The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to declare the UGC NET December 2025 results by 4th February 2026. This exam is very important for students who want to become assistant professors or take admission to PhD programs in Indian Universities.
Candidates who appeared for the exam from 31st December 2025 to 7th January 2026 will be able to check their scorecards online at the official website.
About the UGC NET December 2025 Exam
The December 2025 UGC NET exam was conducted in computer-based test (CBT) mode for 85 subjects. Due to the large number of students, the exam was held in two shifts:
- Shift 1: 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
- Shift 2: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
After the exam, NTA released the provisional answer key on 14th January 2026. Students were allowed to raise objections till 17th January 2026 by paying a fee of INR 200 per question. The final results will be prepared using the final answer key after correcting all valid objections.
What is the Normalization Process?
Since the exam was conducted in multiple shifts, the difficulty level of the question papers may differ. To ensure fairness, NTA uses a normalization process.
- Candidates’ raw marks are converted into percentiles.
- Percentile scores show how a candidate performed compared to others in the same shift.
- The lowest qualifying percentile becomes the cut-off for that category.
This system ensures that no students are disadvantaged because of an easier or tougher paper.
Three Categories of UGC NET Qualification
From the 2024-2025 academic session, UGC NET results are divided into 3 categories:
Category 1:
- Eligible for junior research fellowship (JRF)
- Eligible for an assistant professor position
- Eligible for PhD Admission
Category 2:
- Eligible for Assistant Professor
- Eligible for PhD admission
- Not eligible for JRF
Category 3:
- Eligible only for PhD admission
- Not eligible for JRF or Assistant Professor
For Category 2 and Category 3, the NET score is valid for one year from the result date for PhD admission.
How to Check UGC NET December 2025 Result
The scorecard will clearly mention whether you are qualified for JRF, Assistant Professor, or PhD admission. Once the result is released, follow these simple steps:
- Step 1: Visit the official website @ugcnet.nta.nic.in.
- Step 2: Click on the UGC NET December 2025 scorecard
- Step 3: Enter your application number and date of birth or password
- Step 4: Download and save your scorecard
Around the top 6% of candidates who appear in the UGC NET exam qualify for Assistant Professor eligibility, as per UGC guidelines. The selection for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is more and is done based on higher merit, while also following the reservation norms set by the Government of India.
Candidates are strongly advised to download and keep a printed copy of their scorecard, as it will be required for future academic admissions, PhD applications, interviews, and official verification purposes.
