UGC NET Subject List 2025: A Complete Guide to All 85 Subjects and Codes

Are you aspiring to become a Junior Research Fellow or Assistant Professor? Then you are familiar with UGC NET. In 2021, 12,66,509 people registered for this exam, and only 43,730 qualified.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the UGC NET exam. The UGC NET subject list is released every year along with the syllabus by the NTA. You must carefully review the UGC NET Subject list before applying for the exam.

The University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) is a nationwide examination held twice a year—in June and December. With the recent inclusion of ‘Ayurveda Biology’ by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the UGC NET Subject List now features 85 subjects for the December session, compared to 83 in the June session. This update reflects the growing scope of disciplines covered under the exam. The UGC NET 2025 December cycle is scheduled to be conducted from January 3 to January 16, 2025.

The official website: University Grants Commission – NET (ugcnetonline.in)

UGC NET Study Material 2025

It is crucial to refer to high-quality and reliable study material for thorough and effective exam preparation, as it plays a significant role in achieving excellent scores. Good study material is well-structured and includes all the important topics based on the updated UGC NET Subjects List. It also provides access to a collection of UGC NET Previous Year Question Papers, Mock Test Papers, and sample questions to help candidates practice extensively and understand the exam pattern and difficulty level. Additionally, the study material should be written in an easy-to-understand format with clear explanations and examples. Investing in the right study resources can significantly boost confidence, enhance preparation strategies, and ultimately lead to success in the UGC NET Exam.

Eduncle offers complete guidance and support with a wide range of expertly curated UGC NET study materials, tailored to help you prepare effectively for the UGC NET March 2025 Exam. These resources are designed to meet the needs of all aspirants and include detailed subject-wise notes, practice papers, and previous years’ question papers, all aligned with the updated UGC NET Subject List available on the official website. This comprehensive approach enhances conceptual understanding, sharpens your preparation strategy, and builds the confidence needed to achieve success in the exam.

From the following table, you can download the complete UGC NET Study Material for your subject.

Check the UGC NET Subject List Along With the Codes

The UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test) covers a wide range of subjects across various academic disciplines, including Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, Commerce, and Computer Applications. For the 2025 cycle, the UGC NET Subject List includes 85 subjects, each identified by a unique subject code.

Candidates are required to choose one subject for the UGC NET exam, ideally matching their postgraduate specialization and academic interests. Refer to the UGC NET Subject List below, which includes all subjects along with their respective codes for UGC NET 2025:

S. No.	Subject	Subject Code
1	Adult/Continuing Education, Andragogy, Non-Formal Education	46
2	Anthropology	7
3	Arab Culture and Islamic Studies	49
4	Arabic	29
5	Archaeology	67
6	Assamese	36
7	Bengali	19
8	Bodo	94
9	Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian & Peace Studies	60
10	Chinese	32
11	Commerce	8
12	Comparative Literature	72
13	Comparative Study of Religions	62
14	Computer Science and Applications	87
15	Criminology	68
16	Defence and Strategic Studies	11
17	Dogri	33
18	Economics and related fields	1
19	Education	9
20	Electronic Science	88
21	English	30
22	Environmental Sciences	89
23	Folk Literature	71
24	Forensic Science	82
25	French	39
26	Geography	80
27	German	44
28	Gujarati	37
29	Hindi	20
30	Hindu Studies	102
31	History	6
32	Home Science	12
33	Human Rights and Duties	92
34	Indian Culture	50
35	Indian Knowledge System	103
36	Japanese	45
37	Kannada	21
38	Kashmiri	84
39	Konkani	85
40	Labour Welfare / HR Management / Industrial Relations / Social Welfare	55
41	Law	58
42	Library and Information Science	59
43	Linguistics	31
44	Maithili	18
45	Malayalam	22
46	Management (including Business Admin., Marketing, HR, Finance, etc.)	17
47	Manipuri	35
48	Marathi	38
49	Mass Communication and Journalism	63
50	Museology and Conservation	66
51	Music	16
52	Nepali	34
53	Odia	23
54	Pali	83
55	Performing Arts – Dance/Drama/Theatre	65
56	Persian	42
57	Philosophy	3
58	Physical Education	47
59	Political Science	2
60	Politics, International Relations, Strategic/Area Studies	90
61	Population Studies	15
62	Prakrit	91
63	Psychology	4
64	Public Administration	14
65	Punjabi	24
66	Rajasthani	43
67	Russian	41
68	Sanskrit	25
69	Sanskrit Traditional Subjects (Jyotisha, Vyakarna, Mimansa, etc.)	73
70	Santali	95
71	Sindhi	101
72	Social Medicine and Community Health	81
73	Social Work	10
74	Sociology	5
75	Spanish	40
76	Tamil	26
77	Telugu	27
78	Tourism Administration and Management	93
79	Tribal and Regional Language/Literature	70
80	Urdu	28
81	Visual Art (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Applied Art, History of Art)	79
82	Women Studies	74
83	Yoga	100
84	Disaster Management	104
85	Ayurveda Biology	105

