UGC-NET Dec 2026: 3 days left, no late fee

UGC-NET December 2026 applications close on 31 October 2026 at 11:50 pm — and NTA has now removed the late fee. If your form or fee is still pending, these are your last 3 days, and a form without fee payment does not count.

Updated: 29 October 2026, 10:00 IST

Quick Read:

• Last date for form AND fee payment: 31 October 2026, 11:50 pm, with NO late fee (NTA notice, 27 October 2026).
• Earlier plan was different: normal window ended 28 October, with a ₹500 late fee for 29–31 October. That late fee has now been dropped — do not pay it.
• Exams are in December 2026. Correction window: 2–4 November 2026 (reported; confirm on the portal).

The National Testing Agency (NTA) runs UGC-NET for the University Grants Commission (UGC). The exam decides eligibility for three things: Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as Assistant Professor, and admission to PhD programmes in Indian universities and colleges. It is held in computer-based test (CBT) mode across 87 subjects.

What changed on 27 October — read this first

This is the most important part of this post, because old news reports are now wrong.

The first schedule said: apply from 8 October to 28 October, 11:50 pm. Then a late window from 29 to 31 October, with an extra ₹500 late fee on top of the normal fee.

NTA’s public notice dated 27 October 2026 changed that. It extended the last date for the online form to 31 October 2026, 11:50 pm, without any late fee. The last date for successful fee payment was also extended to the same time. The notice says all other terms in the information bulletin and earlier notices remain unchanged.

So, in plain words: if you apply on 29, 30, or 31 October, you pay only the normal category fee. There is no separate late-fee window now. If any site still tells you to pay ₹500 extra, it is showing the old schedule. Trust the 27 October NTA notice and the official portal, not an old article.

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Who can apply?

You can apply if you have a Master’s degree or an equivalent exam from a recognised university or institution, subject to the marks rule below. Final-year Master’s students can also apply, but they must finish the degree within two years of the NET result, as reported by Jagran Josh.

Marks rule, as reported: General and General-EWS candidates generally need at least 55% in the Master’s degree. SC, ST, OBC-NCL, PwD/PwBD and Third Gender candidates are eligible with 50%. Check the full information bulletin for your exact course, because some courses and diplomas have special rules.

Age rule, as reported: there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor or for PhD admission. For JRF, the maximum age is 30 years as on 1 December 2026, with relaxation for eligible categories. Confirm your category relaxation in the bulletin before you apply — do not guess it.

Fees — reported figures, verify on the portal

The normal application fees, as reported by Times of College, are: General — ₹1,150; General-EWS / OBC-NCL — ₹600; SC / ST / PwD / Third Gender — ₹325. These fee figures come from a single secondary report, not from the 27 October NTA notice itself. The portal will show the exact fee when you pay. If the portal shows a different figure, the portal is correct.

There is no ₹500 late fee to add now. That is the whole point of the 27 October change.

What to do today — last 3 days

Today is 29 October. You have 29, 30, and 31 October left. Do not leave it to the last night. NTA itself advises applicants to finish well before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical problems.

Step 1: Go only to the official portal, ugcnet.nta.nic.in. Do not apply through any agent site or paid link. NTA also lists nta.ac.in for updates.

Step 2: Register with your own email and mobile number, or log in if you already registered. Save your application number.

Step 3: Fill personal and academic details with care. A small spelling mistake now can cost time in the correction window later.

Step 4: Upload a recent photograph, signature, and any supporting certificates in the format the portal asks for. Reports also mention a live photograph capture step on the portal — follow what the portal itself asks on the day.

Step 5: Pay the fee online and check that the payment shows as successful. A form without successful fee payment is incomplete. Take a screenshot of the payment success page.

Step 6: Download the confirmation page. Save a copy and take a printout. This is your proof that you applied.

Dates after the form

Correction window: 2–4 November 2026, as reported by several outlets. Use it only if you need to fix a real mistake. Do not wait for this window to finish a half-filled form.

Exam city slip and admit card: some reports give tentative dates — city slip 23 November 2026 and admit card 7 December 2026 — while others say NTA has not announced these dates yet. Treat 23 November and 7 December as tentative/unconfirmed until NTA announces them. Your admit card, when it comes, will show your exact centre, date, and shift.

Exam dates — reports differ, check the bulletin

Do not treat either published exam schedule as settled fact. Some reports give the revised exam schedule as 14–18 December and 21 December 2026. Other reports give 14–19 December 2026. The 27 October NTA notice says other terms remain unchanged, so it does not settle which version is right.

What is not in doubt: the exam is in December 2026, in CBT mode, across 87 subjects. Your exact date and shift will be on your admit card. Check the current NTA information bulletin on ugcnet.nta.nic.in before planning travel around a date.

Your concrete next step today

If you have not finished: open ugcnet.nta.nic.in today, finish the form, pay the normal fee, and download the confirmation page. Do not pay any late fee, and do not wait until 31 October night. If you have already applied and paid, check your confirmation page once, note the 2–4 November correction window, and then start exam preparation — the form work is done.

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FAQ

Q: What is the last date for UGC-NET December 2026?
A: 31 October 2026, 11:50 pm, for both the form and the fee payment, with no late fee, as per NTA’s notice dated 27 October 2026.

Q: Do I have to pay the ₹500 late fee if I apply on 29–31 October?
A: No. That ₹500 late fee was in the earlier schedule. NTA’s 27 October notice removed it. You pay only the normal category fee.

Q: What happens if I fill the form but do not pay the fee?
A: Your application is incomplete. The form counts only after the fee payment shows as successful. Always download the confirmation page after payment.

Sources: NTA public notice dated 27 Oct 2026; Indian Express, 28 Oct 2026; Times Now, 28 Oct 2026; Times of College and Career Power/Jagran Josh (exam-date versions differ — see exam-dates section).