UGC NET

The National Eligibility Test (NET) is conducted for determining the eligibility of Indian nationals for the Eligibility for Assistant Professor only or Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Assistant Professor Both in Indian Universities and Colleges.

Till recently, the CBSE conducted the NET in 84 subjects at 91 selected Cities of spread across the country.

From Dec 2018 onwards, the UGC- NET (for Eligibility for Assistant Professor only or Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Assistant Professor both), will be conducted by the NTA.

The award of JRF and Eligibility for Assistant Professor both OR Eligibility for Assistant Professor only depends on the performance of the candidate in both the papers of NET in aggregate. However, the candidates qualifying exclusively for Assistant Professor are not to be considered for award of JRF. Candidates who qualify the Test for eligibility for Assistant Professor are governed by the rules and regulations for recruitment of Assistant Professor of the concerned universities/colleges/state governments, as the case may be.

As per the latest media reports, University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to revise the syllabus for National Eligibility Test (NET) for the first time in last ten years. For the same, UGC has set up 25 committees to revise the syllabus for different subjects. However, since the UGC NET is conducted for 90 subjects, more committees are likely to be set up to cover all subjects.

Currently, all committees are in process of preparing the draft syllabus for different subjects. Once prepared, the draft syllabus will be sent for approval to the council. Once approved, the decision will be taken on when to implement the revised syllabus.

The decision of revising the NET syllabus has been taken by UGC in order to reflect changes in what is being taught in different universities and colleges. The decision has also been taken to ensure that the revised syllabus meets the current requirement of higher education.

Candidates can view UGC NET 2018 syllabus for reference. As soon as the syllabus for UGC NET 2018 is released, the same would be updated on the website after some time.

Note: Candidates possessing a Master’s degree in Geography (with specialization in Population Studies) or Mathematics/ Statistics are also eligible to appear for Population Studies subject.

Also, candidates possessing a Master’s degree in Humanities (including languages) and Social Sciences are eligible to appear for Women Studies subject.

For full syllabus  click here: https://www.ugcnetonline.in/syllabus-new.php

Candidates who have secured at least 55% marks in their Master’s degree exams (in streams such as Humanities, Social Science, Electronic Science, Computer Science & Applications, etc) from a UGC recognized college/ university fulfill UGC NET 2018 eligibility criteria. It may be noted minimum percentage required to meet UGC NET eligibility criteria for candidates belonging to SC/ ST/ OBC/ PWD categories is 50%.

Candidates who are appearing or awaiting results for their final year examination of Master’s degree are also eligible to appear for UGC NET 2018. However, such candidates will be admitted provisionally and will be considered for JRF and Assistant Professor or Assistant Professor only when they pass their Master’s exams with the required percentage. “Such candidates must complete their PG degree examination within two years from the date of NET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified”, informs the official website.

Note for Ph.D. degree holders: Ph.D. degree holders whose Master’s exams completed on September 19, 1991 (regardless of the result declaration date) will be eligible for a relaxation of 5% marks in the aggregate. This means that the minimum percentage required to meet UGC NET 2018 eligibility criteria for such candidates will be 50% instead of 55%.

Age Criteria

• Junior Research Fellowship (JRF): Not more than 30 years as on July 1, 2018. A relaxation of five years is given to SC/ ST/ OBC/ PWD and women candidates. Relaxation is also given to candidates having research experience limited to the period spent on research in the relevant subject of post-graduation degree. Three years relaxation is also given to candidates holding LLM degree.

• Assistant Professor: There is no age limit to apply for the role of Assistant Professor, states the official website.

Exemption (For Candidates Applying for Assistant Professor Role)

• Candidates who are being or have been awarded a Ph.D. degree in accordance with GC Regulations, 2009 will be exempted from the requirement of meeting the minimum eligibility criteria for NET/SELT/SET.

• Candidates who have cleared UGC/CSIR JRF examination before 1989 are exempted from appearing for UGC NET 2018 exam.

• Candidates who have cleared States Eligibility Test (SET) before June 1, 2002, are exempted from appearing for UGC NET 2018 exam. Such candidates can apply for the post of Assistant Professor in colleges/ universities across India on the basis of their SET score. Candidates who have cleared States Eligibility Test after June 1, 2002, can apply for the post of Assistant Professor only in colleges/ universities that are located in the state from where they have cleared the SET exam.

Note: Candidates are recommended to give the UGC NET 2018 exam in the subject of their post-graduation only. Candidates whose post-graduation subject is not covered in the list of subjects given by UGC may appear in a related subject, informs the official website.

Also, candidates holding a post-graduate diploma/certificate by an Indian University or foreign university awarded foreign degree/diploma/certificate must determine if their diploma/degree/certificate is equivalent to the Master’s degree of recognized Indian universities. Candidates must determine the equivalence from Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi.