National Testing Agency (NTA) is a national-level test that is conducted to determine the eligibility of Indian candidates for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as Assistant Professor, or admission to various PhD programmes in Indian universities and colleges. The Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2025 examination is scheduled for 18th December 2025. Check the complete CSIR NET Exam schedule from here. 

CSIR UGC NET 2025 Notification Out

NTA has released the detailed CSIR NET December 2025 Notification on its website. The notification includes all important information such as how to apply, exam pattern, eligibility criteria, important dates, and more. Candidates can download the CSIR UGC NET Notification PDF from the official website or from the link attached below.

CSIR NET 2025 Notification PDF- Click to Download

CSIR NET 2025 Overview

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test (CSIR NET) is organized by the National Testing Agency twice every year in June and December. The CSIR NET December Notification has been released at https://csirnet.nta.ac.in/. Make sure you go through the highlights of the CSIR NET 2025 Exam from the tabulated data below to have a better understanding of the eligibility test.

CSIR UGC NET 2025- Exam Summary
Conducting BodyNational Testing Agency (NTA)
Exam NameCSIR UGC NET December 2025
Full-FormCSIR NET (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test)
Exam LevelNational
Exam FrequencyTwice a year (June & December)
CSIR NET Exam Date 202518th December 2025 (Thursday)
Mode of ExamOnline - CBT (Computer Based Test)
Language/Medium of ExamEnglish and Hindi
No. of Test Cities225
Official Websitehttps://csirnet.nta.ac.in/
https://nta.ac.in/

CSIR NET Exam Date 2025 Out

The exam date for the Joint CSIR NET December 2025 Exam has been announced for 18th December 2025 (Thursday). The exam will be held in two shifts from 9 am to 12 noon and from 3 pm to 6 pm. Further details regarding the exam venue, exam timing, exam centre etc will be released along with the admit card. 

CSIR NET City Intimation Slip 2025 - Click to Check

CSIR NET 2025- Important Dates

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the complete schedule regarding the CSIR NET exam, along with the CSIR NET December Notification PDF. CSIR NET 2025 December exam will be held on 18th December 2025. Check important dates from the table below.

EventsDates
CSIR NET December Notification 202525th September 2025
CSIR NET Application Form 2025 Starts 25th September 2025
Last Date to apply online  27th October 2025
Last Date to pay application fee28th October 2025
CSIR NET Correction Dates30th October to 1st November 2025
CSIR NET City Intimation Slip 202510th December 2025
CSIR NET Admit Card 202514th December  2025
CSIR NET Exam Date 202518th December 2025

CSIR NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must fulfill the following criteria to apply for CSIR NET 2025 December Session. Candidates applying for JRF must be 30 years or younger, while there is no age limit for those applying for Assistant Professor or Ph.D. admission through CSIR December NET.

ParametersEligibility
Nationality Indian citizen
Upper Age Limit  (As of 1/10/2025)JRF- 30 years 
Assistant Professor & Ph.D. Admission- No age limit
Education Qualification
  • General/Unreserved/EWS Candidates must have at least 55% marks (no rounding off) in their Master’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university.
  • OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)/SC/ST/PwD/Third Gender Candidates must have at least 50% marks.
  • Students who are in the final year of their Master's degree, or awaiting results, can also apply.
  • Four-Year Bachelor’s Degree Holders must have at least 75% marks or equivalent grade.

CSIR NET 2025 Application Fee

The applicants have to pay the CSIR NET application fee in online mode via debit card/credit card/internet banking. The category-wise application fee is as follows.

CategoryCSIR NET Application Fee
GeneralRs. 1150/-
EWS/ OBC – Non-creamy layerRs. 600/-
SC/ST/PwD/Third GenderRs. 325/-
PwDNIL

Steps to Apply for CSIR NET December 2025

Candidates can apply for the CSIR Eligibility test for the December session by following these simple steps.

PART I: Registration

  1. Register on the official website to get your Application Number.
  2. Enter basic details as per your Class 10 certificate:
  3. Full Name (No prefixes like Mr./Ms..), Mother’s and Father’s Name, Date of Birth (Format: dd/mm/yyyy), Use your own mobile number and email ID (only one per application).
  4. Email and phone number can’t be changed later, so be careful.

