If you applied for UGC NET December 2026 but have not paid the examination fee yet, today is your last chance. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has extended the fee payment deadline by one day, and the window now closes at 11:50 PM tonight, November 1. After that, no further extension has been announced, and an unpaid application will simply not count.
The extension was announced through a fresh NTA notice on November 1. It gives a final breather to candidates who completed their application forms on time but could not finish the payment step. With more than 10 lakh candidates registered for this cycle, the December session is one of the largest NET examinations in recent years, and the fee step is the last hurdle before the correction window opens.
What exactly has changed today
Until yesterday, October 31 was the last date for both submitting the application form and paying the fee. The November 1 notice changes only one part of that schedule: the fee transaction deadline. Candidates who already submitted their forms can now complete the payment till 11:50 PM tonight.
Everything else stays closed. Registration, fresh application submission and image uploads ended on October 31 and have not been reopened. So if you never submitted a form, this extension does not help you. It is strictly a payment-only window for candidates whose forms are already in the system.
Who can still pay tonight
The extended window applies only to candidates who meet both of these conditions:
- You successfully submitted your UGC NET December 2026 application form on or before October 31, 11:50 PM.
- Your examination fee transaction is still pending or incomplete.
If you fall in this group, log in to the official portal, ugcnet.nta.nic.in, and complete the payment before the 11:50 PM cutoff. Do not wait till the last hour: payment gateways slow down near deadlines, and a failed transaction at 11:55 PM will leave you with no time to retry.
How much is the fee
The application fee depends on your category, and it has not changed with this extension:
- General and Unreserved: Rs 1,150
- General-EWS and OBC-NCL: Rs 600
- SC, ST, PwD and third gender: Rs 325
Bank and payment gateway charges apply over and above these amounts. Pay only through the official portal. NTA does not accept fee payments through agents, private links or social media messages, and any such link should be treated as a fraud attempt.
How to complete the payment
- Visit ugcnet.nta.nic.in and log in with your application number and password.
- Open the fee payment section of your submitted application.
- Pay the category fee through net banking, UPI, debit card or credit card.
- Wait for the payment success screen, then download and save the confirmation page.
- Check that the confirmation page shows your details correctly. The confirmation page, not just the submitted form, is proof that your application is complete.
If a payment is deducted but the confirmation page does not appear, do not pay again immediately. Wait for the transaction status to update, check your bank statement, and use the portal’s payment status option before attempting a fresh transaction.
What comes next after tonight
Once the fee window closes, the next milestone is the application correction window, which runs from November 2 to November 4. Candidates will be able to correct details in their submitted forms during those three days, so keep an eye on the portal for the correction link.
After that, the exam calendar moves quickly. The exam city intimation slip is scheduled for November 23, and admit cards will be available from December 7. The computer-based examination itself will be held from December 14 to December 18 and on December 21 across the country.
UGC NET determines eligibility for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as Assistant Professor, and admission to PhD programmes in Indian universities and colleges. With the December session now weeks away, candidates who clear the fee step tonight should shift focus to revision and mock tests rather than paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
What is the last date to pay the UGC NET December 2026 fee?
The fee payment deadline is November 1, 2026, till 11:50 PM, after NTA’s one-day extension announced on November 1.
Can I register fresh for UGC NET December 2026 today?
No. Registration and form submission closed on October 31 and have not been reopened. Only fee payment for already submitted forms is open till tonight.
What happens if I do not pay the fee by tonight?
Your application will remain incomplete and you will not be issued an admit card for the December session, even though you submitted the form.
When is the UGC NET December 2026 correction window?
The application correction window will be open from November 2 to November 4, 2026, on the official portal ugcnet.nta.nic.in.
When will the UGC NET December 2026 exam be held?
The examination will be conducted from December 14 to December 18 and on December 21, 2026, in computer-based mode.
The message for aspirants is simple: if your form is submitted and the fee is pending, pay it tonight. A missed payment at this stage would waste months of preparation, and NTA has given no indication of another extension.
