Fri Jan 10 15:15:42 UTC 2025: ## UGC Clarifies: NET Remains Mandatory for Most Faculty Positions

**New Delhi, January 10, 2025** – The University Grants Commission (UGC) has clarified widespread misinformation regarding its draft guidelines for faculty appointments, set to take effect in 2025. Following social media speculation that the National Eligibility Test (NET) was no longer required for faculty positions, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar issued a statement emphasizing that the NET remains mandatory for most applicants.

The confusion stemmed from a misinterpretation of the draft guidelines, which introduced exemptions for certain professional programs. While candidates with a master’s degree in professional fields like Engineering and Technology (e.g., ME or MTech) are exempt from the NET requirement, aligning with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) rules, this does not apply to other disciplines.

For applicants seeking assistant professor positions in Arts, Commerce, Humanities, Social Sciences, and other non-professional fields, the NET (or equivalent SET/SLET) remains a mandatory requirement alongside a postgraduate degree with at least 55% marks. This also applies to fields such as Law, Languages, Journalism, and Management.

However, the UGC clarified that candidates holding a PhD in any discipline are exempt from the NET requirement. Furthermore, exceptional candidates with undergraduate degrees and significant professional achievements in fields like Drama, Yoga, Music, and Visual Arts will also be considered.

The UGC emphasized that the recent social media claims suggesting the NET was entirely abolished were inaccurate. The draft guidelines aim to streamline the faculty recruitment process while maintaining rigorous standards for eligibility across different disciplines.

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