On behalf of UGC, 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.
NTA-UGC conducts NET twice a year, i.e.,in the months of June and December. The notifications announcing the June and December examinations are published in the months of February/March and August/September respectively in the weekly journal of nation-wide circulation, viz, Employment News.
The Test will consist of two papers. Both the papers will consist of only objective type questions in two separate sessions as under:
| Session | Paper | Marks | No. of Questions | Duration |
| First | I | 100 | 50 questions all are compulsory | 1-Hour |
| Second | II | 200 | 100 questions all are compulsory | 2-Hours |
Paper-I shall consist of 50 objective type compulsory questions each carrying 2 marks. The questions which will be of general nature, intended to assess the teaching/research aptitude of the candidate. It will primarily be designed to test reasoning ability, comprehension, divergent thinking and general awareness of the candidate.
Paper-II shall consist of 100 objective type compulsory questions each carrying 2 marks which will be based on the subject selected by the candidate.
All the questions of Paper II will be compulsory, covering entire syllabus of earlier Paper II & Paper III (including all electives, without options).
Mode of Examination: The Examination shall only be conducted as Computer Based Test (CBT).
The scholarship of the JRF (NET) fellowship, at present, is 25,000/- per month plus HRA. The fellowship will be governed by terms and conditions of CSIR, UGC or Research Scheme, as applicable. The number of fellowships for each subject is limited. SC/ST applicants will be given such special considerations as may be decided by the Co-ordination Committee as per policy guidelines.
The duration of fellowship will be initially for 2 years carrying a monthly stipend of 25,000/-. On completion of two years as JRF (NET), the stipend of a fellow may be increased to 28,000/-p.m. for the 3rd year on the basis of assessment of candidate’s research progress through interview by the prescribed Expert Committee and Ph.D. registration. Upon such a recommendation, the fellow will be called SRF (NET). The total tenure as JRF (NET) plus SRF (NET) shall not exceed 5 years.