PART II: Fill the Complete Application Form

  1. You can edit your form before final submission.
  2. The form can be filled in multiple steps, you can save it as a draft and complete it later before the last date.
  3. Upload documents, pay the fee, and print the Confirmation Page.
  4. Form is considered submitted only after fee payment is successful.
  5. OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) should refer to the central list on www.ncbc.nic.in
  6. Enter gender, address with PIN Code, subject of the exam, and preferred exam cities carefully these cannot be changed later.

PART III: Upload Documents

Make sure all files are clear, scanned, and in correct specifications

Photograph

  1. Clear face, no cap/goggles, white background, 80% face visible.
  2. JPG/JPEG format only, 10 kb to 200 kb.
  3. Spectacles allowed if worn regularly.
  4. No computer-generated or altered photos.

Signature

  1. Full signature in running handwriting.
  2. Use blue/black pen on white paper.
  3. JPG/JPEG format, 10 kb to 50 kb.

PART IV: Pay Exam Fee

  1. Pay via Net Banking / Credit Card / Debit Card / UPI.
  2. Save a copy of the payment receipt for future reference.

CSIR NET 2025 Exam Pattern

The CSIR UGC NET 2025 exam will be conducted in an online mode with objective-type multiple-choice questions being asked from the subject chosen by candidates. The examination will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode in two shifts on 18 December 2025. Shift 1 will take place from 9 am to 12 noon, and Shift 2 will be held from 3 pm to 6 pm. The exam will cover five subjects, Chemical Sciences, Earth/Atmospheric/Ocean/Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences and will be conducted in English and Hindi. Have a look at the CSIR NET 2025 exam pattern overview from the table below.

ParticularsExam Pattern Highlights
Exam modeOnline (Computer Based Test)
Exam duration180 minutes (3 hours)
Number of sections/parts3 in each paper
No. of questions Total Questions- 610
To be attempted- 310
Type of questionsMCQs; 4 options with only 1 correct option
Total marks200 for each paper
Negative markingYes
Language of paperEnglish and Hindi

For each subject, the test would consist of three parts, for which the detailed CSIR UGC NET Exam Scheme has been discussed below- 

  1. Each exam will be conducted for a total of 200 marks.
  2. There will be three sections - Part A, Part B and Part C in each exam.
  3. The marking system for each exam differs. We have provided the exam pattern for each exam below.
CSIR UGC NET Subject-wise Scheme
SubjectsNo. of QuestionsTo be attemptedMarking SchemeNegative Marking
Chemical Sciences120
Part A- 20
Part B- 40
Part C- 60
75
Part A- 15
Part B- 35
Part C- 25
200
Part A- 2 
Part B- 2
Part C- 4
Part A- 0.5
Part B- 0.5
Part C- 1
Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences150
Part A- 20
Part B- 50
Part C- 80
75
Part A- 15
Part B- 35
Part C- 25
200
Part A- 2
Part B- 2
Part C- 4
Part A- 0.5
Part B- 0.5
Part C- 1.32
Life Sciences145
Part A- 20
Part B- 50
Part C- 75
45
Part A- 15
Part B- 35
Part C- 25
200
Part A- 2
Part B- 2
Part C- 4
Part A- 0.5
Part B- 0.5
Part C- 1
Mathematical Sciences120
Part A- 20
Part B- 40
Part C- 60
60
Part A- 15
Part B- 25
Part C- 20
200
Part A- 2 
Part B- 3
Part C- 4.75
Part A- 0.5
Part B- 0.75
Part C- 0
Physical Sciences75
Part A- 20
Part B- 25
Part C- 30
55
Part A- 15
Part B- 20
Part C- 20
200
Part A- 2 
Part B- 3.5
Part C- 5
Part A- 0.5
Part B- 0.875
Part C- 1.25

CSIR NET Syllabus 2025 - Click to Check

CSIR NET Exam Pattern 2025- Click to Check

CSIR NET 2025 Answer Key

Once the exams are conducted, NTA will release the provisional answer key on its website. Candidates will get an opportunity to challenge this answer key. And to do so the candidate has to pay Rs. 1000 per challenged question. After reviewing these challenges, NTA will release the final answer key on its website. You cannot challenge this final CSIR NET Answer Key in any manner whatsoever. 

