CSIR UGC NET Examination for Junior Research Fellowship

Can you tell me about the selection process for Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Junior Research Fellowship (CSIR JRF) through UGC NET Examination?

[Rajkumar Agarwal]

A large number of JRFs are awarded each year by CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Junior Research Fellowship) to one holding BS-4 years program/ BE/B. Tech/B. Pharma/MBBS/ Integrated BS-MS/M.Sc. or equivalent degree/BSc (Hons) or equivalent degree holders or students enrolled in integrated MS-Ph.D program with minimum 55% marks for General & OBC (50% for SC/ST candidates, Physically and Visually handicapped candidates) after qualifying the National Eligibility Test ( NET) conducted by CSIR twice a year June and December.

One with bachelor degree, whether Science, engineering or any other discipline, are eligible for fellowship only after getting registered/enrolled for Ph.D/integrated Ph.D. programme within the validity period of two years.

One enrolled for M.Sc. or having completed 10+2+3 years of the above qualifying exam is also eligible to apply in the above subject under the Result Awaited (RA) category.

Age Limit

The upper age limit for applying for the award of JRF shall be 28 years, which is relaxed upto 5 years in the case of candidates belonging to Schedule Castes/Schedule Tribes/OBC, Physically Handicapped/Visually Handicapped and female applicants.

Selection Procedure

The Selection is made on the basis of a competitive written test called the National Eligibility Test (NET), conducted by CSIR at national level twice a year in the following areas
(1) Chemical Sciences
(2) Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
(3) Life Sciences,
(4) Mathematical Sciences,
(5) Physical Sciences, and
(6) Engineering Sciences.

There is Single MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) Paper based test comprising of three parts. Part-A shall be common to all subjects comprising question on General Science and Research Aptitude. Part-B shall contain subject-related conventional MCQ and Part-C shall contain higher value questions that may test one’s knowledge of scientific concepts and/or application of the scientific concepts. Negative marking for wrong answers shall be done.

One who qualifies the test is informed individually. The validity of the offer of the JRF award is two years and will not be extendable.


Stipend & Tenure

1. The stipend of a JRF selected through CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) will be Rs 25,000/ p.m for the first two years. In addition, annual contingent grant of Rs. 20,000/- per fellow will be provided to the University / Institution.

2. On Completion of two years as JRF and if the fellow is registered for PhD, the fellowship will be upgraded to SRF (NET) and the stipend will be increased to Rs. 28,000/- p.m for the 3rd and subsequent years.