UGC NET eligibility criteria 2024 must be checked by candidates before filling out the admission form. The eligibility criteria has been shared by the National Testing Agency on the website. The official notification for UGC NET 2024 has been released.
However, the as per the eligibility requirement for UGC NET 2024 exam a candidate belonging to general category is 55%, for PwD it is 50%, for SC/ ST it is 50%, OBC it is 50% in their PG through a recongnized institutions.
All aspirants are advised to go through the detailed UGC NET eligibility criteria 2024, laid out by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Candidates interested in the field of education providing are expected to abide by certain standards set by the National Testing Agency. The educational qualifications sought in the ideal candidates, who shall take over the vacant posts of Assistant Professors and look forward to competing for the Junior Research Fellowship are discussed below:
| Category | Percentage Required |
| General or Unreserved | 55% |
| Transgender and PwD | 50% |
| SC and ST | 50% |
| Other Backward Classes | 50% |
Note
The age limits for UGC NET 2024 are below.
UGC NET JRF Age Limit: Candidates who are below 30 years of age as of Dec 1, 2024, can apply. A relaxation of 5 years is granted to candidates belonging to OBC/SC/ST/PWD categories and women candidates.
Note that the candidates who have prior experience in the domain of research are also eligible to avail of a relaxation equivalent to the time spent on research in their respective subjects during post-graduation, with a maximum limit of 5 years.
If they can provide a certificate in support of the same from respective authorities. In addition, there is an age relaxation of 3 years for candidates possessing an L.L.M. degree.
| Category/Condition | Age Relaxation |
| Female Candidates of All Categories | 5 Years |
| SC/ST/OBC/Transgender/PH | 5 Years |
| Candidates Holding LLM Degree | 3 Years |
| Candidates from Armed Forces | 5 Years |
UGC NET Assistant Professor/Lecturer Age Limit: There is no upper age limit as such for the role of assistant professor. Candidates who have served in the armed forces will be provided with the benefit of relaxation of up to 5 years, subject to the length of service in the armed forces up to Jun 1, 2024.
Eligibility criteria for general category candidates applying for UGC NET 2024 exam are that they should have scored 55% aggregate in his/her Master’s Degree or Equivalent Degree. Certificates that will be considered proof of age are the 10th standard mark sheet or passing certificate and DOB certificate.
Eligibility criteria for ST/SC/OBC/ PWD category are that a candidate should have a 50% aggregate in Master’s Degree. PhD degree holders whose Master’s level exam has been completed by September 19, 1991 (irrespective of the date of declaration of result) will be eligible for a relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks, i.e. from 55% to 50% for appearing in NET.
As per the rules laid out by the Government of India, the reservation policy is discussed below.
| Category | Reservation of Seats |
| General-EWS | 10% |
| Scheduled Castes | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribes | 7.5% |
| Persons with Disability (40% or more) | 5% |
| Other Backward Classes-NCL | 27% |
The applicants must note that they will be expected to abide by certain subject-specific eligibility conditions set up by the NTA. All those conditions are discussed in this section.
Age Limit for JRF: 31 years (+5 years for reserved categories)
Age Limit for Assistant Professor: NA
Educational Qualifications: The applicants belonging to the General Category are expected to score a minimum of 55% marks in their post-graduation degree. Candidates from any of the above-mentioned Reserved Categories shall get a relaxation of 5%.
6% of all the qualifying candidates of the NTA UGC NET 2024 examination, who have scored the maximum marks will receive the Junior Research Fellowship.
The points to remember regarding UGC NET 2024 eligibility criteria are below.
Age Relaxation: Age relaxation is provided for candidates with research experience (provided they have to obtain a certificate of the same to get the relaxation). Relevant Category Certificates are also required for Age Relaxation. Candidates will not get any age relaxation of more than 5 years either through one or multiple clauses. Five years of Relaxation will be provided for women candidates and SC/ST//OBC/PwD Candidates.
Revised Criteria: UGC has revised the procedure and criteria for qualifying candidates. It has been decided that the top 6% of total candidates who appear in UGC-NET examination will be declared qualified as per UGC NET 2024 Exam Pattern.
Transgender People: Transgender candidates will be provided with the same relaxation in fee, age, and qualifying criteria for NET (i.e. JRF and Lectureship/Assistant Professor) available to SC/ST/PwD categories. The subject-wise cut-offs for the transgender category will be lowest among those for SC/ST/PwD/OBC-NCL categories in the respective subject.
Certain exemptions are allowed for each category of people applying for UGC NET 2024.
