CUET- Common University Entrance Test
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) was introduced from the year 2022 for admission into all Undergraduate (UG) Programs in all Central Universities.
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) will provide a common platform and equal opportunities to candidates across the country, especially those from rural and other remote areas and help establish a better connection with the Universities. A single examination will enable the candidates to expand their application range for admission to various Central Universities.
CUET is not exactly a new examination. Earlier known as Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET), the exam was introduced in 2010 for admission to undergraduate, integrated postgraduate and diploma/certificate courses at seven central universities.
Common University Entrance Test (CUET (UG) – 2025) will be conducted in 13 mediums across India for admission into the Undergraduate Programmes in Hybrid (Pen & Paper / CBT) mode for all the Central Universities (CUs) and participating Universities in India for the academic year 2025-26.
Important Dates
| Duration of Online registration and submission of Application Form for CUET (UG) – 2025 | February - March 2025* | |
| Last date of successful transaction of fee through Credit / Debit Card / Net-Banking / UPI | 1st week of April 2025* | |
| Correction in Particulars | 2nd week of April 2025* | |
| Announcement of the City of Examination | Last week of April 2025 onwards* | |
| Release of Admit Card | The second week of May 2025* | |
| Date of Examinations | May 2025* | |
| Release of provisional answer key | To Be Notified | |
| Release of final answer key | To Be Notified | |
| Results | July 2025* |
* Dates are tentative.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria depend on the course and university to which the student wants to gain admission. However, here are some general criteria for admission to UG and PG programs:
| General candidates | Minimum 50% marks in Class XII or equivalent exam |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates | Minimum 45% marks in Class XII or equivalent exam. |
For appearing in the CUET (UG), there is no age limit for the candidates. However, the candidates will be required to fulfil the age criteria (if any) of the University(ies) in which they are desirous of taking admission.
It is advised that the candidates go through the eligibility requirements of the respective university.
Application Form
Application for the examination is accepted only through the online form.
Here are the steps to complete the application process:
- Visit the cuet.samarth.ac.in
- Click on the Register button on the page.
- Read the application instructions.
- Click on the ‘Click here to proceed’ button at the bottom of the page.
- Complete online registration.
- Fill out the online application form for each of the courses the candidate wants to apply for.
- Upload scanned images of the candidate’s photograph, signature and any other required documents.
- Pay the exam fee via a debit/credit card, net banking, or an SBI bank challan from any branch.
- Print the filled application form for future reference.
Application Fees
For CUET (UG) – 2025, fees will be charged based on the number of subjects chosen by the candidates. The following fee structure is applicable for CUET (UG) - 2025:
Here is the fee structure for the exam:
| Category | CUET (UG) -2025 | ||
| Up to 03 Subjects | For each Additional Subject | ||
| General (UR) | ₹ 1000/- | ₹ 400/- (each) | |
| OBC (NCL)/EWS | ₹ 900/- | ₹ 375/- (each) | |
| SC/ST/PwBD/ Third gender | ₹ 800/- | ₹ 350/- (each) | |
| Centres outside India | ₹ 4500/- | ₹ 1800/- (each) | |
The fee can be submitted only online through Net Banking/Credit Card/Debit Card/UPI.
Exam pattern and marking scheme
Here are the details of CUET 2025 as shared by the NTA so far:
| Mode of exam | CUET is a Hybrid mode (Computer-Based Test / Pen & Paper) Exam. |
| Medium of exam | The test will be conducted in 13 languages — English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. |
| Number of slots | There may be three shifts in a day. |
| Duration of exam | The duration of a shifts is about two hours. Note: Compensatory time for PwBD Candidates of 20 minutes for each hour examination will be given. |
| Number of sections | The examination will consist of three sections: Languages, Domain Subject, and the General Test. |
| Question format | Objective type with Multiple Choice Questions. |
| Number of questions | 40 out of 50 questions for all test papers and 50 out of 60 for the General Test (choice of 10 questions). Duration for all test papers would be 45 minutes except for Mathematics/Applied Mathematics, Accountancy, Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Computer Science/Informatics Practices, and General Tests which would be 60 minutes. |
| Marking scheme of exam | Candidates will be awarded 5 marks for each right answer. 1 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer |
Structure of the CUET Examination
CUET (UG) is a comprehensive package of languages/domains, subjects, and general tests that includes a wide range of subjects/languages available in most universities. Students will have to choose the necessary exam/test to gain entry into their desired course at their preferred university. The subjects/questions chosen by the student should align with the expectations of the desired university. CUET (UG) includes a total of 61 subjects/question papers.
CUET (UG) will consist of the following 3 Sections:
- 33 Languages
- 29 Domain specific Subjects
- General Test
Broad features of CUET (UG) are as follows:
| Section | Subjects/Tests | Questions to be Attempted | Question type | Duration |
| Languages | There are 33* different languages. Any of these languages may be chosen. | 40 questions to be attempted out of 50 in each language | Language to be tested through Reading Comprehension (based on different types of passages–Factual, Literary and Narrative, [Literary Aptitude and Vocabulary] | 45 Minutes for each language |
| Domain | There are 29** Domains specific subjects being offered under this Section. A candidate may choose a maximum of Six (06) Domains as desired by the applicable University/ Universities. | 40 Questions to be attempted out of 50 |
|
45 Minutes for each Domain Specific Subjects except for Mathematics/ Applied Mathematics, Accountancy, Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Computer Science/Infor matics Practices which would be of 60 minutes. |
| General Test | For any such undergraduate programme/ programmes being offered by Universities where a General Test is being used for admission. | 50 Questions to be attempted out of 60 |
|
60 Minutes |
* Languages (33) : Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Odiya, Bengali, Assamese, Punjabi, English, Hindi, Urdu, French, Spanish, German, Nepali, Persian, Italian, Arabic, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Manipuri, Sanskrit, Santhali, Tibetan, Japanese, Russian and Chinese.
