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UGC NET Examination

UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION - NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TESTING

1. What is NET?

The University Grants Commission (UGC) conducts National Eligibility Test (NET) to determine eligibility for lectureship and for award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) for Indian nationals in order to ensure minimum standards for the entrants in the teaching profession and research. The Examination is conducted in Humanities (including languages), Social Sciences, Forensic Science, Environmental Sciences, Computer Science and Applications and Electronic Science.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) conducts the UGC_CSIR NET for other Science subjects, namely, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences and Earth Atmospheric Ocean & Planetary Sciences jointly with the UGC. The tests are conducted twice in a year generally in the months of June and December. For candidates who desire to pursue research, the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is available for five years subject to fulfilment of certain conditions. The UGC has allocated a number of fellowships to the Universities for the candidates who qualify the test for JRF. The JRFs are awarded to the meritorious candidates from among the candidates qualifying for eligibility for lectureship in the NET Examination.

The test for Junior Research Fellowship is being conducted since 1984. The Government of India, through its notification dated 22nd July, 1988 entrusted the task of conducting the eligibility test for Lectureship to UGC. Consequently, UGC conducted the first National Eligibility Test, common to both - eligibility for Lectureship and Junior Research Fellowship – in two parts, that is, in December 1989 and in March, 1990.

2. Eligibility Criteria for appearing in NET Examination

a) Qualifications

i) Candidates belonging to the General/Other Backward Classes (OBC) who have secured at least 55% marks (without grace or rounding off in Master’s Degree (or equivalent) examination in Humanities (including languages) and Social Sciences, Forensic Science, Environmental Science, Computer Science and Applications, Electronic Sciences etc. are eligible to appear for this examination. Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and Physically Handicapped (PH)/ Visually Handicapped (VH) candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (without grace or rounding off) in Master’s degree (or equivalent) examination are eligible to appear in the NET examination.

ii) Those candidates who have even secured 54.99% marks or below (even 49.99% marks or below for SC/ST & PH/VH candidates) in Master’s Degree or equivalent Examination are NOT eligible for this Test. THERE IS NO PROVISION OF ROUNDING OFF OF MARKS TO MAKE IT 55% (50% FOR SC/ST and PH/VH).

iii) Candidates who have appeared or will be appearing at the qualifying Master’s Degree 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/Lectureship eligibility, only after they have passed the Master’s Degree examination (or) equivalent with at least 55% marks (50% in case of SC/ST/PH/VH candidates) within one year from the date of UGC_NET examination under consideration. In case, these candidates fail to obtain their P.G. Degree/Mark-sheet within one year from the date of the relevant UGC_NET examination, they will be treated as disqualified.

iv) Only those candidates, who have completed/ are pursuing a UGC specified degree as given in Item No.18, are eligible to appear for NET examination.

v) The Candidates should appear in the subject of their Post Graduation. However, the candidates whose Post Graduation subject is not covered in the list of subjects given at item No. 13 below, may appear in the subject related to their Post Graduation subject.

vi) Candidates should note that their candidature is provisional. The mere fact that an admission card has been issued to a candidate shall not imply that the Commission has finally accepted his/her candidature. Candidates may note that their candidature will be deemed final upon verification of eligibility conditions with reference to the documents enclosed with their application. The Commission may call for any document(s) at a later stage to verify the eligibility of the candidates.

b) Exemption from NET (Eligibility for Lectureship)

(i) For M.Phil/Ph.D. candidates: NET shall remain the compulsory requirement for appointment as lecturer even for candidates having Ph.D. degree. However, the candidates who have passed their M.Phil degree by 31st December 1993 or have submitted their Ph.D. thesis to the University in the concerned subject on or before 31st December 2002 are exempted from appearing in the NET Examination. In case such candidates fail to obtain Ph.D. degree, they shall have to pass the NET Examination. The candidates who have passed the UGC/CSIR JRF Examination prior to 1989 are also exempted from appearing in the NET Examination.

