More than seven lakh candidates attend the NET exam every year, the biggest hurdle in their journey is the lack of the right knowledge about the exam. Be it the detailed syllabus of the NET exam or NET exam preparation tips, candidates find it difficult to figure out everything by themselves. If you are a NET aspirant with the same questions, this article is for you. Here is all you need to know before starting the NET exam preparation. UGC conducts the NET Exam in two cycles in a year, one is the June Cycle, the second one is the December Cycle.  

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Who is eligible for the NET Exam?

• Candidates are required to hold a postgraduate degree and achieve a minimum aggregate percentage of 55%.

(The reserved candidates are allowed a relaxation of 5%.)

• For Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), the age should not exceed 31 years.

(Age relaxation of 5 years is provided for reserved category candidates.)

• There will be no upper age limit for applicants seeking the vacant position of Assistant Professor.

Reserved Categories​

• Scheduled Caste (SC)

• Scheduled Tribe (ST)

• Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL)

• Economically Weaker Section (EWS)

• Persons with Disability (PwD / Divyang) 

Three types of eligibility after qualifying in NET:

• Category 1: Qualified for PhD program through JRF, appointment as Assistant Professor.

• Category 2: Eligible for PhD program admission but without JRF, recruitment as an Assistant Professor is possible.

• Category 3: Only applicable to PhD, not to JRF and/or Assistant Professor. The universities can select students based on their performance in NET, thereby doing away with entry tests.

For example, 

Category 1:

      Anita qualifies UGC NET (Sanskrit) with JRF.

• She receives a monthly fellowship as a Junior Research Fellow.

• She gets direct PhD admission in a university with JRF.

• She is also eligible to apply for Assistant Professor posts.

Category 2:

      Ramesh qualifies UGC NET but does not get JRF.

• He is eligible for PhD admission, but without fellowship.

• He is eligible for Assistant Professor posts.

• Universities may admit him based on NET score + interview.

Category 3:​

      Meera qualifies NET under Category 3.

• She is eligible only for PhD admission.

• She cannot apply for JRF.

• She is not eligible for Assistant Professor posts.

• She can still join PhD using her NET score.

​The scores for the NET can be utilized for a PhD entrance directly

From the academic session 2024-25, the University Grants Commission (UGC)has given its approval to the use of UGC NET examination marks in place of the PhD entrance exam in universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This significant move has been adopted in the 578th meeting of the UGC in the month of March 2024.

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Marks Required to Qualify UGC NET

To qualify the UGC NET examination, a candidate must:

1. Appear in both papers

   • Paper I (General Aptitude) – 100 marks

   • Paper II (Subject – e.g., Sanskrit) – 200 marks

   2. Secure minimum aggregate marks in both papers together:

The minimum qualifying requirement is 40% for General category candidates, with a 5% relaxation for reserved categories. However, the actual qualifying marks change in every cycle depending on factors such as the number of candidates who appear, overall performance, and subject-wise competition.

For example, suppose in a particular cycle the cut-offs are:

• 198 for JRF

• 174 for NET (Assistant Professor only)

• 150 for PhD only

Now, if:

• Anita scores 200 out of 300,

• Ramesh scores 178, and

• Meera scores 160,

then:

• Anita qualifies for JRF and is eligible to receive a fellowship when she joins a PhD programme.

• Ramesh qualifies for NET (Assistant Professor) but is not eligible for JRF.

• Meera qualifies only for PhD admission and is not eligible for JRF or Assistant Professor posts.

This example shows how the same exam results in different eligibility levels based on the cut-off of that particular cycle.

UGC JRF stipend

• Junior Research Fellow (JRF): ₹37,000 per month (first 2 years).

• Senior Research Fellow (SRF): ₹42,000 per month (next 3 years). 

Contingency Grant (Annual)

• Humanities & Social Sciences: ₹10,000 (JRF) / ₹20,500 (SRF).

• Science Scholars: ₹12,000 (JRF) / ₹25,000 (SRF). 

HRA: HRA is paid according to the city category where the research scholar is pursuing PhD.

City Category - HRA Rate

X Category Cities (Metro) - 24% of fellowship

Y Category Cities - 16% of fellowship

Z Category Cities - 8% of fellowship

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Tenure of UGC-NET Fellowship
The overall tenure of the UGC NET Fellowship is 5 years.

It is divided into two stages:

Junior Research Fellowship (JRF):

Duration: First 2 years

Stipend: ₹37,000

Senior Research Fellowship (SRF):

Duration: Next 3 years (after successful assessment)

Stipend: ₹42,000

After two years of service with JRF, the researcher's performance is judged at his/her institute.

If this is satisfactory, then this scholar has his/her status upgraded to SRF.

If not, the fellowship may be continued as JRF for a temporary period or may be stopped, as per norms.

Hence, the maximum tenure = 5 years (2 years of JRF + 3 years of SRF)

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Previous Year Questions Papers for Paper 1 is available as a test series - 

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