The window for online application for the UGC National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) for the merged cycles of December 2021 and June 2022 closes today, May 30 at 5 pm. Aspirants can head to the official website, ugc.nta.nic.in, and fill out and submit their final applications. The application fee for general category candidates is Rs 1,100, whereas that of EWS and OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates is Rs 550. Candidates from the SC/ST, Persons with Disabilities and Third Gender categories are required to pay a sum of Rs 275 as an application fee.
The original deadline to apply for the exam was May 20. However, students flooded UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar with requests for an extension of the deadline due to technical glitches in the application process. In a tweet, the Chairman announced that the last date to apply for the exam will be extended to May 30. The correction window to make amends to the submitted application forms will open on May 31 and close a day later on June 1.
The UGC-NET is held twice every year to determine the eligibility of candidates for the posts of assistant professors and junior research fellows in universities and colleges. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). In April 2022, the UGC announced that the June 2022 exam will be a merged cycle for December 2021 and June 2022. The December 2021 exam could not be held because of COVID-19. Though the UGC is yet to announce the date of the exam, it has been declared that the test will be held in two shifts, from 9 am to 12 noon and another from 3 pm to 6 pm. The exam will most probably be held in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.
