UGC NET Computer Science December 2026: Syllabus, Past Papers, Answer Key and Cut-Off
A free guide to Computer Science and Applications (Code 87), with NTA's own syllabus and papers, and six cycles of cut-offs in one table.
Status on 4 November 2026
Exam window: 14 to 18 December and 21 December 2026
NTA changed the dates on 16 October 2026 (corrigendum ), so pages still showing 14 to 19 December are out of date. NTA's calendar calls the dates tentative. The Computer Science date and shift have not been published yet. Applications have closed.
Computer Science date and shift: not published
NTA says the subject-wise schedule comes separately.
City intimation slip: from 23 November
The NTA link goes live here when it opens.
Admit card: from 7 December
The NTA link goes live here when it opens.
Provisional answer key: not out
NTA shows the date after the exam starts.
Result and cut-off: not out
NTA has not announced a date.
Dates
UGC NET December 2026 exam dates
From NTA's Updated Information Bulletin and later notices. Always confirm on ugcnet.nta.nic.in .
| Item | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exam dates | 14 to 18 December 2026, and 21 December 2026 | Corrigendum, 16 Oct 2026 |
| Computer Science exam date and shift | Not published yet | Subject-wise schedule comes separately |
| City intimation slip | From 23 November 2026 | Corrigendum |
| Admit card | From 7 December 2026 | Corrigendum |
| Application | Closed on 31 October 2026 | Notice of 27 Oct 2026 |
| Fee payment | Closed on 1 November 2026 | Notice of 1 Nov 2026 |
| Correction window | 2 to 4 November 2026 | Notice of 2 Nov 2026 |
| Answer key and result dates | To be announced by NTA | Updated Bulletin |
Pattern
UGC NET Computer Science exam pattern
| Paper | What it covers | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | Teaching and research aptitude, common to all subjects | 50 | 100 |
| Paper II | Computer Science and Applications, Code 87 | 100 | 200 |
| Total | One 180-minute sitting with no break | 150 | 300 |
- Marking: +2 for a correct answer and no negative marking, so answer everything.
- Time: 180 minutes for both papers with no break, which works out to about 72 seconds a question.
- Medium: English and Hindi. If a translation is ambiguous, the English version is final.
- To be considered: at least 40% in aggregate for General and EWS, and 35% for reserved categories. Cut-offs are usually far higher.
Syllabus
UGC NET Computer Science syllabus: the 10 official units
Unit names and headings as NTA prints them for Code 87. Read the full syllabus PDF or NTA's syllabus page . The Hindi link there opens the same English file.
| Unit | Name | Official topic headings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discrete Structures and Optimization | Mathematical logic; sets and relations; counting, induction and discrete probability; group theory; graph theory; Boolean algebra; optimization, including linear programming, assignment models and PERT-CPM |
| 2 | Computer System Architecture | Digital logic circuits; data representation; register transfer and microoperations; basic computer organization; programming the basic computer; microprogrammed control; central processing unit; pipeline and vector processing; input-output organization; memory hierarchy; multiprocessors |
| 3 | Programming Languages and Computer Graphics | Language design and translation; elementary data types; programming in C; object oriented programming; web programming; computer graphics |
| 4 | Database Management Systems | Database concepts and architecture; data modeling; normalization; enhanced data models; data warehousing and data mining; big data systems; NoSQL |
| 5 | System Software and Operating System | System software; operating system basics; process management; threads; CPU scheduling; deadlocks; memory management; storage management; file and I/O systems; security; virtual machines; Linux; Windows; distributed systems |
| 6 | Software Engineering | Process models; requirements; design; software quality; estimation and scheduling; testing; configuration management |
| 7 | Data Structures and Algorithms | Data structures; performance analysis and recurrences; design techniques; lower bound theory; graph algorithms; complexity theory; selected topics; advanced algorithms |
| 8 | Theory of Computation and Compilers | Theory of computation; regular language models; context free languages; unsolvable problems and complexity; syntax analysis; semantic analysis; run time system; intermediate code generation; code generation and optimization |
| 9 | Data Communication and Computer Networks | Data communication; computer networks; network models; OSI and TCP/IP layer functions; network security; mobile technology; cloud computing and IoT |
| 10 | Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Approaches to AI; knowledge representation; planning; natural language processing; multi agent systems; fuzzy sets; genetic algorithms; artificial neural networks |
NTA publishes no marks per unit, so any weightage you see elsewhere is someone's own count. Note the order: Data Structures and Algorithms is Unit 7, and networks are Unit 9.
Previous year papers
UGC NET Computer Science previous year papers
Official files only, on NTA's own host. We opened each one to confirm it is the Computer Science paper. Solve them timed, with Paper I, in one 180-minute sitting.
- Exam of 23 August 2024, Shift 1 June 2024 cycle
- Exam of 7 December 2023, Shift 2 December 2023 cycle
- Exam of 11 March 2023, Slot 2 Subject 87
- Code 87, Set 2 File created December 2018
- July 2018 question papers NTA / UGC index page
We did not find public official Computer Science papers for June 2025, December 2025 or June 2026. NTA has shown recent papers to candidates through their login, so treat copies elsewhere as unofficial.
