1. Qualifying Examination

(i) General/Unreserved/General-EWS candidates who have secured at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in Master’s Degree or equivalent examination from universities/institutions recognized by UGC (available on the website: www.ugc.ac.in/oldpdf/consolidated%20list%20of%20All%20universities.pdf in Humanities and Social Science(including languages), Computer Science and Applications, Electronic Science etc. are eligible for this Test. List of subjects at Post Graduation level is attached as Annexure-IV. The Other Backward Classes (OBC) belonging to Non-Creamy Layer/Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Persons with Disability (PwD)/Transgender category candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (without rounding off) in Master’s degree or equivalent examination are eligible for this Test.

(ii) Candidates who are pursuing their Master’s degree or equivalent course or candidates who have appeared for their qualifying Master’s 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/eligibility for Assistant Professor only after they have passed their Master’s Degree or equivalent examination with at least 55% marks (50% marks in case of OBC-NCL /SC/ST/PwD/Transgender category candidates). Such candidates must complete their Master degree or equivalent examination within two years from the date of NET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified.

(iii) The transgender category would be eligible to draw the same relaxation in fee, age and qualifying criteria for NET (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. (iv) The Ph.D. degree holders whose Master’s level examination have been completed by 19 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 NET. The list of Post-Graduation courses and their codes is given at Annexure-V.

(v) 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 NET subjects attached as Annexure-IV, may appear in a related subject.

(vi) Candidates are neither required to send any certificates/documents in support of their eligibility nor printout of their Application Form or Confirmation Page to NTA. However, the candidates, in their own interest, must ensure themselves about their eligibility for the test. In the event of any ineligibility being detected by the UGC/NTA at any stage, their candidature will be cancelled and they shall be liable for legal action. NTA does not verify the information provided by the candidates during online registration and hence candidature will be purely provisional subject to the fulfillment of eligibility criteria.

(vii) Candidates with 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 Master’s degree of recognized Indian universities from Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi (www.aiu.ac.in). The candidates with Master’s degree in Law awarded by foreign universities should in their own interest, ascertain the equivalence of their Master’s degree with corresponding Master’s degree of recognized Indian universities from the Bar Council of India (BCI).

2. Age Limit and Relaxation

(i) JRF: Not more than 30 years as on 01.06.2020.

A relaxation of up to 5 years is provided to the candidates belonging to OBC Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) (as per the Central list of OBC available on the website: www.ncbc.nic.in) /SC/ST/PwD/Transgender categories and to women applicants. Relaxation will also be provided to the candidates with research experience, limited to the period spent on research in the relevant/related subject of post-graduation degree, subject to a maximum of 5 years, on the production of a certificate from the appropriate authority. Three years of relaxation in age will be permissible to the candidates with an L.L.M. degree. A relaxation of up to 5 years is provided to the candidates who have served in the armed forces subject to the length of service in the armed forces up to the first day of the month in which the concerned UGC-NET is to be held. Total age relaxation on the above ground(s) shall not exceed five years under any circumstances.

(ii) Assistant Professor:

There is no upper age limit in applying for UGC-NET for Assistant Professor.

3. Reservation Policy

Reservation Policy of the Government of India is applicable to UGC-NET. According to this, in the Central Universities and Institutions which are deemed to be Universities, 10% of the seats are reserved for the category General Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS), 15% of the seats are reserved for the category Scheduled Caste(SC), 7.5% for the category Scheduled Tribe(ST) and 27% for the category Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non Creamy layer”(OBC-NCL).

Each category will have 4 (four)% reservations horizontally for Persons with Disabilities(PwD) as defined in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act,2016) (source-Press Release by UGC).

Section 2(r) of the RPwD Act, 2016 states the following:

Persons with benchmark disabilities (PwD) means a person with not less than forty percent (40%) of a specified disability where specified disability has not been defined in measurable terms and includes a person with a disability where specified disability has been defined in measurable terms, as certified by the certifying authority.

“Specified Disability” means the disabilities as specified in the Schedule of the RPwD Act 2016. The categories of disabilities are:

(i) Blindness and low vision
(ii) Deaf and hard of hearing
(iii) Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy
(iv) Autism, intellectual disability, specified learning disability and mental illness, and
(v) Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (i) to (iv)
(vi) Other ‘specified disabilities’ mentioned in the Schedule of the RPwD Act 2016.

Please refer to Office Memorandum issued by Ministry of Social Justice; Empowerment dated 29 August 2018 (F.No.34-02/2015-DD-III), guideline IV, second paragraph. The facility of Scribe/Reader/Lab Assistant should be allowed to any the person with benchmark disability as defined under section 2(r) of the RPwD Act, 2016 and has a limitation in writing including that of speed if so desired by him/her.

In case of persons with benchmark disabilities in the category of blindness, Locomotor disability (both arms affected- BA) and cerebral palsy, the facility of scribe/reader/lab assistant shall be given, if so desired by the person.

In case of another category of persons with benchmark disabilities, the provision of scribe/reader/lab assistant can be allowed on production of a certificate to the effect that the person concerned has physical limitation to write, and scribe is essential to write the examination on his behalf, from the Chief Medical Officer/Civil Surgeon Medical Superintendent of a Government health care institution as per Proforma at Annexure XII.

The order further allows the candidate to opt for their own scribe/reader provided the qualification of the scribe is one step below the qualification of the candidate taking the examination. The candidate with bench-mark disabilities opting for their own scribe/reader should submit details of their own scribe as per Proforma at Annexure XIII.

Twenty minutes per hour compensatory time for the duration of the examination will also be allowed to the candidates who are availing the facility of scribe/reader/lab assistant. The reservation policy, as announced by the government from time to time will be followed by the admitting institutes. The candidates are advised to look for the details at the time of admission.

Important Note: No change in the category will be entertained after the last date specified by NTA for UGC-NET June 2020 Application and no subsequent changes will be effective after the declaration of NTA UGCNET Score June 2020.

4. Exemption (Eligibility for Assistant Professor)

(i) NET/SET/SLET shall remain the minimum eligibility condition for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professors in Universities/Colleges/ Institutions. In this regard, exemption from NET/SET/SLET will be governed by UGC regulations and amendments notified in the Gazette of India from time to time.

(ii) The candidates who have passed the UGC/CSIR/ JRF examination prior to 1989 are also exempted from appearing in NET.

(iii) For SET Candidates: The candidates who have cleared the States Eligibility Test (SET) accredited by UGC for Assistant Professor held prior to 1st June 2002, are exempted from appearing in NET, and are 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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