UGC NET Subject List? (How to Select the Subjects)

Choosing the right subject from the UGC NET Subject List PDF is a key step for thorough preparation and aligning your choice with future career aspirations. Here are some useful tips to help you decide wisely:

• Assess Your Educational Background: Start by selecting the subject that matches your postgraduate specialization, as this will give you a strong foundation for preparation.
• Review the Syllabus Thoroughly: Go through the syllabus of your intended subject carefully to ensure it matches your academic strengths and interests.
• Understand the Exam Format: Be clear about the structure of the exam, especially the weightage given to Paper 1 (general aptitude) and Paper 2 (subject-related).
• Align with Career Goals: Opt for a subject that is in line with your long-term academic and professional objectives.
• Access to Study Material: Choose a subject with plenty of study resources and reference materials to support smooth and efficient preparation.
• Self-Evaluation: Attempt mock tests or sample papers in your chosen subjects to understand your strong and weak areas before finalizing.

Important Points Related to UGC NET Exam

Candidates planning to appear for the UGC NET exam should have a thorough understanding of the exam structure and requirements. The key points outlined below, along with insights from the UGC NET Subject List, will help applicants gain a clear understanding of the exam.

• UGC NET exam comprises two papers, i.e., Paper 1 and Paper 2
• The exam is conducted in two languages i.e,. English and Hindi
• The time duration of the UGC NET exam is 3 hours 
• The total number of questions in the UGC NET exam is 150 for a total of 300 marks
• All questions will be MCQ in nature, and every question will have four options 
• For each correct answer, candidates will be awarded 2 marks 
• No marks will be deducted for incorrect answers, as there is no negative marking 
• No marks will be awarded or deducted for questions left unanswered or blank 
• If any question is dropped by UGC, then maximum marks will be awarded to the candidates for the dropped question
• If a question is found to be incorrect/ambiguous or has multiple correct answers, only those candidates who have attempted the question and chosen one of the correct answers will be given credit
•  If a question is found to be incorrect and the Question is dropped, then two marks will be awarded to only those candidates who have attempted the question. The reason could be due to human error or technical error. Since there is no negative marking, the candidate needs to choose the most appropriate option as the correct answer

Strategy to crack UGC NET Exam

To successfully clear the UGC NET exam, thorough preparation, a smart strategy, and regular revision are essential. Start by understanding the syllabus based on your chosen subject from the UGC NET Subject List, and strengthen your preparation by solving previous years’ papers and taking mock tests to evaluate your performance.

1. Be thorough with the exam pattern and syllabus

Get thorough with the exam pattern, marking scheme, syllabus, and the UGC NET subject list to have a clear understanding of the topics you need to cover. Ensure you review the UGC NET subject list carefully to identify the important topics that must be addressed before the exam. Understand topics in-depth, referring to the UGC NET subject list as your guide, so you don’t have to stress at the last moment. Clarify all your doubts on time and make the most of the UGC NET subject list to streamline your preparation effectively.

2. Refer to recommended books

Refrain from wasting time by referring to several books. Instead, consult the UGC NET subject list to identify the relevant topics and focus on studying from the recommended books aligned with the UGC NET subject list. This will save you from getting confused and ensure your preparation remains streamlined and effective.

3. Work on your problem-solving skills

Multiple-choice questions will be provided to assess your problem-solving ability, analytical efficiency, capacity to interpret context, and how you analyse situations, evaluate options, make informed decisions, and apply theoretical elements and principles linked to the subject’s technical and domain knowledge. Therefore, practice as many problems as possible to strengthen your grasp of topics.

