Joint CSIR-UGC NET 2026: Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test December 2026 [Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2026]

Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2026
[Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test December 2026]
administered by the National Testing Agency
Determining eligibility for Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), Assistant Professor positions and Ph.D. admissions in Indian Science and Technology fields, 2026

National Testing Agency (NTA) will be conducting the Joint CSIR-UGC NET Examination December-2026, which is a test to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for 'award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor', 'appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.' and 'admission to Ph.D. only' in Indian universities and colleges through Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.

The schedule of Examination activities is as follows:

Joint CSIR UGC National Eligibility Test (NET)

Joint CSIR-UGC NET is a test to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for ‘award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor’, ‘appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.’ and ‘admission to Ph.D. only’ in Indian universities and colleges.

The eligibility will be determined in the following manner:

Qualified for	Eligible for
Qualified for	JRF	Assistant Professor	Ph.D. Admission
Category-1: Award of JRF and appointment as Assistant Professor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Category-2: Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.	No	Yes	Yes
Category-3: Admission to Ph.D. only	No	No	Yes

The candidates qualifying under the ‘appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.’ category will be eligible for appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D. but not for the award of JRF.
The candidates qualifying under the ‘admission to Ph.D. only’ category will be eligible for admission to Ph.D. only but not for the award of JRF and/or appointment as Assistant Professor.
The JRF-qualified candidates are admitted into the Ph.D. programme based on an interview as per the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022.
Joint CSIR-UGC NET under category-2 and category-3 can be used as an entrance test for Ph.D. admission in place of entrance tests conducted by the different universities/HEIs for admission to Ph.D.
For admission to Ph.D., the marks obtained in the Joint CSIR-UGC NET by the candidates in category-2 and category-3 will be valid for a period of one year from the date of declaration of the result of Joint CSIR-UGC NET.
For candidates qualified under the category-2 and category-3, the marks obtained in the Joint CSIR-UGC NET written examination will have 70% weightage at the time of admission and 30% weightage will be based on the performance in the interview/viva voce conducted by the concerned University/HEI concerned.
The number of candidates who will be qualified for JRF-NET, Assistant Professor and ‘admission to the Ph.D. only’ will be decided by the results committee.
There is no end period for the validity of the qualifying certificate of Assistant Professor.

Joint CSIR UGC NET December, 2026 - Eligibility Criteria

General/Unreserved/General-EWS candidates who have secured at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in Master’s Degree or equivalent examination from recognized universities/institutions are eligible for appearing in this examination. The Other Backward Classes (OBC) belonging to Non-Creamy Layer/Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Persons with Disability (PwD/PwBD)/Third gender category candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (without rounding off) in Master’s degree or equivalent examination are eligible for this Test.
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 Joint CSIR-UGC NET, 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/PwBD/Third gender category candidates). Such candidates must complete their Master’s degree or equivalent examination within two years from the date of Joint CSIR-UGC NET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified.
However, those candidates who qualify for ‘Admission to Ph.D. Only’ must complete their Master’s degree or equivalent examination within one year from the date of Joint CSIR- UGC NET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified.
Candidates belonging to the Third gender category are eligible to draw the same relaxation in fee, age and Eligibility Criteria for Joint CSIR-UGC NET as are available to SC/ST/PwD/PwBD categories. The subject-wise qualifying cut-offs for this category would be the lowest among those for SC/ST/PwD/PwBD/OBC–NCL/General-EWS categories in the corresponding subject.
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 Joint CSIR- UGC NET.
Candidates are neither required to send any certificates/documents in support of their eligibility nor submit printout of their Application Form or Confirmation Page to NTA. However, the candidates, in their own interest, must ensure their eligibility for appearing in the examination. In the event of any ineligibility being detected by the CSIR/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.
Candidates holding a foreign qualification are advised, in their own interest, to obtain equivalence of their qualification from the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Candidates with Post-Graduate diploma awarded by an Indian Institute should in their own interest, ascertain the equivalence of their diploma with Master's degree of recognized Indian Universities from Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
The candidates having passed a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme should have a minimum of 75% marksin aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ ST/ OBC (non-creamy layer)/ PwBD, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time (refer to University Grants Commission.
(Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022 https://www.ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/0909572_Minimum-Standards-and-Procedure-for-Award-ofPhD Degree.pdf )
The candidates qualifying in the Joint CSIR-UGC NET exam, based on a four-year undergraduate degree, will be eligible for the award of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and for admission to the Ph.D. The candidates qualifying in the Joint CSIR-UGC NET, based on a four-year undergraduate degree, will not be eligible for appointment as Assistant Professor.
The candidates who are pursuing Four Year/8 Semester Bachelor’s Degree Programme and are in their last semester/year may also apply for the test. However, such candidates will be admitted provisionally and shall be considered eligible for the award of JRF/admission to Ph.D. only after fulfilling the requirements contained in the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022 within two years (if qualified for award of JRF)/within one year (if qualified for admission to Ph.D. only) from the date of declaration of the Joint CSIR-UGC NET result, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified.
The candidates with a Four-Year Bachelor’s Degree Programme are allowed to appear in a subject (the List of Subjects and their Codes for Joint CSIR-UGC NET December-2026 are given at (Annexure-II ) in which they want to pursue a Ph.D. irrespective of the discipline in which they have obtained the four-year bachelor’s degree.

