The University Grants Commission (UGC) has clarified that qualifying the National Eligibility Test (NET) remains mandatory for appointment as assistant professor for those holding master’s degrees in non-professional courses. This clarification has come in the wake of reports in the media that UGC NET would not be required any more for such positions.
UGC Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said that for arts, commerce, humanities, education, law, social sciences, sciences, and other disciplines, candidates must have a postgraduate degree with at least 55% marks and must qualify in NET, State Eligibility Test (SET), or State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) to be eligible for assistant professor roles.
However, while the eligibility qualification for assistant professors in engineering as well as technical departments is given as ME, MTech; at least, 55 percentage marks are enough. No provision for UGC NET qualification under this category since the recruitment policies are as aligned with AICTE.
Apart from that, the holders of the PhD degree can be appointed to the post of assistant professor also without qualifying in UGC NET. Candidates holding the undergraduate degree along with professional qualifications in subjects such as drama, yoga, music, performing arts, visual arts, and traditional Indian art forms are considered qualified for assistant professors.
These clarifications fall under the draft UGC Regulations 2025, outlining the minimum qualifications that must be obtained for the appointment and promotion of teachers and other academics in the institutions of universities and colleges. In this sense, the regulations for faculty recruitments are sought to be more liberal while being stiff on academic disciplines.
This clarifies what needs to be considered by potential applicants regarding such specific eligibility criteria associated with the domain they’re trying to seek careers in.
