CSIR NET December 2026: Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility and Pattern
The National Testing Agency has published the Information Bulletin for the Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2026 examination. According to the bulletin's dates-at-a-glance section, the computer-based test is scheduled on 19, 22 and 27 December 2026. Online registration without late fee ran from 7 October to 5 November 2026; a late window with an extra Rs 500 ran from 6 to 9 November 2026; and the correction window is listed as 10 to 12 November 2026.
This article stays inside official bulletin facts: purpose of the test, eligibility highlights, fee slab, subject groups, exam scheme examples, admit-card caveats, and how CSIR NET sits beside other winter exams already covered on Itemverses such as UGC NET December 2026, GATE 2027, CTET December 2026 and SSC CGL 2026.
What Joint CSIR-UGC NET decides
The bulletin states that Joint CSIR-UGC NET determines eligibility of Indian nationals for three outcome bundles: award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor; appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.; and admission to Ph.D. only. Category-1 qualifies for JRF, Assistant Professor and Ph.D. Category-2 covers Assistant Professor and Ph.D. but not JRF. Category-3 covers Ph.D. admission only. Universities may use Category-2 and Category-3 scores in place of their own Ph.D. entrance tests under the framework described in the bulletin and UGC Ph.D. regulations references therein.
Key December 2026 dates
- Registration (regular fee): 7 October 2026 to 5 November 2026 (upto 11:50 PM).
- Late submission with late fee Rs 500: 6 November 2026 to 9 November 2026 (upto 11:50 PM).
- Correction window: 10 November 2026 to 12 November 2026.
- Exam dates: 19th, 22nd and 27th December 2026.
- Centre, date and shift: as printed on the admit card.
- Admit card download / result: to be announced later on the NTA and Joint CSIR-UGC NET websites.
Apply only at csirnet.nta.nic.in. The bulletin warns against multiple applications and against registering someone else's email or mobile number. Keep the confirmation page PDF after fee payment. If the confirmation page does not generate, follow the bulletin's payment-reconciliation steps rather than paying blindly a second time.
Application fee
- General: Rs 1,150.
- General-EWS / OBC (NCL): Rs 600.
- SC / ST / PwD / PwBD / Third Gender: Rs 325.
- Late fee (where applicable): Rs 500 during the late window.
Pay by net banking, debit/credit card or UPI through the SBI/Canara gateways listed in the bulletin. Bank or gateway service charges and GST may apply on top of the exam fee. NTA generally does not refund a successfully remitted fee except for duplicate payments after reconciliation.
Eligibility highlights
General / Unreserved / General-EWS candidates need at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in a Master's degree or equivalent from a recognised university. OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD/PwBD and Third Gender candidates need at least 50%. Candidates who are still pursuing or awaiting Master's results may apply provisionally under the bulletin's conditions and must complete the degree with the required percentage within the time limits stated for their qualifying category (two years for most tracks; one year for the Ph.D.-only track, as written in the bulletin).
JRF upper age: not more than 30 years as on the first day of the month in which the examination is concluded (December 2026). Relaxation of up to five years is provided to OBC-NCL (Central list), SC, ST, PwD/PwBD, Third Gender and women applicants, with further research-experience relaxations described in the bulletin. Read the full age notes before you tick JRF.
NTA does not verify certificates at registration. Eligibility is provisional until checked later. Foreign qualifications should be equated through UGC. Ph.D. holders who completed Master's-level examination by 19 September 1991 get a 5% aggregate relaxation as stated in the bulletin.
Subjects and exam pattern
Subjects include Chemical Sciences; Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences; Life Sciences; Mathematical Sciences; and Physical Sciences (see Annexure-II for codes). The test has three parts (A, B, C), all objective MCQs, with no break between papers. City choices come from the bulletin's city annexure; final allotment appears on the admit card.
Example from Chemical Sciences: 120 questions, maximum 75 to attempt, 200 marks, with 25% negative marking on parts A, B and C. Earth Sciences and Life Sciences tables use different question counts and negative-marking fractions (including a 33% note on one part-C table). Download the bulletin PDF and your subject syllabus. Do not rely on a coaching one-pager that mixes old years.
How this fits your winter exam calendar
December already holds UGC NET and CTET windows for many candidates. Science postgraduates targeting CSIR fellowships should not confuse CSIR NET with the broader UGC NET subject list. Graduates aiming at Group B/C government posts can compare timelines with SSC CGL and RRB NTPC 2026. Scholarship seekers should still track NSP scholarship deadlines separately from NET fellowships. Management aspirants on a parallel track can keep CAT 2026 dates in view without mixing syllabi.
Prep and document checklist
- Keep Master's marksheets, category certificates and PwD/PwBD documents ready even though NTA does not collect them at registration.
- Use a live webcam photograph if the form requires it, plus scanned photo and signature in the stated JPEG sizes.
- Practise CBT navigation and negative-marking discipline with previous CSIR papers.
- After the exam, watch the official answer-key challenge window rather than social-media answer keys.
Frequently asked questions
When is CSIR NET December 2026?
19, 22 and 27 December 2026, per the NTA Information Bulletin.
Is registration still open?
The regular window closed 5 November 2026. The late window ran to 9 November 2026. After that, only the correction window (10-12 November) applies for editable fields. Recheck csirnet.nta.nic.in for any fresh notice.
Is CSIR NET the same as UGC NET?
No. Both are NTA NET products, but CSIR NET covers specific science subjects under the Joint CSIR-UGC framework.
Sources: Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2026 Information Bulletin (NTA), including dates-at-a-glance, fee table, eligibility chapter and scheme tables. Admit-card and result dates remain "to be announced" in that bulletin.
Featured image: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (resized). Generic exam-centre photo (WBJEE 2011, Howrah); not CSIR-specific.
