UGC NET Exam Schedule 2026 Released: December Exam Dates & Subject-wise Details
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially released the UGC NET December 2025 exam schedule. The examinations are set to take place from 31 December 2025 to 7 January 2026. The test comprises two compulsory papers held in a single session. View the complete subject-wise schedule, exam shifts, and essential guidelines right here.
UGC NET 2025 Exam Date
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has confirmed the UGC NET December 2025 exam dates, spanning from 31 December 2025 to 7 January 2026. The UGC NET 2025 serves as the qualifying gateway for Assistant Professor positions, Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) awards, and PhD admissions. Successful candidates can leverage their certification to advance their academic careers as Assistant Professors or secure prestigious fellowship opportunities at top-tier institutions.
Also Read,
- UGC NET Answer Key 2026 Released – Access and Download Now
- UGC NET Result 2025 Announced – Click to Download Scorecard
UGC NET 2025 December Exam Overview
The UGC NET exam structure consists of two mandatory papers. Paper I focuses on general teaching and research aptitude, while Paper II assesses specialized subject knowledge. The NTA conducts the exam in a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format, typically spread across two shifts with a total duration of 3 hours (180 minutes).
| UGC NET Exam Date 2025 |
Key Recruitment Details
|
UGC NET 2025: Important Dates
The UGC NET examination is conducted biannually in June and December. Candidates who qualify earn eligibility to apply for Assistant Professor roles, receive JRF financial aid, and enroll in PhD programs at accredited universities.
|
Event
|
Date
|
|
City Intimation
|
21 December 2025
|
|
Admit Card Date
|
To be announced
|
|
UGC NET December 2025 Exam Dates
|
December 31, 2025 to January 7, 2026
|
|
Answer Key Date
|
To be announced
|
|
Result Date
|
To be announced
|
UGC NET Exam Shifts and Timings
The NTA will conduct the UGC NET December 2025 session from 31 December 2025 to 7 January 2026. Both Paper 1 and Paper 2 will be held consecutively in a single 3-hour session without any interval.
| Exam Shifts | Shift Timings |
| Morning Shift | 9 AM – 12 PM |
| Evening Shift | 3 PM – 6 PM |
UGC NET Subject-wise Exam Schedule 2025
As per the official NTA notification, the UGC NET examination on 31 December 2025 will be held for the first set of subjects, with the first shift commencing from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
| Date | SHIFT – I (09:00 AM to 12:00 PM) | SHIFT – II (03:00 PM to 06:00 PM) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Subject Code | Subject Name | |
| 31 December 2025 | 058 | Law | _ | |
| 010 | Social Work | |||
| 027 | Telugu | |||
| 093 | Tourism Administration and Management | |||
| 040 | Spanish | |||
| 091 | Prakrit | |||
| 084 | Kashmiri | |||
| 085 | Konkani | |||
| 02 January 2026 | 090 | Computer Science and Applications | 005 | Sociology |
| 059 | Library and Information Science | 059 | Psychology | |
| 028 | Urdu | 003 | Philosophy | |
| 082 | Forensic Science | 023 | Oriya | |
| 019 | Bengali | 100 | Yoga | |
| 029 | Arabic | 024 | Punjabi | |
| 094 | Bodo | 081 | Social Medicine & Community Health | |
| 092 | Human Rights and Duties | 074 | Women Studies | |
| 03 January 2026 | 008 | Commerce | 080 | Geography |
| 025 | Sanskrit | 009 | Education | |
| 095 | Santali | 071 | Folk Literature | |
| 068 | Criminology | 018 | Maithili | |
| 090 | Politics, including International Relations / International Studies, including Defence/Strategic Studies, West Asian Studies, South East Asian Studies, African Studies, South Asian Studies, Soviet Studies, American Studies | 050 | Indian Culture | |
| 104 | Disaster Management | 042 | Persian | |
| 066 | Museology & Conservation | 062 | Comparative Study of Religions | |
| 05 January 2026 | 030 | English | 006 | History |
| 73 | Sanskrit traditional subjects (including Jyotisha/Siddhanta Jyotish / Navya Vyakarna / Vyakarna / Mimamsa / Navya Nyaya / Sankhya Yoga / Tulanatmaka Darsan / Shukla Yajurveda / Madhav Vedant / Dharmasastra / Sahitya / Puranitihasa / Agama) | 079 | Visual Art (including Drawing & Painting / Sculpture / Graphics / Applied Art / History of Art) | |
| 007 | Anthropology | 036 | Assamese | |
| 046 | Adult Education / Continuing Education / Andragogy / Non-Formal Education | 070 | Tribal and Regional Language / Literature | |
| 039 | French (French Version) | 067 | Archaeology | |
| 033 | Dogri | 037 | Gujarati | |
| 041 | Russian | 043 | Rajasthani | |
| 032 | Chinese | — | — | |
| 06 January 2026 | 002 | Political Science | 020 | Hindi |
| 011 | Defence and Strategic Studies | 026 | Tamil | |
| 049 | Arab Culture and Islamic Studies | 063 | Mass Communication and Journalism | |
| 102 | Hindu Studies | 021 | Kannada | |
| 034 | Nepali | 022 | Malayalam | |
| 072 | Comparative Literature | 035 | Manipuri | |
| 045 | Japanese | 103 | Indian Knowledge Systems | |
| 101 | Sindhi | 044 | German | |
| 7 January 2026 | 001 | Economics / Rural Economics / Co-operation / Demography / Development Planning / Development Studies / Econometrics / Applied Economics / Development Eco. / Business Economics | 089 | Environmental Sciences |
| 017 | Management (including Business Administration, Marketing Management, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management / Personnel Management / Financial Management / and Co-operative Management) | 012 | Home Science | |
| 014 | Public Administration | 047 | Physical Education | |
| 015 | Population Studies | 055 | Labour Welfare / Personnel Management / Industrial Relations / Labour and Social Welfare / Human Resource Management | |
| 031 | Linguistics | 088 | Electronic Science | |
| 060 | Buddhist; Jaina; Gandhian and Peace Studies | 016 | Music | |
| 105 | Ayurveda Biology | 038 | Marathi | |
| 083 | Pali | 065 | Performing Arts – Dance / Drama / Theatre | |
UGC NET Exam Pattern & Duration
The UGC NET exam pattern is specifically designed to evaluate a candidate’s teaching aptitude, research capabilities, and subject mastery. The exam is held in an online (CBT) mode, consisting of objective-type questions that gauge academic readiness for future roles in higher education and research.
|
Aspect
|
Paper I
|
Paper II
|
|---|---|---|
|
Mode of Exam
|
Online (CBT)
|
Online (CBT)
|
|
Number of Papers
|
Paper I
|
Paper II
|
|
Duration
|
3 hours (combined for both papers)
|
3 hours (combined for both papers)
|
|
Total Questions
|
50
|
100
|
|
Total Marks
|
100
|
200
|
|
Question Type
|
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
|
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
|
|
Marking Scheme
|
+2 for each correct answer
|
+2 for each correct answer
|
FAQs
Mark your calendars: the UGC NET December 2025 exam cycle is scheduled for 31 December 2025 through 7 January 2026.
The UGC NET December 2025 admit card is tentatively scheduled for release on 28 December 2025. Candidates are advised to monitor the official NTA website regularly for the most recent updates and hall ticket download links.
Achieving a qualifying score in the UGC NET provides candidates with the credentials required for Assistant Professor recruitment, JRF fellowships, and admission to prestigious PhD programs nationwide.
