UGC NET December 2026: Last Date Extended to 31 October, With No Late Fee

In short: The UGC NET December 2026 form was due to close tonight, 28 October. NTA has now given three more days: you can apply and pay until 11:50 pm on Saturday, 31 October, at the normal fee. If you are finishing or have finished a Master's (or are in the last year of a four-year bachelor's) and have not completed the form yet, this is your window.

What happened

On 27 October 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) issued a public notice extending the last date for the UGC NET December 2026 application. Both the form and the fee payment can now be completed up to 31 October 2026, 11:50 pm, "without any late fee".

This changes the money side too. Under the original schedule, 29 to 31 October was a late window with an extra ₹500. That extra charge is now gone for these three days. The notice does not mention any late window after 31 October, so treat Saturday night as the real end.

NTA says everything else in the information bulletin stays the same. That means:

• Correction window: 2 to 4 November (fix details in a form already submitted).
• Exam city: announced on 23 November.
• Admit card: 7 December.
• Exam: 14 to 18 December and 21 December. Your exact date and shift will be on the admit card.

We covered the original form and the revised exam dates here. This piece is about the extension.

Should you wait till Saturday?

No. NTA itself asks candidates to finish well before the deadline, and for good reason. The form needs a Meri Pehchaan login, a live photograph through webcam or phone, scanned documents and an online payment. Any one of these can stall when thousands of people try at the same time on the last evening.

For students

1. If you started but did not pay, your form is not complete. Log in, check every step, and pay.
2. Wait for the payment to show as successful. If money leaves your account but the form still shows "unpaid", do not pay again straight away. Note the transaction details and contact the NTA helpdesk (011-40759000, ugcnet@nta.ac.in).
3. Download and save the confirmation page once it appears. Keep a copy on your phone and one printed.
4. Spotted a mistake after submitting? Don't fill a second form. Use the correction window from 2 to 4 November.
5. Check eligibility before you pay. You need 55% in your Master's (50% for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates); final-year Master's students can apply. Four-year bachelor's graduates need 75% (with relaxation for some categories) and can qualify for JRF and PhD admission, not Assistant Professor.

For parents

• You save ₹500. Anyone applying between 29 and 31 October now pays only the normal fee: ₹1,150 for General, ₹600 for General-EWS and OBC-NCL, and ₹325 for SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates. Bank charges and GST are extra.
• Help with the payment, not the form. If your card or UPI is being used, stay nearby when your child pays, so an OTP or a failed transaction can be sorted out immediately.
• Keep the phone and email active. Every NTA message, including the city slip and admit card, goes to the email and mobile number on the form. It should be the candidate's or a parent's.
• Block mid-December on the family calendar. The exam falls between 14 and 21 December, and the centre could be in another city.

Key dates

Date	What
31 Oct, 11:50 pm	Last date to apply and pay (no late fee)
2–4 Nov	Correction window
23 Nov	Exam city announced
7 Dec	Admit card
14–18 Dec and 21 Dec	Exam

Sources

• NTA, Public notice: extension of last date for UGC-NET December 2026 (27 October 2026). Checked 28 Oct 2026.
• NTA, UGC-NET December 2026 Information Bulletin (16 October 2026): correction window, city slip, admit card, exam dates, fees, eligibility. Checked 28 Oct 2026.
• NTA, UGC-NET official website. Checked 28 Oct 2026.

Dates can change. Confirm on the official website before you pay or apply.