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JRF- All You Need To Know

Simran Rastogi • 3 min read

JRF stands for Junior Research Fellowship and it is one of the most popular schemes started by the UGC. The exam is generally conducted twice a year, in June and in December/January. The JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) of the UGC is awarded to postgraduates who enroll in MPhil or Ph.D. program after qualifying for the NET exam. The JRF has a two-year tenure and it is only open to candidates who pass their NET-JRF (National Eligibility Test-Junior Research Fellowship). JRF majorly focuses on providing good opportunities to those who have completed their post-graduation and look forward to continuing with their higher studies as well as research that would eventually help them achieve their MPhil/Ph.D. degrees in Humanities and Social Sciences including Languages and Sciences.

What is JRF? What is JRF eligibility? When is the JRF exam conducted?

Let's clarify all your doubts regarding JRF, including its eligibility criteria, date of conduction, and advantages of enrolling under the fellowship.

JRF Eligibility Criteria

To take admission to the college or institution and continue with their research activities, the candidates must have their NET-JRF scores with them. The financial assistance that the candidates receive from the JRF fellowship scheme is only enabled when the candidates get themselves registered under an institution. So, the conditions to fulfill in order to fall under the JRF eligibility criteria, a candidate must-

  • The candidates must have accomplished a master’s degree or equivalent with a minimum of 55% marks in Humanities (including languages) and Social Science, Computer Science and Applications, Electronic Science, etc. This percentage should match the benchmark without rounding off the numbers. Also, the college they pursue their masters from should be a UGC-recognized college. The candidates who belong to the reserved categories like SC, ST, OBC, or PWD do get a relaxation of 5% without rounding off.
  • The candidates who have applied for the final year exams of their master's degree on the provisional admittance basis will only get admission once they get their result with a minimum percentage of passing marks that is 55%.
  • The UGC-NET result will only be valid for 2 years, which means that the candidate must complete and pass their master's degree within the two years after qualifying for the UGC-NET exam.
  • The JRF eligibility criteria include a benefit for the candidates who fall under the transgender category as they can experience the perks same as the other people from reserved categories (SC, ST, OBC, or PWD) get.
  • The Ph.D. degree holders who have completed their master's degree (irrespective of the result declaration date) before 19th September 1991 are eligible for a relaxation of 5%.
  • The candidates must not exceed the age limit of more than 30 years in order to fall under the JRF eligibility criteria. Although, the people falling under the reserved categories and women candidates are eligible for the same.
  • Applicants with experience in some kind of research may also enjoy the benefit of age relaxation. People with research experience are eligible for a relaxation of 5 years. The only condition is that the applicants must have spent a good amount of time in the relevant subject during their post-graduation period.
  • The applicants who hold an L.L.M degree are also eligible for enjoying an age relaxation of three years.

When is the JRF exam conducted?

JRF is generally conducted twice a year, in June and in December/January. In order to stay up to date and not miss out on the JRF exam date, the candidates are advised to keep checking the official website of JRF to get all the latest updates and information.

JRF Exam pattern

The JRF exam pattern is quite simplified, the JRF exam pattern demands a deep understanding of the format of the paper. If you’re curious to know about the JRF exam pattern, we have got you all covered.

  • A candidate has to appear for different papers known as paper 1 and paper 2 that are conducted as CBT (Computer Based Test).
  • In total a candidate is to attempt 150 questions that are divided as 50 questions for paper 1 and 100 questions for paper 2 and it is mandatory for the candidates to attempt all the questions.
  • Both the papers consist of Objective type questions and carry 2 marks each. So, it is 100 marks for paper 1 and 200 marks for paper 2.
  • Paper 1 is based on the general evaluation of the candidates and is of general nature to understand the teaching and research aptitude of the applicant. The paper includes questions based on general awareness, reasoning ability, comprehension, etc. Whereas paper 2 is totally based on the subjects that the applicants choose.

All The Best!

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