CSIR NET 2025 Result

Candidates will be given a fellowship as per the CSIR merit list. Only those candidates who will obtain the cut-off will be eligible for the final merit list. NTA will publish two separate merit lists on its website for the result of JRF and Lectureship, respectively. Candidates who qualify in the JRF merit list will also be eligible for the Lectureship/Assistant Professor fellowship. As per the notification, there shall be no re-evaluation of the CSIR NET result. 

CSIR UGC NET Cut Off 2025

CSIR NET Cut off 2025 will be released by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) along with the UGC NET Result. The cutoff marks have been released subject-wise and category-wise separately for the Joint CSIR UGC NET for each session separately. Have a look at the CSIR NET June 2025 Cut Off for Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship/Assistant Professor from section below. 

CSIR NET June 2025 JUNE Cut Off 

SubjectJunior Research Fellowship (NET)
UR (%)EWS (%)OBC (%)SC (%)ST (%)PWD (%)
Chemical Science50.75044.5043.7593.2528.0025.50
Earth Science61.2953.9753.1344.9943,3826.70
Life Science*51.5044.0043.7537.2535.7525.00
Mathematical Science53.37546.0043.37535.37530.7525.125
Physical Science51.18842.37543.37531.62529.18825.125
SubjectLectureship/Assistant professor (NET)
UR (%)EWS (%)OBC (%)SC (%)ST (%)PWD (%)
Chemical Science45.67540.0539.37529.92525.20025.000
Earth Science55.16148.57347.81740.49139.04225.000
Life Science*46.25039.6039.37533.52532.17525.000
Mathematical Science48.03841.4039.03831.83827.67525.000
Physical Science46.06938.13839.03828.46326.26925.000

CSIR NET 2025 Exam Centres

Candidates can check the list of exam cities available in each state and union territory where the CSIR NET 2025 exam will be conducted.

