
New Delhi/Education Desk. National Testing Agency (NTA) has extended the last date to apply online for UGC NET December 2026 exam. This is a relief news for those candidates who had not yet filled their form due to some technical problem or incomplete documents. As per the official notification, candidates can now complete their registration and payment of examination fee till 11:50 pm on 31st October 2026 without any late fee.
Every year lakhs of students appear for this national examination conducted for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), eligibility for the post of Assistant Professor and admission to PhD in universities and higher educational institutions across the country. NTA has clarified that to avoid server load or technical glitch at the last moment, candidates should complete the process on time without waiting for the last date.
According to the revised schedule of NTA, the new deadline for submission of online application form and examination fee has been fixed as 31 October 2026 (11:50 pm). For candidates who want to correct any errors in the form, the online application correction window will be opened from November 2 to November 4, 2026. During this period, candidates will be able to make necessary changes in their selected personal information, choice of examination city and photo-signature.
UGC NET December 2026 Computer Based Examination (CBT Mode) is proposed to be conducted in different shifts between 14th to 18th December and 21st December 2026 as per the pre-determined schedule. The dates of release of Exam City Slip and Admit Card of the exam center city will be announced by NTA in the last week of November.
Category wise application fee for UGC NET exam can be deposited through online mode (Net Banking, Debit/Credit Card, UPI):
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General/Unreserved: ₹1,150
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General-EWS and OBC-NCL: ₹600
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Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Disabled (PwD) and Third Gender: ₹325
Talking about educational qualification, it is necessary to have passed Post Graduate (Masters Degree) or equivalent examination in the relevant subject from any recognized university with minimum 55% marks. The minimum marks for candidates belonging to reserved categories (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwD/Third Gender) is fixed at 50%. Students who are in the final year/semester of their Master’s degree are also provisionally eligible to apply for this examination.
In terms of age limit, the maximum age limit for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is 30 years (with relaxation of 5 years for reserved categories and women candidates), while there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor and PhD eligibility.
The form can be filled in a few minutes sitting at home through the official website of NTA. Candidates should follow these steps:
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Visit the official portal: First of all log in to the official website of NTA ugcnet.nta.ac.in.
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Make new registration: Click on the link ‘UGC NET December 2026 Registration’ given on the homepage and generate your application number and password by entering valid mobile number and email ID.
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Login and fill in the details: Login to the portal with the generated application number and password. After this, fill the personal information, academic details, subject selection and examination center preference carefully.
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Upload Documents: Upload the scanned copy of your recent passport size color photograph and signature in the prescribed JPEG format and size.
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Fee Payment and Printout: Pay the examination fee online as per your category. After successful fee payment, download the ‘Confirmation Page’ and take a printout of it and keep it safe for future reference.
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