** Domain Specific Subjects (29) : The exam includes 29 domain-specific subjects, which are as follows -.
- Accountancy/ Book Keeping
- Biology/ Biological Studies/ Biotechnology/Biochemistry
- Business Studies
- Chemistry
- Art, Education, Painting and Sculpture
- Computer Science/ Informatics Practices
- Economics/ Business Economics
- Engineering Graphics
- Entrepreneurship
- Geography/Geology
- History
- Home Science
- Knowledge Tradition - Practices in India
- Legal Studies
- Environmental Studies
- Mathematics
- Physical Education/ NCC /Yoga
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Teaching Aptitude
- Agriculture
- Mass Media and Communication
- Anthropology
- Fashion Studies
- Tourism
-
Performing Arts
- Dance (Kathak/ Bharatnatyam/ Odissi/ Kathakali/Kuchipudi/ Manipuri
- Drama- Theatre
- Music General (Hindustani/ Carnatic/ Rabindra Sangeet/ Percussion/ Non-Percussion)
- Sanskrit Domain. [For all Shastri (Shastri 3 years/ 4 years Honours) Equivalent to B.A./B.A. Honours courses i.e. Shastri in Veda, Paurohitya (Karmakand), Dharamshastra, Prachin Vyakarana, Navya Vyakarana, Phalit Jyotish, Siddhant Jyotish, Vastushastra, Sahitya,Puranetihas, Prakrit Bhasha,Prachin Nyaya Vaisheshik, Sankhya Yoga, Jain Darshan,Mimansa,AdvaitaVedanta, Vishihstadvaita Vedanta, Sarva Darshan, a candidate may choose Sanskrit as the Domain. For those who are writing Sanskrit as a domain subject in Section 2, Sanskrit paper in Section 1B will be used for testing their Reading Comprehension (based on different types of passages–Factual, Literary and Narrative, [Literary Aptitude and Vocabulary]
Syllabus
The subjects that candidates need to cover for CUET depend on the course they are applying for.
In general, the paper will have language-specific and general knowledge questions along with subject-specific questions that the candidate would have studied for Class XII. The links to the syllabus of the included courses are mentioned below:
| Accountancy | Agriculture |
| Anthropology | Art Education Painting and Sculpture |
| Biology | Business Studies |
| Chemistry | Computer Science |
| Economics/ Business Economics | Engineering Graphics |
| Entrepreneurship | Environmental Studies |
| Geography | History |
| Home Science | Knowledge Tradition - Practices India |
| Languages (IA & IB) | Legal Studies |
| Mass Media and Communication | Mathematics |
| Performing Arts | Physical Education |
| Physics | Political Science |
| Psychology | Sanskrit |
| Sociology | Teaching Aptitude |
| Tourism | Fashion Studies |
Examination centers
When filling out their application forms, candidates will get the chance to choose four examination centers. Candidates will be notified of their exam centers when they receive their admit cards. Currently, there are exam centers spread across 354 cities within India and 26 cities abroad. If less than 100 candidates enroll for any exam center, then the center will get cancelled and the candidates will be re-allotted to the nearest center.
Barred Items
Candidates are NOT allowed to carry Instruments, Geometry or Pencil box, Handbag, Purse, any kind of Paper/ Stationery/ Textual material (printed or written material), Eatables and Water (loose or packed), Mobile Phone/ Earphone/ Microphone/ Pager, Calculator, Docu Pen, Slide Rules, Log Tables, Camera, Tape Recorder, Electronic Watches with facilities of calculator, any metallic item or electronic gadgets/ devices in the Examination Hall/Room.
Dress Code
- Light clothes with long sleeves are not permitted. However, in case, candidates come in cultural/ customary dress at the Examination Centre, they should report at least an hour before the last reporting time so that there is enough time for proper frisking without any inconvenience to the candidate while maintaining the sanctity of the examination.
- Slippers, and sandals with low heels are permitted. Shoes are not permitted.
- In case of any deviation required due to unavoidable (medical, etc.) circumstances, specific approval of NTA must be taken before the Admit Cards are issued.
Marking Scheme of Examination
- For Multiple Choice Questions: To answer a question, the candidates need to choose one option corresponding to the correct answer or the most appropriate answer.
- However, if any anomaly or discrepancy is found after the process of challenges of the key verification, it shall be addressed
in the following manner:
- Correct answer or the most appropriate answer: Five marks (+5)
- Any incorrect option marked will be given minus one mark (-1).
- Unanswered/Marked for Review will be given no mark (0).
Answer key
The date of the release of the answer key is yet to be announced. It is estimated to be released in the third week of July. Candidates can view and raise objections after the answer key is released. Once the process is complete, the final answer key will be made available on the CUET website. Candidates will have the chance to challenge the Provisional Answer Keys by making a non-refundable online payment of ₹200/- per question challenged as processing charges. The provisional Answer Keys will be available for viewing for a period of two to three days.
Counselling
Selected candidates will have to complete the counselling process at the universities. The dates and details of the process are to be shared by the respective institutions. Candidates who will be appearing in CUET (UG) - 2025 may participate in the Counselling/admission process of any University / Institution / Organization even though they have not applied for that University / Institution / Organization in the Online Application Form of CUET (UG) – 2025. However, the candidates must fulfil the eligibility criteria of the Course of the University / Institution / Organization to which they are seeking admission.