will the exam city and admit card be released?

The notice marks both as "to be intimated later". Watch ugcnet.nta.nic.in and www.nta.ac.in for the announcement.

Your next step

The window is open, the fee is clear and the exam date is fixed. What remains is for you to act, not to wait. Fill the form well before 28 October, and then turn your attention to the long stretch of preparation that follows.

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