Click here more detail.

Joint CSIR UGC NET December, 2026 - Scheme of Examination

Mode of Examinations:
The Examinations will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.

Pattern of Question Papers:
The Test will consist of three parts. All the parts will consist of objective type, multiple choice questions. There will be no break between papers. The subject-wise scheme of examination is as per details below:

Chemical Sciences (701)	Part-A	Part-B	Part-C	Total
Total questions	20	40	60	120
Max No of Questions to attempt	15	35	25	75
Marks for each correct answer	2	2	4	200
Marks for each incorrect answer (Negative marking for part A, B & C is @ 25%)	0.5	0.5	1	--
Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences (702)	Part-A	Part-B	Part-C	Total
Total questions	20	50	80	150
Max No of Questions to attempt	15	35	25	75
Marks for each correct answer	2	2	4	200
Marks for each incorrect answer (Negative marking for part A & B is @ 25% and part C is @ 33%)	0.5	0.5	1.32	--
Life Sciences and Bio-Technology (703)	Part-A	Part-B	Part-C	Total
Total questions	20	50	75	145
Max No of Questions to attempt	15	35	25	75
Marks for each correct answer	2	2	4	200
Marks for each incorrect answer (Negative marking for part A, B & C is @ 25%)	0.5	0.5	1	--
Mathematical Sciences (704)	Part-A	Part-B	Part-C	Total
Total questions	20	40	60	120
Max No of Questions to attempt	15	25	20	60
Marks for each correct answer	2	3	4.75	200
Marksfor each incorrect answer (Negative marking in Part A & B is 25%; no negative marking in Part C)	0.5	0.75	0	--
Physical Sciences (705)	Part-A	Part-B	Part-C	Total
Total questions	20	25	30	75
Max No of Questions to attempt	15	20	20	55
Marks for each correct answer	2	3.5	5	200
Marks for each incorrect answer (Negative marking for part A, B & C is @ 25%)	0.5	0.875	1.25	--

Chemical Sciences: The candidate is required to answer a maximum of 15, 35 and 25 questions from Part-A, Part-B and Part-C respectively. If more than required number of questions are answered, only first 15, 35 and 25 questions in Part A, Part B and Part C respectively will be taken up for evaluation. Below each question in Part A, Part B and Part C, four alternatives or responses are given. Only one of these alternatives is the "correct" option to the question. The candidate has to find, for each question, the correct or the best answer.

Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences: The candidate is required to answer a maximum of 15, 35 and 25 questions from Part-A, Part-B and Part-C respectively. If more than required number of questions are answered, only first 15, 35 and 25 questions in Part A, Part B and Part C respectively will be taken up for evaluation. Below each question in Part A, Part B and Part C, four alternatives or responses are given. Only one of these alternativesis the "correct" option to the question. The candidate has to find, for each question, the correct or the best answer.

