UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test) is conducted every year to select the eligible candidates for the post of ‘Assistant Professor’ and ‘Junior Research Fellowship’ in the colleges and universities across India. The application form for the same is likely to be released in the second week of March 2024 via the official website of UGC NET. National Testing Agency organizes this test twice a year for colleges and universities across India. In this article, we will be providing all the details regarding UGC NET 2024 such as eligibility criteria, application form, important dates, exam pattern, etc.
UGC NET 2024 Highlights
| Name of the Exam | UGC NET (National Eligibility Test) |
| Full-Form | Union Grants Commission |
| Organizing Authority | National Testing Agency |
| Application mode | Online |
| Level of Exam | National level |
| Exam mode | Online |
| Selection process | Online test |
| Official website | www.ugcnet.nta.nic.in. |
UGC NET 2024 Important Dates
| Events | June Session | December Session |
| Application form release date | 3rd week March 2024 | 2nd week September 2024 |
| Last date to apply | 3rd week April 2024 | 2nd week October 2024 |
| Last date to pay the application fee | 3rd week April 2024 | 2nd week October 2024 |
| Application correction date | 3rd week of April 2024 | 3rd week October 2024 |
| Last date to make the correction | 4th week April 2024 | 4th week October 2024 |
| Admit card release date | 3rd week May 2024 | 2nd week November 2024 |
| Date eligibility test | 3rd to 4th week of June 2024 | 1st week to 2nd week December 2024 |
| Answer key release date | To be announced | To be announced |
| Result declaration | 1st week July 2024 | Last week December 2024 |
Eligibility Requirements
The complete eligibility requirements for the examination are given below:
- Qualification: Master’s degree holders in relevant subjects from any recognized board are eligible.
- Marks: Candidates must secure a minimum of 55% marks (50% marks as OBC/ SC/ ST/ PwD/ third gender) in the qualifying examination.
- Appearing: Aspirants in the final year examination or whose result is still waiting to be out are also eligible to appear for in the exam.
- Age limit: For JRF, the age of the aspirants must be over 31 Years and 5 years of relaxation will be offered to the candidates belonging to the reserved category.
- No maximum age limit for the Assistant Professor will be there.
UGC NET 2024 Application Form
The application form will be released in online mode on the official website of UGC NET i.e. www.ugcnet.nta.nic.in. To avoid last minutes rush, the candidates must apply without waiting for the last date.
- First candidates need to complete the registration by providing a unique email id, name, date of birth, mobile number, father’s name, gender, etc. in the registration form.
- Once the registration is successful, the candidates can start filling out the application form.
- To fill out the application form, enter your personal details, academic qualification, contact details in the correct manner.
- Also upload scanned copies of their photograph, and signature into the application form as per the given specifications.
- After providing all the details as needed in the application form, the candidates can submit it online along with the essential application fee with the available payment modes.
- The applicants should keep a hard copy of the application form along with them in case of requirements in the future.
Application fee
You can make the application fee payment via debit card/ credit card/ net banking/ Paytm. The application fee structure for different categories is mentioned below for the reference of candidates:
| Category | Application fee |
| General category | INR 1000/- |
| General- EWS/ OBC- NCL category | INR 500/- |
| SC/ ST/ PWD Transgender category | INR 250/- |
Exam Pattern
- Mode of exam: Computer-based test (Online mode).
- A number of papers: 2 papers.
- Duration of exam: 3 hours (180 minutes).
- A number of questions: 150 questions.
- Total marks: 300 marks.
- Language mode: Candidates can select the language as per their preference i.e. English and Hindi.
- Marking scheme: For each correct response, you will get 2 marks.
- Negative marking: There is no negative marking for incorrect response in the exam.
| Papers | Topics | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks |
| Paper 1 | Reasoning Ability, General Awareness, Reading Comprehension, Divergent Thinking | 50 | 100 |
| Paper 2 | Domain knowledge | 100 | 200 |
UGC NET 2024 Answer Key
- Provisional Answer key will be displayed on the NTA website www.ugcnet.nta.nic.in.
- Candidates will be able to submit their objections on the answer key if any, through the challenge link which can be found on the official website.
- The candidates are required to pay a requisite amount of Rs. 1000/- for per question challenged.
- National Testing Agency will consider the objections received and prepare a final answer key. The decision taken by NTA on the challenges shall be final.
UGC NET 2024 Result
- The official authority i.e. National Testing Agency will prepare the result based on the final answer key drafted.
- The result will be declared online mode on the official website of the National Testing Agency according to the set date and time.
- Candidates who clear the UGC NET exam will be considered for the fellowship award and for the post of Assistant Professor in various colleges/ universities/ institutions of India.