UGC NET English Cut-off 2026: Marks Out of 300 for Assistant Professor, Latest and Previous Years
By Nakul Grover, Limitless Literature · Updated after every result · Part of our UGC NET English Literature guide
Quick answer: The latest UGC NET English cut-off for Assistant Professor (June 2026 Re-NET, held on 9 September 2026) was 66% for Unreserved, 60% for OBC, 58.66% for EWS, 55.33% for SC and 54.66% for ST, as a percentage of 300 marks. That is 198, 180, 176, 166 and 164 marks out of 300. The December 2026 cut-off will be added here when the result is declared.
Latest Cut-off in Marks
| Category | Cut-off (% of 300) | Marks out of 300 |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 66% | 198 |
| OBC | 60% | 180 |
| EWS | 58.66% | 176 |
| SC | 55.33% | 166 |
| ST | 54.66% | 164 |
Exam: June 2026 cycle, re-conducted for English on 9 September 2026 after the original paper was cancelled. Assistant Professor only.
UGC NET English Cut-off History (Assistant Professor)
| Exam | Unreserved | OBC | EWS | SC / ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 (Re-NET, Sept 2026) | 66% (198) | 60% (180) | 58.66% (176) | 55.33% (166) SC / 54.66% (164) ST |
| December 2025 | 54.66% (164) | 49.33% (148) | Not recorded | 46.66% (140) |
| June 2025 | 55.33% (166) | 50% (150) | Not recorded | 46.66% (140) |
| December 2024 | 62.66% (188) | 57.33% (172) | Not recorded | 53.33% (160) |
| August 2024, shift 1 | 60% (180) | 53% (159) | Not recorded | 48% (144) |
| August 2024, shift 2 | 59% (177) | 52% (156) | Not recorded | 47% (141) |
| December 2023 | 60.66% (182) | 53.55% (161) | Not recorded | 49% (147) |
| January 2023, shift 1 | 62% (186) | 56% (168) | Not recorded | 51% (153) |
| January 2023, shift 2 | 59% (177) | 53% (159) | Not recorded | 48% (144) |
| January 2022, shift 1 | 56% (168) | 51% (153) | Not recorded | 47% (141) |
| December 2021 | 53% (159) | 48% (144) | Not recorded | 44% (132) |
Cut-offs shown as a percentage of 300 marks (Paper 1 + Paper 2), for Assistant Professor, with the marks out of 300 in brackets (rounded to the nearest mark).
NTA publishes cut-offs as percentiles; we convert them into approximate percentages from actual results and candidates’ scores checked against the official answer keys.
What Score Should You Aim For?
Since December 2023, the Unreserved cut-off has moved between 54.66% (164 marks) and 66% (198 marks). It swings with the difficulty of the paper, so the safest plan is to aim above the highest recent cut-off for your category, not the average. You can work out your own score from the answer key with our score calculator steps.
How the UGC NET Cut-off Is Decided
- Candidates first need a minimum aggregate in both papers together: 40% for General (Unreserved) and General-EWS, and 35% for reserved categories.
- From those, UGC declares the final cut-off for each subject and category. It depends on how many candidates appeared and how they scored.
- NTA publishes the result as percentiles. A higher percentile means you scored above more candidates in your subject.
Practise with the 5,000+ topic-wise previous year questions and the year-wise papers to push your score past the cut-off.
UGC NET English Cut-off: FAQ
What is the latest UGC NET English cut-off?
For Assistant Professor in the June 2026 Re-NET: 66% Unreserved, 60% OBC, 58.66% EWS, 55.33% SC and 54.66% ST, as a percentage of 300 marks.
How many marks are needed to qualify UGC NET English?
In the latest cycle, 198 out of 300 for Unreserved, 180 for OBC, 176 for EWS, 166 for SC and 164 for ST for Assistant Professor. The number changes every cycle with the difficulty of the paper.
When will the UGC NET English December 2026 cut-off be released?
With the December 2026 result. This page will be updated on the day it is declared.
Was the UGC NET English cut-off higher in 2026?
Yes. The June 2026 Re-NET Unreserved cut-off of 66% is the highest since 2021; it was 54.66% in December 2025.
What is the UGC NET English cut-off out of 300?
UGC NET has 150 questions of 2 marks each, so the total is 300 (Paper 1: 100, Paper 2: 200). For Assistant Professor in the June 2026 Re-NET, the English cut-off out of 300 was 198 for Unreserved, 180 for OBC, 176 for EWS, 166 for SC and 164 for ST. In December 2025 it was 164 for Unreserved.
What is a safe score in UGC NET English?
Since 2021 the Unreserved cut-off has ranged from 159 to 198 out of 300. A score of 200 or more out of 300 has cleared every recent Unreserved cut-off for Assistant Professor; reserved categories need less (see the table above).