(ii) For SLET Candidates: The candidates who have cleared the State Level Eligibility Test (SLET), accredited by the UGC for Lectureship prior to 1st June 2002, are exempted from appearing in the NET Examination. For SLET examinations scheduled in or after June 2002, the qualified candidates shall be eligible to apply for the post of Lecturer only in the university/colleges belonging to the state from where they have passed the SLET Examination. However, such candidates are also eligible to apply for appearing in the NET.

c) Age Limit and relaxation

i) There is no upper age limit for candidates appearing only for eligibility for lectureship.

ii) Applicants for Junior Research Fellowship should not be more than 28 years of age as on the first day of the month in which the NET Examination is to be held. For example, in case of NET to be held on 20.06.2004, a candidate born on 01.06.1976 or later is eligible because his/her age on 01.06.2004 is exactly 28 years or below; but any candidate born on or before 31.05.1976 shall be considered overage.

iii) Age relaxation for JRF: Age relaxation up to 5 years is available to SC/ST/OBC/ Physically Handicapped (PH) / Visually Handicapped (VH) / Women candidates. Relaxation, up to a maximum of 5 years, supported by a certificate from appropriate authority, is applicable to the candidates for the period spent on research/training in the related/relevant subject of post graduation. Candidates possessing LLM. Degrees are also permitted for relaxation in age up to a maximum of three (3) years. Total age relaxation on above grounds shall not exceed five (5) years under any circumstances.

3. NET EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

The UGC conducts NET Examination twice every year, i.e., in the months of June and December. The notifications announcing the June and December examinations are published in the months of March and September respectively in the weekly journal of nation-wide circulation - Employment News.

4. SCHEDULE FOR DECLARATION OF RESULT

The result of June, UGC NET Examination is declared in the month of October. Similarly December, UGC NET examination result is declared in the month of April.

The UGC NET Examination results published in the Employment News are also available on UGC website, i.e., www.ugc.ac.in.

5. NET EXAMINATION FOR SCIENCE SUBJECTS.

The NET Examination in major Science Subjects, viz., Chemical Sciences; Earth Atmospheric Ocean & Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences and Physical Sciences is conducted jointly with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi. The concerned notifications are issued separately by CSIR.

6. OLD QUESTION PAPERS

The old question papers of NET Examinations are not provided to the candidates. However, model questions are provided with the syllabus, sent along with the Admit Card to the applicants about a month before the NET Examination.

7. SYLLABUS FOR NET EXAMINATION

The syllabi for all subjects of UGC-NET Examination are available in the libraries of all Indian Universities and are also available on UGC Website i.e. www.ugc.ac.in

8. SUBMISSION OF THE APPLICATION FORMS FOR APPEARING IN THE UGC NET EXAMINATION

The completed Application Forms (in duplicate) along with all the enclosures as specified in the UGC Notification, should be sent to the Registrar of the University Test Centres selected by the candidate for appearing in the UGC_NET. The candidates applying for NET in Andaman & Nicobar Islands must address their application to the Principal of the Institution mentioned with centre code as 65 at Item No. 14.

9. NON-RECEIPT OF ADMISSION CARD FOR APPEARING IN NET EXAMINATION.

In the event of non-receipt of Admit Card up to three days prior to the examination, the candidates are advised to contact the Coordinators of the respective NET examination test centres with two photographs duly attested by a gazetted officer.

10. NON-RECEIPT OF NET CERTIFICATE.

In the case of non-receipt of NET certificate, the candidates are advised to correspond with/contact the Head, NET Bureau, UGC, South Campus, University of Delhi, Benito Juarez Marg., New Delhi – 110 021. In their covering letter, they must state their Roll No., the date of UGC_NET examination in which they have appeared and UGC_ Ref. No. (in case known to them). In case, they have not submitted the attested copies of their documents earlier, they may do so with the covering letter duly signed by them. Attested copies of the following documents may be submitted:

i) High School/Higher Secondary/Matriculation Certificate depicting date of birth.

ii) Master’s degree/Provisional Certificate.

iii) Consolidated mark-sheet of Master’s degree course.

(Wherever grades are assigned, conversion table in terms of consolidated percentage may be produced from the issuing authority).

iv) Caste certificate (only in case of SC/ST/OBC candidates).

v) Certificate of Physical disability (only in case of Physically Handicapped and Visually Handicapped candidates).

Notes: a) All certificates have to be attested by a gazetted officer with his/her official stamp bearing his/her name, designation and official address.

b) The certificates which are in languages other than Hindi and English may be translated in Hindi or English and attested by the issuing authority of the original certificates.

11. PROCEDURE OF ISSUING DUPLICATE CERTIFICATE

Duplicate NET Certificate shall be issued only in the event of loss/ non-receipt of the original one. The candidate may submit the following documents for getting the duplicate certificate issued:

(i) An affidavit on a Judicial stamp paper duly attested by the competent Authority for the loss of original certificate issued by the UGC mentioning the name of the candidate, his/her particulars like father’s and mother's names, date of UGC-NET, Roll number, subject, address etc. The candidate must state in the affidavit that in case of his/her discovering the original NET certificate/JRF Award letter, he/she would not misuse it and return it to the NET office.

