The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Monday, November 2, announced that 9,75,505 candidates have paid the application fee for the UGC NET December 2026 examination.
Sharing the update through its official X account, the agency clarified that the figure is subject to bank reconciliation.
The number represents candidates who have paid the examination fee and should not be confused with the final number of candidates appearing for the examination.
NTA also reiterated the previously announced examination schedule, including the dates for city intimation slips and admit cards.
As per the examination schedule announced earlier by NTA:
Examination dates: December 14–18 and 21, 2026
City intimation slip: November 23, 2026
Admit card release: December 7, 2026
Subject-wise examination schedule: Yet to be announced
The examination will be conducted for determining eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to PhD programmes under the applicable categories.
The 9,75,505 figure reflects the number of candidates whose application fees have been paid, according to NTA's latest update.
However, the agency has stated that the number is subject to bank reconciliation. The final count may therefore change after payment records are verified.
The figure also does not indicate how many candidates will eventually appear for the examination in December.
NTA has advised candidates to download and retain their application confirmation pages.
Candidates can visit the official websites, nta.ac.in and ugcnet.nta.nic.in, for further updates, including the subject-wise examination schedule.