4. Create a study timetable

A schedule is very important in planning your topics daily. Check the number of days remaining for the exam and allocate topics accordingly, followed by practice questions. Focus on solving questions once your theory part is done. This ensures your fair understanding of the concepts and helps you boost your speed and accuracy.

5. Concentrate on your strengths

Don’t try anything new in the last few days. It’s just not the right time. Instead, aspirants must try to concentrate on working on their strengths. The focus should be on the important topics and chapters, so they don’t skip any questions in those areas. The initial days are good for a lot of studying and revising, but the last few days must be dedicated to revising key topics, any doubts, and chapters that need more attention. Refine and polish those concepts in which aspirants feel they excel and have a good command.

6. Revise important theories and related formulas

Use the short notes you made during revision time to go through all of the relevant formulae and theories again. Studying these brief notes will allow students to completely review all of the chapters’ main themes in a short period of time. Reading through the brief notes allows candidates to easily scan all of the main formulae and theories in each topic without skipping any areas. Examine the portions of the CSIR NET and UGC NET exam that have been given additional weightage and plan appropriately.

7. Practice previous year’s questions and mock tests

It is highly recommended to practice the previous year’s questions and mock tests if you have a goal of qualifying for the CSIR NET and UGC NET exam. Usually, candidates only solve one or two mock tests before the examination. So the optimum strategy for all applicants is to take one mock exam every day, analyse the results, and then thoroughly revise the mistakes.

It guarantees that candidates rectify their errors on time and do not repeat them throughout the exam, which is important. However, you should not allow a poor mock exam result to demotivate or reduce your focus.

8. Do not doubt your preparation

Stay confident in your preparation and avoid comparing yourself with others, especially when following your personalized study plan based on your chosen subject from the UGC NET Subject List. Trust the effort you’ve put in and approach the exam with self-assurance. Low scores in practice tests or differing strategies from fellow aspirants shouldn’t shake your confidence. Maintaining a positive mindset and believing in yourself is just as important as academic preparation for success in the UGC NET exam.

9. Take breaks between your preparation

Do not sit for long hours at a stretch. Take frequent breaks during revision to avoid information overload. Excessive studying during the last few days can stress you out and lead to confusion. It’s best to always take a 5 to 10 break every hour to start afresh for your next set of preparation. This also helps in improving your retention power.

10. Get proper sleep and eat healthily

While dedicated studying is essential, it shouldn’t come at the expense of your health. Candidates preparing for the exam—especially after choosing their subject from the UGC NET Subject List—should maintain a nutritious diet, particularly on and before exam days. Nutritious foods help sustain energy levels consistently, unlike junk or packaged foods that may offer a temporary boost but can lead to fatigue or illness. A balanced diet supports better concentration and focus, helping aspirants perform well and achieve their UGC NET goals.

11. Avoid discussing your preparation with fellow aspirants 

Discussing topics and concepts to clarify doubts can be helpful at some point. Limit your discussions to only clarification of doubts on important topics. Too much discussion on strategies and exam preparation can lead to unnecessary stress due to incompetence. Every individual follows a unique preparation strategy that is useful for them. Do not compare your preparation with fellow aspirants, as this might lead to self-doubt in your preparation.

Conclusion

Based on the above insights, you can make an informed decision on selecting the right subject for the UGC NET exam using the UGC NET Subject List 2025. It’s essential to choose a subject that aligns with your academic background and area of expertise. Entering the correct subject code is crucial, as Paper 2 is entirely based on the selected subject and significantly impacts your overall score. This section evaluates your deep understanding of the specific field, making your subject choice a key factor in your exam performance.

It is essential to double-check and accurately enter the subject name and code from the UGC NET subject list to avoid any errors that could impact your eligibility or exam preparation. Remember, once the subject is selected from the UGC NET subject list, it cannot be changed later, so you must make this decision with careful consideration. Analyze your strengths, review the UGC NET syllabus, and ensure that the subject aligns with your career goals. The UGC NET subject list is a vital resource that helps candidates make informed choices, so select your subject wisely and prepare with dedication to maximize your chances of success in the UGC NET examination.

Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQ’s)