(ii) A demand draft of Rs. 100/- drawn in favour of the Secretary, University Grants Commission, New Delhi payable at State Bank of India, Service Branch, (Code No. 7687), New Delhi.

(iii) An attested Copy of FIR registered at a Police Station. The attestation stamp of the Class-I gazetted officer must bear his/her name, designation and official address.

12. NET CENTRES ABROAD FOR INDIAN NATIONALS

UGC has decided to close down its NET Centres in foreign countries from the UGC_NET of June, 2004.

13. NET SUBJECTS :

The subjects with their respective codes are given below :

Subject Name of the subject

Code

01 Economics
02 Political Science
03 Philosophy
04 Psychology
05 Sociology
06 History
07 Anthropology
08 Commerce
09 Education
10 Social Work
11 Defence and Strategic Studies
12 Home Science
14 Public Administration
15 Population Studies*
16 Music
17 Management
18 Maithili
19 Bengali
20 Hindi
21 Kannada
22 Malayalam
23 Oriya
24 Punjabi
25 Sanskrit
26 Tamil
27 Telugu
28 Urdu
29 Arabic
30 English
31 Linguistics
32 Chinese
33 Dogri
34 Nepali
35 Manipuri
36 Assamese
37 Gujarati
38 Marathi
39 French
40 Spanish
41 Russian
42 Persian
43 Rajasthani
44 German
45 Japanese
46 Adult Education/Continuing Education/ Andragogy/ Non Formal Education.
47 Physical Education
49 Arab Culture and Islamic Studies
50 Indian Culture
55 Labour Welfare/Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/ Labour and Social Welfare/Human Resource Management
58 Law
59 Library and Information Science
60 Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian and Peace Studies
63 Mass Communication and Journalism
65 Performing Art – Dance/Drama/Theatre
66 Museology & Conservation
67 Archaeology
68 Criminology
70 Tribal and Regional Language/Literature
71 Folk Literature
72 Comparative Literature
73 Sanskrit Traditional Subjects (including) Jyotisha/Sidhanta Jyotisha/ Navya Vyakarna/ Vyakarna/ Mimamsa/ Navya Nyaya/ Sankhya Yoga/ Tulanatmaka Darsana/ Shukla Yajurveda/ Madhva Vedanta/ Dharma Sastra/ Sahitya/ Purana-itihasa /Agama/Advaita Vedanta.
74 Women Studies
79 Visual Art (including Drawing & Painting/Sculpture/ Graphics/Applied Art/History of Art)
80 Geography
81 Social Medicine & Community Health
82 Forensic Science
83 Pali
84 Kashmiri
85 Konkani
87 Computer Science and Applications
88 Electronic Science
89 Environmental Sciences
90 International and Area Studies
91 Prakrit
92 Human Rights and Duties**
93 Tourism Administration and Management.
* The candidates who have passed their Master’s Degree in Population Studies or Geography (with specialisation in Population Studies) or Mathematics/Statistics are eligible to appear in the subject “Population Studies” (Code No. 15).

14. NET Centres in India

The Test Centres with their respective codes are given below:

