UGC-NET Exam Scheduled for January 15 Postponed Due to Makar Sankranti, Pongal Celebrations

NEW DELHI, Jan 13: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced the postponement of the UGC-National Eligibility Test (NET) scheduled for January 15, citing the observance of major festivals such as Makar Sankranti and Pongal. This decision follows multiple representations from candidates requesting a change in the exam date to accommodate the celebrations.

The UGC-NET is being conducted from January 3 to January 16 across 85 subjects in a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format. The exam serves as a gateway for admission to PhD programs, awarding Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), and appointments as assistant professors.

In a statement, Rajesh Kumar, Director (Exams), NTA, said, “The NTA has received several requests to postpone the examination on January 15 due to the festivals of Pongal and Makar Sankranti. Considering the interest of aspirants, the exam has been deferred, and a new date will be announced shortly.”

Kumar further confirmed that the examinations scheduled for January 16 would proceed as planned.

The postponed January 15 exam was set to cover 17 diverse subjects, including mass communication and journalism, Sanskrit, Nepali, law, Japanese, women studies, Malayalam, Urdu, Konkani, criminology, folk literature, electronic science, environmental science, and the Indian knowledge system.

This is not the first time the UGC-NET has faced rescheduling. Last year, the examination was postponed due to concerns raised by the Ministry of Education about potential risks to its integrity.