CUET UG 2026: Registration, Exam Date, Syllabus, Eligibility, Pattern, and Result

CUET UG 2026 is one of the most important and standardised exams in India, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for students who wish to pursue an undergraduate program at India’s top institutions. NTA conducted this exam by providing an equal opportunity for all students and promoting merit-based admission. If you are in Class 12 or planning to appear in CUET UG, it will be your ticket to studying at India’s top universities.

More than 250 universities are expected to accept CUET ( Common University Entrance Test) scores for student admission. This includes top names like Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, Teerthankar Mahaveer University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, along with many others.

CUET UG 2026 Overview:

Registration Process of CUET UG 2026

The registration process of CUET UG 2026 is very simple. Registrations will start from around February or March 2026. At the time of the exam, NTA will publish all the important details of the exam on its official website.
You are advised to keep checking the official CUET website regularly so that you don’t miss the registration deadline. Here's a simple step-by-step guide to the registration process. Let’s have a look:

Visit the Official Website

• You need to visit the official CUET website cuet.nta.nic.in.
• Click on the new registration and create your account by filling in your personal details
• Upload all your scanned documents and a passport-size photo.
• Choose the subject you wish to appear and exam city preference.
• Pay the application fee online using a debit/credit card, UPI, or net banking.

Upload Required Documents

You need to upload all required documents listed here:

• A recent passport-size photograph of 10 KB – 200 KB, JPG/JPEG format
• Signature scanned in the prescribed format in 14 KB – 30 KB, JPG/JPEG format
• Category Certificates 50 KB – 300 KB, PDF format
• Educational mark sheets in 50 KB – 300 KB, PDF format

Key Dates of CUET UG 2026

The Common University Entrance Test CUET UG 2026 is likely to be scheduled between May and June 2026. You are advised to check the important dates at the National Testing Agency (NTA) official website, cuet.nta.nic.in. so that you will also be updated.

Expected Timelines of the Exam

• Notification Release: February/March 2026
• Registration Window: March–April 2026
• Correction Window: Mid-April 2026
• Admit Card Release: May 2026
• Exam Date: May–June 2026
• Answer Key & Objection Window: June 2026
• Results Declaration: July 2026

Expected Shift System

The CUET UG 2026 exam is generally conducted in two or three shifts. You can expect the shift system to be similar to previous years. While the real time will be mentioned on the admit card but generally, there will be two main slots:

• Shift 1: Approximately 9 AM to 12 PM
• Shift 2: Approximately 3 PM to 6 PM

Eligibility Criteria

Before applying for the CUET 2026 exam, you need to meet the following eligibility criteria:

Educational Qualification

• To meet the eligibility criteria, you must have passed Class 12 or the equivalent from a recognised board.
• Students who are appearing for Class 12 exams in 2026 are also eligible to apply.
• The minimum percentage of the general category is at least 50% in Class 12 or equivalent, for the SC/ST Category: At least 45% in Class 12 or equivalent.

Nationality

• Only Indian nationals are eligible to apply for the exam.
• Eligibility for international students depends on the university.

Age Limit

• There is no age limit to apply for this exam
• However, individual universities may have their own age criteria for specific courses.

Reservation Policy

• The reserve seats are for Scheduled Castes (SC) at 15%, Scheduled Tribes (ST) at 7.5%, Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL) at 27%, Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) at 10%, and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) at 5%.
• Candidates must ensure to submit valid, government-issued certificates during the admission process

Exam Pattern

If you want to apply for the CUET UG 2026 ( Common University Entrance Test) UG Test, you must have to check the exam pattern. Here we’ve mentioned a detailed breakdown of the exam pattern. Let’s have a look:

Exam Structure and Sections

1. Section 1 (Language Test): The Language section offers 13 different Indian languages, including reading comprehension. The duration of this section is 60 minutes.
2. Section 2 (Domain Subjects): This section 2 covers 23 domain subjects aligned with the NCERT Class 12 syllabus. The duration of this section is 60 minutes.
3. Section 3 (General Test): This section covers general knowledge, current affairs, logical reasoning, and basic numerical ability. Basically, it is a general awareness test. The duration of this section is 60 minutes.

