The National Testing Agency (NTA), on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC), has announced the detailed subject-wise schedule for the UGC NET December 2025 examination.
The high-stakes test, which determines eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Assistant Professorship, and PhD admissions across Indian universities and colleges, will be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode from December 31, 2025, to January 7, 2026.
With lakhs of postgraduate aspirants expected to appear, the release of the schedule on December 17 provides much-needed clarity for candidates to finalize their preparation and travel plans.
The exam will span select dates over this period, with papers held in two daily shifts: Shift 1 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and Shift 2 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Notably, December 31 will feature only the morning shift.
Key Highlights of the Exam
Mode: Online (CBT)
Duration: 3 hours per paper (no break between Paper 1 and Paper 2)
Candidates clearing the minimum cutoff qualify for Assistant Professorship or PhD admissions.Top performers eligible for JRF can pursue funded research and also apply for teaching roles. A dedicated “PhD-only” category allows shortlisted candidates to apply directly for doctoral programs.
Advice for Aspirants
The NTA has urged candidates to regularly visit the official website (ugcnet.nta.ac.in) for updates, including city intimation slips (expected 10 days before the exam) and admit cards.
The UGC NET remains a crucial gateway for academic careers in India, testing candidates across 85 subjects. This cycle follows the successful June 2025 session, where over 10 lakh registered and results were declared promptly.
Detailed Subject-Wise Schedule
| Date | Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM) | Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM) |
|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2025 | Law, Social Work, Telugu, Tourism Administration and Management, Spanish, Prakrit, Kashmiri, Konkani | – |
| January 2, 2026 | Computer Science and Applications, Library and Information Science, Urdu, Forensic Science, Bengali, Arabic, Bodo, Human Rights and Duties | Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Oriya, Yoga, Punjabi, Social Medicine & Community Health, Women Studies |
| January 3, 2026 | Commerce, Sanskrit, Santali, Criminology, Politics (including International Relations/Studies, Defence/Strategic Studies, West Asian Studies, South East Asian Studies, African Studies, South Asian Studies, Soviet Studies, American Studies), Disaster Management, Museology & Conservation | Geography, Education, Folk Literature, Maithili, Indian Culture, Persian, Comparative Study of Religions |
| January 5, 2026 | English, Sanskrit Traditional Subjects (including Jyotisha/Sidhanta Jyotish/Navya Vyakarna/Vyakarna/Mimansa/Navya Nyaya/Sankhya Yoga/Tulanatmaka Darsan/Shukla Yajurveda/Madhav Vedant/Dharmasasta/Sahitya/Puranotihasa/Agama), Anthropology, Adult Education/Continuing Education/Andragogy/Non Formal Education, French (French Version), Dogri, Russian, Chinese | History, Visual Art (including Drawing & Painting/Sculpture/Graphics/Applied Art/History of Art), Assamese, Tribal and Regional Language/Literature, Archaeology, Gujarati, Rajasthani |
| January 6, 2026 | Political Science, Defence and Strategic Studies, Arab Culture and Islamic Studies, Hindu Studies, Nepali, Comparative Literature, Japanese, Sindhi | Hindi, Tamil, Mass Communication and Journalism, Kannada, Malayalam, Manipuri, Indian Knowledge Systems, German |
| January 7, 2026 | Economics (including Rural Economics/Co-operation/Demography/Development Planning/Development Studies/Econometrics/Applied Economics/Development Eco./Business Economics), Management (including Business Admn. Mgt./Marketing/Marketing Mgt./Industrial Relations and Personnel Mgt./Personnel Mgt./Financial Mgt./Co-operative Management), Public Administration, Population Studies, Linguistics, Buddhist/Jaina/Gandhian and Peace Studies, Ayurveda Biology, Pali | Environmental Sciences, Home Science, Physical Education, Labour Welfare/Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/Labour and Social Welfare/Human Resource Management, Electronic Science, Music, Marathi, Performing Art – Dance/Drama/Theatre |
Candidates are reminded to verify their subject codes and shifts from the official NTA notice. For queries, contact the helpline at 011-40759000 or email ugcnet@nta.ac.in.As the exam approaches amid the festive season, aspirants are encouraged to focus on revision, mock tests, and well-being to perform at their best in this competitive national-level assessment.
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