The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced significant changes for the Common University Entrance Test for postgraduate (CUET PG 2026) courses. This national-level entrance exam facilitates admissions into various postgraduate programs offered by universities across India. For the upcoming 2026 cycle, the NTA has reduced the number of exam cities to 292 and limited applicants to selecting just two exam city choices. Registration for the computer-based test (CBT) is now open on the official NTA website, exams.nta.nic.in/cuet-pg/.
CUET PG 2026 will conduct exams across 292 cities globally. This figure includes 276 cities within India and 16 international locations. This marks a reduction from the previous year, when the NTA offered 312 exam cities in total. That figure included approximately 285 locations within India and 27 international centers. The current 292 cities represent a decrease of 20 locations overall compared to the prior examination cycle.
Despite the cut in exam cities, the NTA confirmed the exam pattern and number of subjects remain unchanged. The CUET PG 2026 exam will cover 157 subjects . Each paper will have a fixed duration of 90 minutes .
Exam City Choices Reduced
Candidates registering for CUET PG 2026 can now choose a maximum of two exam cities. This choice must be based on their present and permanent addresses. Last year, applicants could select up to four city preferences during the registration process.
The NTA stated it will strive to allot a centre in one of the candidate’s chosen cities. However, the agency reserves the right to assign a different city due to administrative reasons.
CUET PG 2026 Subject Papers
The NTA will administer the CUET PG 2026 exam for 157 distinct subject papers. These papers are categorized as follows:
| CUET PG 2026 Subject Category | Number of Papers |
|---|---|
| Common Paper | 22 |
| Languages | 41 |
| Science | 30 |
| Humanities | 26 |
| MTech/Higher Sciences | 12 |
| Acharya | 26 |
International Exam Cities
The CUET PG exam will take place in 16 international cities for the 2026 cycle. These locations include:
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- UAE
- Nepal
- Oman
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Kuwait
- Malaysia
- Nigeria
- Indonesia
- USA
- Germany
- Canada
Application Fees
The application fee for CUET PG 2026 varies by candidate category and the number of papers chosen. General category candidates must pay Rs 700 for one subject paper. OBC-NCL, SC, and ST candidates will deposit Rs 600 . Applicants wishing to appear for two papers are required to pay double the base amount. For candidates taking the exam outside India, the fee for one subject paper is Rs 3,500 . All prospective students must submit their applications and fees through the official CUET PG website to complete their registration.