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If becoming a lecturer or a researcher appeals you, UGC NET and CSIR UGC NET examination are very important for you. The NET scores will decide your fate if you can take admission for JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) or apply for lectureship jobs at different colleges of India. However, there are many candidates who are confused about the distinction between the two positions, i.e., Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). This blog will help you understand what these two positions and the selection criteria for both.
Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) provide opportunities to students who qualify the National Eligibility Test (NET) to undertake advanced studies and research leading to M.Phil/PhD degree in the subject of their specialisation. It is only open for candidates who qualified in NET-JRF or the UGC-CSIR joint tests. The tenure of the fellowship is for two years and if the research work is found satisfactory then further three years are added as Senior Research Fellowship (SRF).
CBSE UGC NET and CSIR UGC NET also helps to select candidates who want to be a lecturer in a college. Based on your score, the merit list for lectureship is prepared. Students who qualify for Lectureship are eligible for recruitment as lecturers as well as for Junior Research Fellow in a scheme/project. However, they are not eligible for Regular JRF-NET Fellowship.
Lectureship in a university is one of the most prestigious career paths for a student. It can be an incredibly rewarding job as you can talk about a subject that you enjoy. It's also an inspiring job because as a lecturer one can get to see young people?s love of their subject increase with academic performance.
Research and lectureship are two career path that goes hand in hand. NET examination every year decides the fate of each student who wants to get into an academic career path. CSBE UGC NET and CSIR UGC NET examination are conducted twice every year. The main difference between the two examinations is that UGC NET examination is conducted for all the subjects in the arts and commerce stream while CSIR NET examination is only for science streams.
The cut-off JRF and Lectureship will be prepared after the result of the examination are declared. After the preparation of the answer key, there will be two separate merit list made for candidates. One for Junior Research Fellowship and one for Lectureship. It will be made on the basis of performance of the candidate in CSIR UGC NET examination. The students have to score above the cut-off marks to qualify for JRF and Lectureship.
The cut off for CSIR UGC NET-DEC for June is given below:
Junior Research Fellowship (NET)
Lectureship (NET)
As the number of subjects for UGC NET is many, you can check out previous year cut-off-for-UGC NET here. However, it is important for the students to keep in mind that scoring above the cut-off marks is not enough to get shortlisted for JRF and Lectureship. It is important to get into the list of the top 6% of the students above the qualifying marks.
Age matters a lot when it comes to Junior Research Fellowship. The maximum age prescribed by UGC for the award of JRF is 28 years on January 1 on the year of examination. There is a 5 years relaxation for students who are from the reserved category like SC/ST/PwD and female candidates and 3 years for candidates from OBC category. However, for Lectureship, there is no such age limit.
A candidate will be shortlisted for JRF or Lectureship only if he/she are in the top 6% of the NET examination. A student will be eligible for the NET examination after the completion of their bachelor degree with minimum marks of 55% (50% for reserved category). The students after getting shortlisted for JRF have to register for PhD or PhD integrated programme within two years.
Qualifying NET is not necessary for PhD. However, according to the latest UGC guidelines, students need NET scores to get admission in various universities. NET scores are also important for students to qualify for the entrance examination for the university to become a research scholar. The NET is a national-level examination is required to determine the eligibility of the candidate to become a lecturer or Junior Research Fellow. Similarly, SET is a state-level examination for eligibility of assistant professors.
As per January 2019, Junior Research Fellow is entitled to a scholarship amount of Rs. 31,000. For Senior Research Fellow, the amount is Rs. 35,000 for a tenure of three years. House Rent Allowance will be permissible to candidates who are not staying in university hostel accommodation. In such cases, the rent paid by the candidate may be reimbursed subject to the ceiling of HRA as per Govt. of India norms.
Research Fellowship and Lectureship is both important in the field of academia. It is a field where you get to do something you truly love. As a research fellow, you get to devote all the research time to truly pursuing your passion. As a lecturer, you can take pride in helping their students succeed in their professional careers.
For more details on CSIR UGC NET and UGC NET, read our articles.
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