State/UTsCity
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsPort Blair
Andhra Pradesh
  1. Anantapur
  2. Bhimavaram
  3. Chirala
  4. Chittoor
  5. Eluru
  6. Guntur
  7. Kadapa
  8. Kakinada
  9. Kurnool
  10. Nellore
  11. Ongole
  12. Rajahmundry
  13. Srikakulam
  14. Tirupati
  15. Vijayawada
  16. Visakhapatnam
  17. Vizianagaram
  18. Narasaraopet
  19. Proddatur
  20. Surampalem
Arunachal PradeshItanagar/ Naharlagun
Assam
  1. Dibrugarh
  2. Guwahati
  3. Jorhat
  4. Silchar
  5. Tezpur
Bihar
  1. Bhagalpur
  2. Darbhanga
  3. Gaya
  4. Muzaffarpur
  5. Patna
  6. Purnea
  7. Arrah
Chandigarh (ut)Chandigarh/Mohali
Chhattisgarh
  1. Bhilai/Durg/Bhilai Nagar
  2. Bilaspur (CG)
  3. Raipur
Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu (UT)
  1. Dadra & Nagar Haveli
  2. Daman
  3. Diu
DelhiDelhi/New Delhi
GoaPanaji/Madgaon
Gujarat
  1. Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar
  2. Anand
  3. Bhavnagar
  4. Jamnagar
  5. Junagadh
  6. Mehsana
  7. Rajkot
  8. Surat
  9. Vadodara
  10. Valsad/Vapi
  11. Himatnagar
Haryana
  1. Ambala
  2. Faridabad
  3. Gurugram
  4. Hissar
  5. Karnal
  6. Kurukshetra
  7. Panipat
  8. Sonipat
  9. Yamuna Nagar
Himachal Pradesh
  1. Bilaspur (HP)
  2. Hamirpur
  3. Kangra/ Palampur
  4. Shimla
  5. Solan
  6. Mandi
  7. Una
  8. Kullu
Jammu & Kashmir
  1. Baramulla
  2. Jammu
  3. Samba
  4. Srinagar
Jharkhand
  1. Bokaro Steel City
  2. Dhanbad
  3. Jamshedpur
  4. Ranchi
  5. Hazaribagh
Karnataka
  1. Belagavi (Belgaum)
  2. Bellary
  3. Bengaluru
  4. Bidar
  5. Davangere
  6. Gulbarga
  7. Hassan
  8. Hubli
  9. Mangaluru
  10. Mysuru
  11. Shivamogga
  12. Tumakuru
  13. Manipal/Udupi
  14. Mandya
Kerala
  1. Alappuzha/Chengannur
  2. Ernakulam/Angamaly/Muvattupuzha
  3. Idukki
  4. Kannur
  5. Kasaragod
  6. Kollam
  7. Kottayam
  8. Kozhikode
  9. Malappuram
  10. Palakkad
  11. Pathanamthitta
  12. Thiruvananthapuram
  13. Thrissur
LadakhLeh
Lakshadweep (UT)Kavaratti
Madhya Pradesh
  1. Balaghat
  2. Betul
  3. Bhopal
  4. Chhindwara
  5. Gwalior
  6. Indore
  7. Jabalpur
  8. Rewa
  9. Sagar
  10. Satna
  11. Ujjain
Maharashtra
  1. Ahmednagar
  2. Akola
  3. Amravati
  4. Aurangabad (MR)
  5. Chandrapur
  6. Dhule
  7. Jalgaon
  8. Kolhapur
  9. Latur
  10. Mumbai
  11. Nagpur
  12. Nanded
  13. Nasik
  14. Pune
  15. Raigad
  16. Ratnagiri
  17. Sangli
  18. Satara
  19. Solapur
  20. Thane
  21. Wardha
Manipur
  1. Imphal
  2. Churachandpur
MeghalayaShillong
MizoramAizawl
Nagaland
  1. Dimapur
  2. Kohima
Odisha
  1. Balasore
  2. Behrampur(Ganjam)
  3. Bhubaneshwar
  4. Cuttack
  5. Dhenkanal
  6. Rourkela
  7. Sambalpur
PuducherryPuducherry/ Cuddalore
Punjab
  1. Amritsar
  2. Bhatinda
  3. Jalandhar
  4. Ludhiana
  5. Pathankot
  6. Patiala
  7. Sangrur
Rajasthan
  1. Ajmer
  2. Alwar
  3. Bikaner
  4. Jaipur
  5. Jodhpur
  6. Kota
  7. Sikar
  8. Sriganganagar
  9. Udaipur
SikkimGangtok
Tamil Nadu
  1. Chennai
  2. Coimbatore
  3. Cuddalore
  4. Kanchipuram
  5. Kanyakumari/ Nagercoil
  6. Madurai
  7. Namakkal
  8. Salem
  9. Thanjavur
  10. Thoothukudi
  11. Tiruchirappalli
  12. Tirunelveli
  13. Tiruvallur
  14. Vellore
  15. Virudhunagar
Telangana
  1. Hyderabad
  2. Karimnagar
  3. Khammam
  4. Mahbubnagar
  5. Nalgonda
  6. Warangal
TripuraAgartala
Uttar Pradesh
  1. Agra
  2. Aligarh
  3. Allahabad
  4. Bareilly
  5. Faizabad
  6. Ghaziabad
  7. Gorakhpur
  8. Greater Noida/Noida
  9. Jhansi
  10. Kanpur
  11. Lucknow
  12. Mathura
  13. Meerut
  14. Moradabad
  15. Muzaffarnagar
  16. Sitapur
  17. Varanasi
Uttarakhand
  1. Dehradun
  2. Haldwani
  3. Haridwar
  4. Nainital
  5. Pantnagar
  6. Roorkee
West Bengal
  1. Asansol
  2. Bardhaman
  3. Durgapur
  4. Hooghly
  5. Howrah
  6. Kalyani
  7. Kolkata
  8. Siliguri
CSIR NET 2025: FAQs

Ans. The CSIR UGC NET Notification for December Exam has been released on the official website https://csirnet.nta.ac.in.

Ans. CSIR UGC NET 2025 December Exam is scheduled for 18th December 2025.

Ans. The full form of CSIR NET is Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test.

Ans. The exam will cover the following five subjects: Chemical Sciences, Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean & Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences

Important Links