UGC NET age limit: are you eligible?
University Grants Commission — National Eligibility Test · National Testing Agency
General category
up to 30 years
measured on as on the first day of the month of the examination.
This year’s notification is not out yet. These figures come from the previous one. They are here so you can plan — not as this year’s official limits.
We have not been able to confirm these figures against the official notification. Check the source below before you rely on them.
Check your own date of birth
Your age is measured on the cut-off date, not today — which is why knowing your age is not the same as knowing whether you qualify.
Your date of birth and category stay in this browser. They are not sent to our server, not put in the page address and not written to any log.
Age relaxation by category
Relaxation raises the upper limit only. It never lowers the minimum age.
| Category | Relaxation | Upper limit becomes |
|---|---|---|
| General / UR | — | 30 years |
| OBC (non-creamy layer) | +5 years | 35 years |
| SC | +5 years | 35 years |
| ST | +5 years | 35 years |
| PwBD (disability) | +5 years | 35 years |
| Ex-servicemen | +5 years | 35 years |
What the number above does not tell you
🔴 Relaxation here is flat: 5 years for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, third gender AND women — not the usual 3/5 ladder — and it is capped at 5 years in all circumstances. The 30-year cap applies ONLY to Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). For Assistant Professor eligibility there is NO upper age limit. So the same exam gives two different answers depending on what you are applying for — this calculator shows the JRF cap, which is the stricter one.
Source
The notification is the authority on every figure on this page — not us. Open the official page for UGC NET.
Figures on this page last reviewed 9 August 2026. Age limits change between notifications; if this date is old, trust the notification and not this page.
All exams and their age limits · How category relaxation works