NTA Postpones UGC-NET December 2024 Exam on Jan 15 Due to Festivals

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency ( NTA ) on Monday postponed the UGC -NET December 2024 Exam scheduled on 15th January 2025. The decision was made after the NTA received multiple representations requesting the postponement due to Pongal , Makar Sankranti , and other festivals on the same date. 

The NTA announced that the new exam date will be announced later. 

Meanwhile, the examination scheduled for January 16, 2025, remained unchanged and would be conducted as planned.

The exam for admission to PhD programmes, awarding Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and appointment as assistant professors are being conducted from January 3 to January 16 for 85 subjects in the Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.

"The NTA has received representations to postpone the exam on January 15 on account of festivals, including Pongal and Makar Sakranti. In the interest of the aspirants, the exam has been postponed and a new date will be announced later," Rajesh Kumar, Director (Exams), NTA, said.

"The exam on January 16 will be conducted as per the earlier schedule," he added.

On January 15, the exam was scheduled for 17 subjects, including mass communication and journalism, Sanskrit, Nepali, law, Japanese, women studies, Malayalam, Urdu, Konkani, criminology, folk literature, electronic science, environmental science and Indian knowledge system.

The UGC-NET was also postponed last year after the education ministry received inputs that the integrity of the exam might be compromised. 

UGC-NET Exam

The UGC-NET exam, conducted biannually by the NTA, is a gateway for determining eligibility for assistant professorship and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and colleges. It attracts lakhs of candidates nationwide and is considered one of the most significant academic qualification exams in India.