Life Sciences and Bio-Technology (LS-BT): The candidate is required to answer a maximum of 15, 35 and 25 questions from Part-A, Part-B and Part-C respectively. If more than required number of questions are answered, only first 15, 35 and 25 questions in Part A, Part B and Part C respectively will be taken up for evaluation. Below each question in Part A, Part B and Part C, four alternatives or responses are given. Only one of these alternatives is the "correct" option to the question. The candidate has to find, for each question, the correct or the best answer.

Mathematical Sciences: The candidate is required to answer a maximum of 15, 25 and 20 questions from Part-A, Part-B and Part-C respectively. If more than required number of questions are answered, only first 15, 25 and 20 questions in Part A, Part B and Part C respectively will be taken up for evaluation. Below each question in Part A, Part B, four alternatives or responses are given. Only one of these alternatives is the "correct" option to the question. The candidate has to find, for each question, the correct or the best answer. In Part C each question may have "ONE" or "MORE" correct options. Credit in a question shall be given only on identification of "ALL" the correct options in Part C.

Physical Sciences: The candidate is required to answer a maximum of 15, 20 and 20 questions from PartA, Part-B and Part-C respectively. If more than required number of questions are answered, only first 15, 20 and 20 questions in Part A, Part B and Part C respectively will be taken up for evaluation. Below each question in Part A, Part B and Part C, four alternatives or responses are given. Only one of these alternatives is the "correct" option to the question. The candidate has to find, for each question, the correct or the best answer.

Part 'A' shall be common to all subjects. This part shall contain questions pertaining to General Aptitude with emphasis on logical reasoning, graphical analysis, analytical and numerical ability, quantitative comparison, series formation, puzzles etc.

Part 'B' shall contain subject-related conventional Multiple-Choice questions (MCQs), generally covering the topics given in the syllabus.

Part 'C' shall contain higher order questions that may test the candidate's knowledge of scientific concepts and/or application of the scientific concepts. The questions shall be of analytical nature where a candidate is expected to apply scientific knowledge to arrive at the solution to the given scientific problem.

Medium of Examination:
The Paper will be bilingual i.e. Hindi and English. Candidates are required to answer in the medium as per option exercised in the Application Form. In case of any ambiguity between Hindi and English version due to translation, English version would be treated as final.
Marking Scheme of Examinations:
Please refer to point no. ii.

Subjects of the Test:
The Test will be held in the subjects mentioned below:

Subject Code	Subjects of the Test
701	Chemical Sciences
702	Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
703	Life Sciences and Bio-Technology (LS-BT)
704	Mathematical Sciences
705	Physical Sciences

Syllabus of the Test:
Syllabus & Scheme of Examination of the MCQ Paper may be seen at CSIR HRDG website: www.csirhrdg.res.in .
The score card will be published with total percentile score and marks.

Online Submission of Application Form through Website (esirnet.nta.nic.in )	07^th October, 2026 to 05^th November, 2026 (upto 11:50 P.M.)
Last date of successful transaction of fee through Credit Card / Debit Card / Net Banking / UPI	05^th November, 2026 (upto 11:50 P.M.)
*Late submission of Online Application Form with Late Fee Rs. 500/-*
Late Submission of online application Form	06^th November, 2026 to 09^th November, 2026
Last Date of Successful Transaction with Late Fee through Credit Card / Debit Cards / Net-Banking / UPI	09^th November, 2026 (upto 11:50 P.M.)
Correction in Particulars of Application Form on the website only	10^th November, 2026 to 12^th November, 2026 (upto 11:50 P.M.)
Announcement of the City of Examination	To be announced later
Downloading of Admit Cards from NTA website	To be announced later
Date of Examination	19^th, 22^nd and 27^th December, 2026
Duration of Examination	180 minutes (03:00 Hrs)
Timing of Examination	Shift 1: 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon Shift 2: 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M.
Display of Recorded Response and provisional Answer Key	Will be intimated later on website
Medium of the Paper	English and Hindi
Subject	1. Chemical Sciences 2. Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences 3. Life Sciences and Bio-Technology 4. Mathematical Sciences 5. Physical Sciences
Website(s)	nta.ac.in / csirnet.nta.nic.in
Declaration of Result on the NTA website	Will be intimated later on website