LIST OF NET CENTRES, INDIA

Centre Name of the Centres Code

01 Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh – 202 002.
02 University of Allahabad, Allahabad – 211 002.
03 Andhra University, Visakhapatnam – 530 003.
04 Arunachal University, Itanagar – 791 112.
05 Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi – 221 005.
06 Bangalore University, Bangalore – 560 056.
07 M.P. Bhoj Open University, Shivaji Nagar, Bhopal – 462 016.
08 Berhampur University, Berhampur – 760 007
09 Bharathiar University, Coimbatore – 641 046.
10 Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli – 620 024.
11 University of Burdwan, Burdwan – 713 104.
12 University of Calcutta, Kolkata – 700 073.
13 University of Calicut, Kozhikode – 673 635.
14 Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut – 250 005.
15 Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur – 208 024.
16 Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi – 682 022
17 Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi – 110 025.
18 Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya , Indore – 452 001.
19 Dr. B. S. A. Marathwada University, Aurangabad – 431004.
20 Gauhati University, Guwahati – 781 014.
21 Goa University, Goa – 403 203.
22 Deendayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur–273 009.
23 Gujarat University, Ahmedabad – 380 009.
24 Gulbarga University, Gulbarga – 585 106.
25 Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar – 143 005.
26 Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla – 171 005.
27 University of Jammu, Jammu (Tawi) – 180 006.
28 Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur – 342 001.
29 Jiwaji University, Gwalior – 474 011.
30 Karnatak University, Dharwad – 580 003.
31 University of Kashmir, Srinagar – 190 006.
32 University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram – 6 95 034.
33 Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra – 132 119.
34 University of Luknow, Luknow – 226 007.
35 M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara – 390 002.
36 University of Madras, Chennai – 600 005.
37 Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai – 625 021.
38 Mangalore University, Mangalore – 574 199.
39 Manipur University, Imphal – 795 003.
40 Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur – 313 001.
41 University of Mumbai, Mumbai – 400 032.
42 Nagarjuna University, Guntur – 522 510.
43 Nagpur University, Nagpur – 440 001.
44 North Bengal University, Darjeeling – 734 430.
45 North Eastern Hill University, Shillong – 793 022.
46 Osmania University, Hyderabad – 500 007.
47 Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur – 492 010.
48 Panjab University, Chandigarh – 160 014.
49 Patna University, Patna – 800 005.
50 University of Pune, Pune – 411 007.
51 University of Rajasthan, Jaipur – 302 004.
52 Ranchi University, Ranchi – 834 008.
53 Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur – 482 001.
54 Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar-246174.
55 Sambalpur University, Sambalpur – 768 019.
56 Saurashtra University, Rajkot – 360 005.
57 Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati – 517 502.
58 Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur – 812 007.
59 Tripura University, Agartala – 799 004.
60 Utkal University, Bhubaneswar – 751 004.
61 Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, Agra – 282 004.
62 Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer – 305 009.
63 Mizoram University, Mizoram, Post Box No. 190, Aizawl- 796 012.
64 Nagaland University, P.B. No. 341, Lumani, Kohima - 797 001.
65 Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya, Andaman & Nicobar Island,
Port Blair-744104
15. Provisional Certificate

Provisional certificates are not issued to any candidates. The candidates must submit the attested copies of their certificates as per the directions in Item 10, as early as possible for timely despatch of their NET certificates/JRF Award letters.

16. CONCEPT OF SLET

It was felt that an eligibility test at the national level may not be completely able to represent the subjects which are regional in their character. Moreover, the demand for enabling the candidates to appear for the Test in their own mother tongue was also being made. The state governments and union territories were, therefore, given the option of conducting their own Test for eligibility for Lectureship at the state level. Thus was born the concept of SLET, i.e., State Level Eligibility Test for Lectureship Eligibility only. SLET (SET, as it is called in some states) is conducted both in English and the vernacular.

The Commission at its meeting held on 25th May, 1990 decided to constitute a UGC Committee on Accreditation of Test (U-CAT). The terms of reference of U-CAT are as follows:

i) Laying down Guidelines for holding the tests

ii) Accreditation of tests conducted by agencies other than UGC/CSIR.

iii) Monitoring of tests conducted by other agencies and suggesting follow up measures.

iv) Extend guidance and help to State level agencies in the organization of the tests.

Based on the recommendations made by U-CAT, the following guidelines are given to the States regarding test design, course content, organization of the test etc. for conducting State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) for Lectureship only.

In accordance with the mandate given by the Government of India, the University Grants Commission (UGC), on request of State Governments, proposed to have STATE LEVEL ELIGIBILITY TEST (SLET) duly accredited by the UGC for a fixed term. This State Level Test is based on the pattern of the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the UGC and UGC/CSIR for Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences subjects respectively. The State Governments and Union Territories, which are desirous of conducting their own SLET, are required to obtain accreditation from UGC from time to time.

Besides conducting the NET examination, the role of the NET Bureau is to assess and accredit state identified agencies to conduct SLET examination. The SLET assessment is done by evaluating the performance of the state agency designated by the state government. The Certification of Accreditation is given to the state for a stipulated period of time.

Identification of State Agency : A State Government may identify an agency, which may be a University, or an examination body of repute or a reputed agency related to recruitment of teachers for higher education.

