Before opening the form
This walkthrough follows the Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2026 Information Bulletin. Applications for that cycle are online only through the official CSIR-NET portal. Before registering, download and read the bulletin, especially its eligibility, subject-code, document and payment instructions. The December 2026 regular application period is 7 October to 5 November, up to 11:50 p.m.; a late-fee period runs 6–9 November. Dates are stated as tentative in the bulletin, so check the live portal for later notices before acting.
Choose the subject and route before entering the form. The five December subject groups use codes 701 to 705. Confirm the subject that matches your eligibility and intended research area; four-year bachelor’s candidates have a separate subject-choice rule, and their qualification route does not provide Assistant Professor eligibility. Make sure the category selected reflects the Central List and the candidate’s certificate. The bulletin says only one application may be filled for a subject; if multiple forms are submitted for the same subject, only the first is considered and the others are rejected. A second form is not a safe way to repair a first one.
Use an email address and mobile number belonging to the candidate. NTA says it sends communications to the registered email and mobile. Keep access to both throughout the process, record the application number generated after registration, and store the password securely. The application number is used to complete later steps and for correspondence. Do not share login credentials or allow another person to submit a form with someone else’s photograph or certificate.
Complete the online application
The bulletin describes a staged process. First register with the candidate’s own email and mobile number and create a password/security question. After the personal details are submitted, the system generates an application number. Use that number and password to log in and complete personal details, programme/subject selection, examination-city choices and educational-qualification information. Read each field before moving forward; the bulletin says submitted details are treated as final except for fields enabled during the one-time correction window.
The December 2026 form calls for a live photograph during submission and a scanned recent passport-size colour photograph, signature and applicable supporting documents. The bulletin specifies a JPG/JPEG photograph between 10 KB and 200 KB, with 80% face visible including ears, without a mask, against a white background. The signature file should be JPG/JPEG, 10–50 KB. If applicable, upload the requested disability/UDID certificate, result-awaited attestation form or category certificate in the stated format and size. The listed PDFs for disability/UDID, result-awaited attestation and category certificate are 50–300 KB. Candidates using identity verification other than Aadhaar or DigiLocker are asked for an identity-proof scan. These are cycle-specific technical instructions; check the portal’s live form for applicable document prompts and do not upload another person’s documents.
Before paying, review the form carefully: name, date of birth, gender, category, disability status, qualification details, subject code, contact details and exam-city preferences. The bulletin advises applicants to keep identity details current and says candidate information remains provisional subject to later eligibility checks. A submitted form is not an NTA determination that a candidate meets all eligibility conditions.
Pay and confirm the submission
For December 2026, the bulletin lists an application fee of ₹1,150 for General, ₹600 for General-EWS/OBC-NCL, and ₹325 for SC/ST/PwD/PwBD/Third Gender. Bank or payment-gateway service charges and applicable taxes are additional. The notice provides a ₹500 late fee for the 6–9 November late window. Confirm that the category and total amount shown at checkout are correct before authorising payment, and use the payment methods listed in the bulletin.
After completing registration and form details, pay by net banking, debit card, credit card or UPI and retain the transaction evidence. The application is treated as successful only after the prescribed fee transaction succeeds. Download and save the Confirmation Page after successful payment; it is the practical proof that the application steps are complete. If the confirmation page does not appear, first check payment status with the bank or gateway. If the bank says the transaction failed, the bulletin instructs the candidate to pay again before the deadline; if it succeeded, contact the NTA helpline to regenerate the confirmation page. The bulletin says duplicate payments arising from those steps are refunded after fee reconciliation. It also says a successfully remitted fee is not ordinarily refunded except for duplicate or multiple payments from the same application.
The Confirmation Page records the application number needed for future reference. Keep it with the payment receipt and a copy of the submitted application. Do not treat a bank debit alone as confirmation if the portal still shows incomplete status. If a duplicate transaction occurs, preserve both transaction references and follow the official reconciliation instructions rather than starting a second application.
Corrections, support and next steps
NTA scheduled the online correction window for 10–12 November 2026, until 11:50 p.m. The bulletin says corrections sent by post, fax, WhatsApp, email or by hand will not be entertained. Use the online portal and edit only the fields NTA enables. The window is one-time and not a promise that every submitted value, category or document can be changed. Check the live correction notice for the operative field list and any additional fee before submitting a change. Save the revised confirmation or updated page after correction.
After successful submission, continue checking the official portal rather than relying only on a saved calendar reminder. As of the bulletin, city-intimation and admit-card dates were to be announced later. The exam schedule lists 19, 22 and 27 December 2026 but says the candidate’s centre, date and shift will be on the admit card. Do not infer a personal exam date from the subject list. If the portal later issues a notice changing an application date or procedure, follow that notice for the affected item and retain its publication date.
For a future CSIR-UGC NET session, use the bulletin for that session. The December 2026 fee, dates, image sizes and correction window should not be copied into a 2027 application plan until an official new notice supplies them. The consistent steps are to verify the current eligibility and subject, complete the online form with the candidate’s own details, pay through the official gateway, and save the confirmation page. The exact fee, dates and upload requirements remain cycle-dependent.