Marking Scheme

• For every correct answer, you will get +5 marks
• For every Incorrect Answer, you will get −1 mark
• For Unanswered, you will get 0 marks
• For every dropped or cancelled question by NTA, you will get +5 marks

CUET UG 2026 Exam Syllabus

Exam Syllabus Structure

Section 1 (Language Test)

Description: Section one mainly focuses on the language test. The test will be based on comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and verbal ability based on the Class 12 level.
Example: English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi and more.

Section 2 (Domain Subjects)

Description: Section two is based on the NCERT Class 12 curriculum for various subjects.
Example: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Accountancy, History, Economics, etc.

Section 3 (General Test)

Description: Section three tests student’s general awareness and aptitude
Example: General knowledge, current affairs, logical reasoning, and basic numerical ability.

CUET UG 2026 Admit Card

The admit card is the most important thing for your exam. Without an admit card, you will not be allowed to appear for the test. The admit card is mostly released two or three weeks before the exam. You can check it on the NTA CUET website.

How to Download the Admit Card

• To download the admit card, you need to go to the official CUET website.
• Look for the log-in tab and enter your username and password.
• On the home page, click on the link to download your admit card.
• You can download the PDF or print the admit card.

Details Mentioned on Admit Card

• Your Name
• Registration Number
• Exam Date
• Time
• Exam Centre Name And Address
• Instructions Related To The Exam

Instructions for the Exam Day

• Reach the exam centre at least 1 hour early
• Carry a valid photo ID (Aadhar, Passport, or Driving License)
• Do not carry mobile phones, calculators, or electronic gadgets

CUET UG 2026 Result

How to Download the Result

• Results will be declared in one month after the exam, most likely in July 2026.
• You are advised to check the results on the official CUET portal.
• Log in with your application number and password.
• You can download the scorecard for counselling and admission processes.

CUET UG 2026 Normalisation Process

• As the exam is conducted in multiple shifts, there is a normalisation or percentile-based method to ensure no student is disadvantaged due to different sessions
• Through this method, the scores will be balanced across shifts.
• The final scorecards are based on the normalised percentiles.

CUET UG 2026 Counselling Process

After the result declaration, the next major step is the counselling process. Each participating university or college released the cut-off lists for admission based on CUET scores. However, some universities conduct centralised counselling, and some follow individual counselling methods.

Documents Required for Counselling

After checking the results and cut-off marks, you need to go for the counselling process to get admission. These are the required documents for counselling:

• Transfer and migration certificate from school.
• Category certificate (SC/ST/OBC/EWS, if applicable).
• PwD certificate (if applicable).
• Passport-size photographs and valid ID proof.
• Result or scorecard of the CUET UG exam
• Admit card
• Class 10 r 12 marksheet

CUET UG 2026 Participating Universities

For CUET UG 2026, there are many participating universities:

Central Universities :

1. University of Delhi
2. Banaras Hindu University
3. Jawaharlal Nehru University
4. Jamia Millia Islamia
5. Aligarh Muslim University
6. University of Allahabad
7. University of Hyderabad
8. Central University of Rajasthan
9. And many others, including state-level central universities

Other Universities :

1. State Universities
2. Deemed Universities
3. Private Universities
4. Government Institutions

Conclusion

CUET UG provides fairness and a standardised platform for students from all backgrounds. Through this exam, every student can get an opportunity to study at India’s top institution. The exam is conducted in multiple languages and subjects so that every student can study at a top-ranked university. The exam helps students to exemplify their knowledge and skills and get into good colleges even if their board marks are not exceptionally high.

FAQs

Q1: When to register for CUET 2026?
Ans: You can apply for the CUET UG 2026 exam around February or March 2026. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the official exam dates on the CUET official website.

Q2: What is the exam pattern for CUET 2026?
Ans: The CUET 2026 UG exam pattern includes three sections: Section 1 (Languages), Section 2 (Domain Subjects), and Section 3 (General Test). Each section consists of 50 multiple-choice questions.

Q3:  What are the changes in CUET 2026?
Ans: For CUET 2026, here are the possible changes and updates: NTA has reduced the number of domain subjects from 27 to 23, the exam will be conducted entirely in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, and candidates will be allowed to choose up to five subjects.

Q4:  What is the fee for CUET 2026?
Ans: The CUET 2026 application fees are expected to be around ₹1000 for General, ₹900 for OBC-NCL/EWS and ₹800 for SC/ST/PwBD/Third Gender. 

Q5. Is 800 a good score in CUET?
Ans: Yes, an 800 score is an excellent score in CUET.