Answer key
UGC NET Computer Science answer key 2026
NTA has not announced a date. It will post the provisional key on ugcnet.nta.nic.in, and the exact date appears there after the exam starts. A challenge costs ₹200 per question, and the window is usually two to three days.
| Cycle | Last exam day | Key opened | Result | Exam to key | Key to result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 5 Jul 2026 | 16 Aug 2026 | 28 Aug 2026 | 42 days | 12 days |
| December 2025 | 7 Jan 2026 | 14 Jan 2026 | 4 Feb 2026 | 7 days | 21 days |
| June 2025 (news reports) | 29 Jun 2025 | 5 Jul 2025 | 21 or 22 Jul 2025 | 6 days | 16 or 17 days |
The gap has swung from 6 to 42 days, so we give no estimate for December 2026. June 2026 final keys were available only through candidate login, with no public subject file.
- December 2025 final answer key, Computer Science Question ID to option, so read it with the paper
- December 2025 final keys, all subjects NTA index page
Cut-off
UGC NET Computer Science cut-off: last six cycles
Marks out of 300 for Code 87, written as JRF / Assistant Professor / PhD only. December 2023 had no PhD-only category.
| Category | June 2026 | Dec 2025 | June 2025 | Dec 2024 | June 2024 | Dec 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 214 / 180 / 158 | 192 / 162 / 144 | 186 / 158 / 140 | 198 / 172 / 152 | 218 / 188 / 166 | 184 / 160 / — |
| OBC (NCL) | 200 / 162 / 146 | 176 / 146 / 132 | 172 / 142 / 128 | 186 / 156 / 140 | 206 / 174 / 154 | 174 / 144 / — |
| EWS | 200 / 162 / 142 | 182 / 148 / 134 | 172 / 144 / 130 | 188 / 156 / 140 | 202 / 172 / 150 | 176 / 146 / — |
| SC | 188 / 156 / 140 | 168 / 140 / 126 | 158 / 136 / 124 | 174 / 150 / 134 | 194 / 164 / 148 | 160 / 138 / — |
| ST | 182 / 154 / 138 | 166 / 138 / 124 | 160 / 136 / 122 | 178 / 148 / 134 | 196 / 164 / 146 | 164 / 138 / — |
- June 2026 and December 2025: read directly from NTA's PDFs.
- June 2025, December 2024 and December 2023: from NTA's PDFs through a search extract, with columns matched against coaching-site tables.
- June 2024: from coaching sites only. They disagree on some rows, and we could not read the official row.
- PwD cut-offs are in NTA's PDFs on its documents page .
Preparation
How to prepare for UGC NET Computer Science
Four things the official pattern tells you, wherever you are in your preparation.
Cover all 10 units
NTA gives no unit weights. Spread your time, and keep theory-heavy units such as Theory of Computation and AI in the plan.
Do not ignore Paper I
It is 100 of the 300 marks and it is common to all subjects. Our UGC NET hub lists its units.
Practise full sittings
There is no break, and about 72 seconds per question. Solve the official papers above in one 180-minute sitting.
Attempt every question
With no negative marking, a blank can only cost you. Keep the last few minutes for marking every remaining answer.
Our UGC NET Computer Science course
We do not have UGC NET tests or a Computer Science course live yet, and this guide stays free either way. Message us if you want to be told when they open.
Tell me when it opensQuestions
UGC NET Computer Science: frequently asked questions
When is the UGC NET Computer Science December 2026 exam?
NTA's exam window is 14 to 18 December and 21 December 2026. As of 4 November 2026 NTA had not published the subject-wise schedule, so the exact Computer Science date and shift are not known yet.
Is the UGC NET December 2026 exam on 14 to 19 December?
Not any more. NTA's corrigendum of 16 October 2026 changed the dates to 14 to 18 December and 21 December, and said the Updated Bulletin prevails. Pages still showing 19 December are out of date.
What is the subject code for UGC NET Computer Science?
Computer Science and Applications is Code 87. NTA prints it as 087 in its cut-off and answer key PDFs.
Is there negative marking in UGC NET Computer Science?
No. Each correct answer gets 2 marks and a wrong answer loses nothing, so leave nothing blank. An unattempted question is simply not evaluated.
What is the UGC NET Computer Science syllabus?
Ten units in Paper II: Discrete Structures and Optimization, Computer System Architecture, Programming Languages and Computer Graphics, Database Management Systems, System Software and Operating System, Software Engineering, Data Structures and Algorithms, Theory of Computation and Compilers, Data Communication and Computer Networks, and Artificial Intelligence.
Where can I download UGC NET Computer Science previous year papers?
This page links the Computer Science papers we could confirm on NTA's own host. We did not find public official Computer Science papers for June 2025, December 2025 or June 2026.
When will the UGC NET Computer Science answer key 2026 come?
NTA shows the date on its website after the exam starts. There is no date yet. In recent cycles the key opened 6 to 42 days after the last exam day. Challenges cost ₹200 per question and the window is usually two to three days.
What is the UGC NET Computer Science cut-off?
In June 2026 the unreserved cut-offs were 214 for JRF, 180 for Assistant Professor and 158 for PhD only, out of 300. The December 2026 cut-offs come with the result.
What score should I aim for in UGC NET Computer Science?
Across the last six cycles, the unreserved JRF cut-off ranged from 184 to 218 out of 300, and Assistant Professor from 158 to 188. Past cut-offs do not predict the next one, but they give you a realistic target.
Does The Victory Key have UGC NET Computer Science tests?
Not yet. As of 4 November 2026 we have no UGC NET tests live, and this page is free for everyone. Message us on WhatsApp if you want to be told when the course opens.