NTA EXPANDS UGC NET 2026 EXAMINATION NETWORK IN NORTH-EAST INDIA: FOUR NEW CITIES ADDED TO ADDRESS REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE GAP

New Delhi, May 28, 2026

In a significant administrative measure aimed at enhancing examination accessibility across India's geographically underserved regions, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has formally announced the addition of four new exam city options in the North-Eastern region for candidates registered to appear in the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) June 2026 examination.

The official public notice, published on the NTA website at nta.ac.in, is titled "Public Notice regarding Addition of Examination Cities and Expansion of City Choice Options for UGC-NET June 2026 Examination," (NTA) underscoring the agency's proactive acknowledgment of the infrastructural limitations that have historically constrained candidates in the region.

According to the news bulletin cited in this report, the decision was necessitated by the limited availability of examination centres in the North-Eastern states — a longstanding concern that has periodically disadvantaged aspirants from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim, who are often compelled to travel to distant cities in other states to write nationally administered competitive examinations.

The correction window for the UGC NET June 2026 application form remains open at ugcnet.nta.nic.in, with May 28, 2026, set as the final deadline at 11:50 p.m., (Careers360) enabling registered candidates to update their city preferences and select from the newly added North-Eastern locations before the window closes.

The UGC NET June 2026 examination is scheduled to be conducted between June 22 and June 30, 2026, with the exam city intimation slip to be made available for download from June 10, 2026, and admit cards to be released on June 15, 2026. (Careers360)

The UGC NET June 2026 cycle marks a notable expansion of the examination's scope as well, with NTA having added Statistics and Forestry as two new subjects, bringing the total number of subjects to 87 for this session. (Testbook) The examination is being conducted for eligibility under three categories — award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor; appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to PhD programmes; and admission to PhD only in universities and colleges across India. (Careers360)

The move to expand examination cities in the North-East is widely seen as a step in the right direction by education policy observers, who have long argued that equitable access to competitive examinations is a prerequisite for genuine national inclusion. The region, which accounts for a substantial pool of academically motivated talent, has often been structurally disadvantaged in national-level testing due to a disproportionately low density of NTA-empanelled examination centres relative to its candidate population.

Candidates appearing for UGC NET June 2026 who wish to revise their city preferences are advised to log in to the official portal at ugcnet.nta.nic.in before the correction window closes tonight, and to verify that their revised choices are saved and confirmed.