The National Testing Agency (NTA) has published the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) answer keys for 85 subjects. Analysis of cut-off trends over the past two years shows varied results across disciplines. English and Psychology recorded higher qualifying marks for eligibility, while Economics saw a decline across major categories.
The UGC NET exam determines eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Assistant Professor, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) admissions in Indian universities. A total of 7,35,592 candidates appeared for the December 2025 exams, held from December 31 to January 7 , with attendance between 71% and 75%.
UGC NET JRF Cut-off Trends
For Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) eligibility, cut-offs for Economics and Education subjects decreased across all reserved categories. For instance, the OBC-NCL cut-off in Economics dropped from 198 to 184, and the EWS cut-off fell from 200 to 186. Conversely, English cut-offs significantly increased, with the OBC (NCL) category rising from 99.07 to 176.
| Subject | Category | JRF (June 2024) | JRF (June 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics / Rural E | OBC(NCL) | 198 | 184 |
| Economics / Rural E | EWS | 200 | 186 |
| Economics / Rural E | SC | 184 | 166 |
| Economics / Rural E | ST | 176 | 162 |
| Psychology | OBC(NCL) | 210 | 238 |
| Psychology | EWS | 212 | 240 |
| Psychology | SC | 194 | 228 |
| Psychology | ST | 198 | 220 |
| Education | OBC(NCL) | 206 | 194 |
| Education | EWS | 208 | 198 |
| Education | SC | 190 | 186 |
| Education | ST | 192 | 184 |
| Management | OBC(NCL) | 202 | 206 |
| Management | EWS | 206 | 208 |
| Management | SC | 184 | 200 |
| Management | ST | 188 | 194 |
| English | OBC(NCL) | 99.0783235 | 176 |
| English | EWS | 99.4917504 | 180 |
| English | SC | 97.3753082 | 166 |
| English | ST | 97.3753082 | 164 |
Assistant Professor Cut-off Trends
For Assistant Professor eligibility, Economics and Education saw reduced cut-off marks. English, however, recorded a notable increase. The OBC (NCL) cut-off for English jumped from 91.32 to 150.
| Subject | Category | Assistant Professor (June 2024) | Assistant Professor (June 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | OBC(NCL) | 160 | 150 |
| Economics | EWS | 164 | 154 |
| Economics | SC | 148 | 140 |
| Economics | ST | 144 | 136 |
| Psychology | OBC(NCL) | 178 | 208 |
| Psychology | EWS | 180 | 208 |
| Psychology | SC | 164 | 194 |
| Psychology | ST | 158 | 190 |
| Education | OBC(NCL) | 172 | 166 |
| Education | EWS | 170 | 164 |
| Education | SC | 158 | 156 |
| Education | ST | 158 | 154 |
| Management | OBC(NCL) | 168 | 176 |
| Management | EWS | 168 | 174 |
| Management | SC | 160 | 168 |
| Management | ST | 160 | 166 |
| English | OBC(NCL) | 91.3268444 | 150 |
| English | EWS | 92.2748489 | 152 |
| English | SC | 84.2349025 | 140 |
| English | ST | 81.9267969 | 140 |
PhD Eligibility Cut-off Trends
For PhD eligibility, SC and ST category cut-offs in Economics declined. Conversely, both SC and ST categories recorded an increase in Psychology.
| Subject | Category | PhD Only (June 2024) | PhD Only (June 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | OBC(NCL) | 140 | 132 |
| Economics | EWS | 140 | 132 |
| Economics | SC | 130 | 124 |
| Economics | ST | 128 | 122 |
| Psychology | OBC(NCL) | 156 | 180 |
| Psychology | EWS | 152 | 170 |
| Psychology | SC | 142 | 166 |
| Psychology | ST | 136 | 162 |
| Education | OBC(NCL) | 148 | 144 |
| Education | EWS | 142 | 142 |
| Education | SC | 138 | 138 |
| Education | ST | 140 | 136 |
| Management | OBC(NCL) | 150 | 156 |
| Management | EWS | 144 | 152 |
| Management | SC | 144 | 148 |
| Management | ST | 142 | 146 |
| English | OBC(NCL) | 76.6183016 | 134 |
| English | EWS | 74.3821688 | 134 |
| English | SC | 66.7020671 | 126 |
| English | ST | 63.574194 | 126 |
Cut-off Determining Factors
Several factors influence the UGC NET December 2025 cut-offs. These include the total number of candidates, subject-wise candidate performance, the difficulty level of the exam, the normalisation process, and the number of available qualifying slots.
Next Steps
The NTA will declare the UGC NET December 2025 results. This declaration will include subject-wise cut-offs for JRF, Assistant Professor, and PhD categories. The provisional answer key is currently available on the official website, ugcnet.nta.nic.in.