States conducting SLET : Presently, SLET is being conducted in the following states :

i) Maharashtra & Goa
ii) Gujarat
iii) Tamil Nadu
iv) Madhya Pradesh
v) Andhra Pradesh
vi) Himachal Pradesh
vii) Uttar Pradesh
viii) Rajasthan
ix) West Bengal
x) North Eastern States including Sikkim (under consideration)
The Commission constitutes an Accreditation Committee from time to time to assess the performance of the states conducting the SLET Examination. The Commission takes a final decision about any state on the basis of the Report of the Committee.

17. Scope of NET & SLET

a) Eligibility for Lectureship

Clearing of NET Examination confers eligibility for lectureship upon Indian nationals, i.e. the NET qualified candidates shall be eligible to apply for the post of lecturer in all Indian universities/Institutes/colleges.

It was resolved in the UGC's Commission Meeting held on 1.11.2001 that commencing from the SLET examinations scheduled in or after June, 2002, the SLET qualified candidates shall be eligible for appointment to the post of lecturer only in the universities/colleges belonging to the state from where they have passed the SLET examination. The status of SLET shall remain unchanged for SLET examinations conducted prior to 1st June, 2002, that is, the candidates clearing SLET were eligible for appointment to the post of lecturer anywhere in India.

b) Junior Research Fellowship

The candidates who qualify the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) Examination of UGC/CSIR NET are also eligible for the post of lectureship. In addition they are also eligible to receive Fellowships (UGC/CSIR) under various schemes subject to the candidates finding their placement in the universities/IITs/other national organizations. The validity of the offer is one year w.e.f. the date of issue of JRF award letter. However, in case the candidates have already joined M.Phil./Ph.D., the date of commencement of fellowship will be from the date of declaration of NET examination result or date of their joining, whichever is later.

c) Nature Of Assistance Available Under The Scheme

The tenure of fellowship is initially for two years under the JRF scheme. Upon expiry of this period, the work of the Fellow is evaluated by experts. If the research work is found satisfactory, his/her tenure is extended for a further period of three years with enhanced emoluments of the Senior Research Fellowship (SRF).

In case the work of a Fellow is not found satisfactory for the first two years, an additional year is given to him/her for improvement. However, during this period he/she is designated as a Junior Research Fellow. In such cases, work is evaluated again after three years, and if improvement is found, the Fellow gets two more years under the SRF. Thus, the total period of fellowship (JRF and SRF) is five years, with no further provision of extension.

Fellowship @ Rs. 8000/- p.m. for initial two years JRF
@ Rs. 9000/- p.m. for remaining tenure SRF
Contingency A @ Rs. 10000/- p.a. for initial two years Humanities & Social Sciences
@ Rs. 20500/- p.a. for remaining tenure
Contingency B @ Rs. 12000/- p.a. for initial two years Sciences
@ Rs. 25000/- p.a. for remaining tenure
Departmental assistance @ Rs. 3000/- p.a. per student to the host institution for providing infrastructure.
Escorts/Reader assistance @ Rs. 1000/- p.m. in cases of physically handicapped & visually handicapped candidates

House Rent Allowance : Suitable single-seated hostel accommodation may be provided to the JRF candidate in the institutions. In case of non-availability, HRA will be paid to the Fellow as per rules of the university/institution, subject to the submission of an HRA certificate through the Registrar/Principal. If the Fellow makes his/her own arrangement of accommodation, he/she will be entitled to draw HRA as per categorisation of the cities by the Government of India.

18. LIST OF UGC SPECIFIED DEGREES

Sl. No. Abbreviation of Degree Expansion of Degree

1. LLM Master of Law of Laws
2. MBA Master of Business Administration
3. M.Com Master of Commerce
4. MD Master of Medicine
5. M.Dance Master of Dance
6. M.Ed. Master of Education
7. M.Ind. Master of Indology
8. ML Master of Laws
9. M.Lib.Sc. Master of Library Science
10. M.Litt. Master of Literature or Master of Letters
11. M.Mus. Master of Music
12. MOL Master of Oriental Learning
13. MPEd. Master of Physical Education
14. MSW Master of Social Work
15. M.Sc. Master of Science
16. M.Stat. Master of Statistics
17. M.Tech. Master of Technology
18. M.Text Master of Textiles
19. Parangat Parangat
20. Shikshan Parangat Shikshan Parangat
21. MA Master of Arts
22. MCA Master of Computer Applications
23. MFA Master of Fine Arts
24. MJ Master of Journalism
25. MLIS Master of Library & Information Science

26. Shiksha Acharya Shiksha Acharya
27. MPA Master of Performing Arts
28. MPS Master of Population Studies