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Age limit calculator for NET JRF, CSIR SRF and Research Associateship

Your exact age on the cut-off date and the upper age limit after the relaxation the notification allows, for UGC-NET and CSIR-UGC NET JRF, CSIR SRF (Direct) and CSIR RA.

Exact age on the cut-off dateCategory relaxationResearch and service groundsRule text with source

How to use it

Enter your date of birth, pick the examination or fellowship, and set the cut-off date the notification uses. The calculator shows your age on that date in years, months and days, the upper limit after the relaxation you are entitled to, and the latest date of birth that still falls within it.

Notifications state the limit as "not more than" a number of years on the cut-off date, and the calculator reads it that way: on the cut-off date your age must not exceed the limit. If you are within a year of the limit, read the eligibility section of the bulletin itself before you apply.

Rules used, with their sources

  1. UGC-NET December 2026 (JRF): not more than 30 years as on 1 December 2026, the first day of the month in which the examination concludes. Up to 5 years for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwBD and third gender candidates and for women; up to 5 years for research experience in the relevant subject; 3 years for LL.M. degree holders; up to 5 years for service in the armed forces. Total relaxation cannot exceed five years (NTA Information Bulletin, UGC-NET December 2026, section 2.4(i)).
  2. Joint CSIR-UGC NET (JRF): not more than 30 years as on the first day of the month in which the examination concludes, with the same relaxations (5 years for OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates and for women; research experience up to 5 years; armed forces service up to 5 years), never more than five years in total (CSIR HRDG, revised JRF-NET guidelines effective 1 March 2023, clause 5).
  3. CSIR SRF (Direct): upper age limit 32 years, relaxable by up to 5 years for SC, ST and physically handicapped candidates and women, and by 3 years for OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates (CSIR HRDG, SRF-Direct guidelines, clause 5).
  4. CSIR Research Associateship: upper age limit 35 years, relaxable by up to 5 years for SC, ST and physically handicapped candidates and women, and by 3 years for OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates (CSIR HRDG, RA guidelines, clause 5).
  5. There is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor or PhD admission through UGC-NET or CSIR-UGC NET.

Questions and answers

Do two relaxations add up?

For UGC-NET and CSIR-UGC NET the notification caps the total relaxation at five years on all grounds together, so a woman candidate from the SC category still gets five years, not ten. For CSIR SRF and RA the guidelines give one relaxation per group, so the calculator applies the largest one that fits you.

Which cut-off date should I use?

For the NET examinations it is the first day of the month in which the examination concludes; for UGC-NET December 2026 that is 1 December 2026. For CSIR SRF (Direct) and RA, use the date given in the CSIR call you are answering.

Is there an age limit for NET for Assistant Professor or PhD admission?

No. Both NET notifications state that there is no upper age limit for Assistant Professor or for admission to PhD; the limit applies only to the JRF.

Sources: NTA Information Bulletin for UGC-NET December 2026 (ugcnet.nta.nic.in); CSIR HRDG JRF-NET, SRF-Direct and RA guidelines (csirhrdg.res.in). Checked on 24 October 2026.

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