Representative image. Arjuna Rao Chavala, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
About 1.77 lakh registrations were incomplete three days before the original deadline. Those candidates now have until 31 October to finish and pay the normal fee, without the ₹500 late fee that would otherwise have applied from 29 October. A registration without the fee does not count as an application.
The UGC NET last date for the December 2026 cycle is now 31 October, and candidates who apply in the final three days will no longer pay the ₹500 late fee. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which runs the National Eligibility Test (NET) for the University Grants Commission (UGC), said in a public notice dated 27 October that both the online form and the fee payment can be completed until 11.50 pm on 31 October 2026 “without any late fee”.
The regular window for UGC NET December 2026 was due to close at 11.50 pm on 28 October. Everything else in the information bulletin stays as it was, the notice says, including the exam dates in December.
UGC NET last date: what the extension actually changes
The dates 29 to 31 October were already open before this notice. NTA’s schedule of 8 October listed them as a “late submission” window, and its updated bulletin of 16 October said the ₹500 late fee would be charged on top of the normal category fee for everyone applying in that window. The 27 October notice turns those three days into ordinary application days. In plain terms, the deadline has not moved as far as some headlines suggest: the UGC NET late fee has been dropped.
That is NewsPlainly’s reading of the two NTA notices side by side. The table below sets out the UGC NET December 2026 schedule before and after.
| Step | Schedule of 8 Oct (with 16 Oct bulletin) | After 27 Oct notice |
|---|---|---|
| Normal application and fee | 8 to 28 Oct, 11.50 pm | 8 to 31 Oct, 11.50 pm |
| Late window | 29 to 31 Oct, ₹500 extra | None; no late fee |
| Correction window | 2 to 4 Nov | Unchanged |
| Exam city slip | 23 Nov | Unchanged |
| Admit card | 7 Dec | Unchanged |
| Exam days | 14 to 18 Dec and 21 Dec | Unchanged |
How many UGC NET December 2026 forms were still incomplete
NTA’s own figures, reported by The Indian Express and EdexLive, showed that up to 25 October, 5,50,048 people had registered for the test but only 3,73,419 had finished the form and paid the fee. That is roughly 5.5 lakh sign-ups against 3.73 lakh complete applications.
On those numbers, 1,76,629 registrations were still incomplete three days before the original deadline, about 32.1% of everyone who had signed up (NewsPlainly’s calculation: 5,50,048 minus 3,73,419, divided by 5,50,048). EdexLive reported that 31,580 of them had already uploaded a photograph and signature and only had the fee left to pay. Later figures were not given in the reports read.
NTA said in its notice that the extension was meant for candidates who had not completed the process, and asked them not to wait for the final hours to avoid technical trouble.
Who needs to act before 31 October
Before the UGC NET last date passes, check that the form is really complete. A registration on the portal does not count as an application. The bulletin says a form is complete only after the fee goes through, and the confirmation page can be downloaded only after payment. A form left without a photo, signature or fee stands rejected.
- Registered but not finished: log in at ugcnet.nta.nic.in, fill the remaining sections, upload the live photograph, scanned photo and signature, and pay.
- Not yet registered: register with your own email and mobile number until the same deadline; the portal also accepts sign-in through Meri Pehchaan, the government’s single sign-on service.
- Paid already: nothing changes. Download and keep the confirmation page.
The fee itself is unchanged. Bank or card charges and GST are extra, the bulletin says; UPI payments carry no gateway charge.
| Category | Exam fee | Late fee from 29 Oct (earlier plan) |
|---|---|---|
| General / Unreserved | ₹1,150 | Was ₹500 extra, now waived |
| General-EWS, OBC-NCL | ₹600 | Was ₹500 extra, now waived |
| SC, ST, third gender, PwD/PwBD | ₹325 | Was ₹500 extra, now waived |
For a Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) applicant, the dropped UGC NET late fee would have been larger than the exam fee itself.
UGC NET exam date, pattern and rules this December
UGC NET decides eligibility for three things: the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) along with Assistant Professor posts, Assistant Professor posts with PhD admission, and PhD admission alone. The UGC NET December 2026 test covers 87 subjects and is held on computer.
Paper I (50 questions, 100 marks) tests teaching and research aptitude, and Paper II (100 questions, 200 marks) covers the chosen subject. Both run together for 180 minutes with no break. Each right answer earns 2 marks and there is no negative marking.
The 16 October corrigendum made a few changes candidates should know. The UGC NET exam date range is now 14 to 18 December and 21 December, instead of 14 to 19 December with buffer days. Each subject is planned for a single shift, so marks will not need normalising unless a subject spills into a second shift. A pen will be given at the centre, water in a transparent bottle is allowed, and gates close 30 minutes before the exam starts.
Eligibility is unchanged: 55% in a master’s degree for general and EWS candidates, 50% for reserved categories, and final-year students may apply. For JRF the age limit is 30 years as on 1 December 2026, with relaxation for some groups; there is no upper age limit for the Assistant Professor and PhD-only categories.
Next steps after the 31 October deadline
The correction window opens on 2 November and closes at 11.50 pm on 4 November. Under the corrigendum, candidates can revise their exam city choices there; NTA says no change will be accepted after it closes. The exam city slip is scheduled for 23 November and admit cards for 7 December.
The new exam dates were also part of NTA’s revised exam calendar, which NewsPlainly covered on 27 October. The full extension notice is on the NTA’s UGC NET website. For help, NTA lists 011-40759000 and 011-69227700 and the email ugcnet@nta.ac.in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UGC NET December 2026 last date now?
11.50 pm on 31 October 2026, for both the online form and the fee, according to NTA's notice of 27 October.
Is there a late fee for applying on 29, 30 or 31 October?
No. The earlier schedule charged ₹500 extra for those days; the 27 October notice says the form can now be submitted without any late fee.
When is the UGC NET December 2026 correction window?
From 2 to 4 November 2026, up to 11.50 pm. NTA says no changes are accepted after it closes.
When is the UGC NET December 2026 exam?
It is scheduled for 14 to 18 December and 21 December 2026. City slips are due on 23 November and admit cards on 7 December.