UGC Mandates NET, SET or SLET for Recruitment of Assistant Professor at Universities – News18

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that the National Eligibility Test (NET), State Eligibility Test (SET), and State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) will serve as the minimum requirements for the direct recruitment to the job of Assistant Professor for all higher education institutions. Also, an alternative path to Assistant Professor eligibility without the NET/SET exam has been established by UGC. Candidates, who have a PhD from a recognised university, are eligible for Assistant Professor without qualifying for UGC NET/SET exams. Before July 2023, the UGC said that a PhD was not a requirement for direct assistant professor recruitment. The commission announced that it has extended the deadline for applying for the PhD as a requirement for hiring assistant professors in university departments from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2023.

The commission states that candidates must hold a Master’s degree in the relevant field with at least a 55% grade point average. The degree should have been completed from a NAAC-accredited institution. A 5% relaxation is offered to candidates who fall under the SC/ST/OBC/PWD categories.

It further stated, “Candidates must have passed the National Eligibility Test (NET) or the State Eligibility Test (SET) to be considered. Candidates who hold a PhD from an accredited university are instead excluded from taking the NET or SET. The position of assistant professor has no upper age restrictions. Candidates with experience in teaching or conducting research are given preference.”

In the meantime, on July 5 or 6, the National Testing Agency (NTA) plans to commence the timeline for the answer key challenge regarding the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC) NET 2023. UGC director M. Jagadesh Kumar announced the same on Twitter. The Chairman further stated that the second week of August would see the release of the UGC NET exams’ final results. The NTA has been conducting the UGC-NET in computer-based test (CBT) mode since December 2018. The examination is conducted two times a year, in June and December. Aspirants who wish to work as assistant professors or as junior research fellows and assistant professors in Indian institutions and colleges must take the UGC-NET exam.