CUET UG
Common University Entrance Test (UG)
CUET UG is the common entrance for undergraduate seats at central universities such as DU, BHU and JNU, and at many state and private universities. For 2027, forms are expected in January–February and the exam in May (not yet notified). You choose up to 5 subjects; each test has 50 compulsory questions in 60 minutes.
Compiled & edited by Mallikarjun Bhise
Important dates
Usual window from past cycles. Dates for the next cycle are not announced yet — check the official site before planning.
Key dates for 2026–27
- CUET UG 2027Form opens: Jan 2027ExpectedLast date to apply: Feb 2027ExpectedExam: May 2027ExpectedSource: Careers360, CUET 2027 expected schedulePlan B and documents →
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Eligibility criteria
12th pass or appearing — any stream; minimum marks vary by university and course
Should you attempt CUET UG?
Attempt it if
- Students targeting DU, BHU, JNU, AMU or other central universities — CUET is now the only gate to those campuses for most UG courses
- Commerce and humanities students whose target courses (B.Com Hons, Economics, English, Psychology) concentrate at exactly these universities
- Students from boards with tough marking, for whom an entrance exam is fairer than a 12th-marks cutoff race
Think twice if
- Students already committed to professional routes — engineering (JEE/state CETs), medicine (NEET), law (CLAT) — CUET adds little there
- Those whose realistic and preferred colleges are state universities that still admit on 12th marks; check your own state before spending months on CUET prep
- Anyone treating CUET as a fallback needing "no preparation" — popular DU courses close near the top of the score scale
Exam pattern
Choose up to 5 subjects (languages, domain subjects, General Test) as your universities require. Each test: 50 questions, all compulsory, 60 minutes; +5 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one (2025–26 pattern; check the 2027 NTA bulletin).
Cutoff trends
DU top colleges (Miranda, Hindu, SRCC): 99–100 percentile in CUET for popular courses. State universities: 70–85 percentile sufficient.
What selection actually takes
CUET UG draws around 13–15 lakh registrations, making it India's second-largest UG exam. The competition is uneven: B.Com Hons or Psychology at top DU colleges closes at near-perfect normalised scores, while the same subjects at smaller central universities admit far lower. Your subject-combination choice matters as much as marks — universities map specific domain subjects to each course, so read the target university's mapping before choosing test papers, not after.
Accepted colleges
Full cost of an attempt
The application fee scales with the number of subjects (roughly ₹400–650 per subject for General; check the bulletin). Most students need 3–4 papers. Coaching is largely unnecessary — the exam sits at 12th-board level; a ₹2,000–5,000 mock series plus NCERT revision covers it. The real planning cost is time: the exam window collides with board exams' aftermath, so prep must run alongside Class 12, not after.
How to prepare (coaching vs self-study)
CUET domain papers are NCERT-based — board preparation and CUET preparation are the same work with different question formats. Spend the 2–3 months after boards on speed: MCQ drills and previous-year papers per section. The General Test (where required) rewards a steady GK/current-affairs habit that cannot be crammed in a week. Pick your universities first, derive the required paper list from their course mappings, and prepare only those papers.
Syllabus overview
Section 1A: Language test (13 options) — comprehension, grammar
Section 1B: Additional languages (20 options)
Section 2: Domain subjects matching your 12th subjects (27 domains)
Section 3: General Test — Maths/Reasoning/GK (optional for some universities)
Related routes worth comparing
Courses you can reach through CUET
- B.Sc Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Maths — 3 years via CUET; IISER and NISER for integrated BS-MS.
- B.Com — 3 years; CUET for DU and central universities.
- Mass communication and journalism — 3 years after 12th in any stream, mostly via CUET.
- Foreign languages and linguistics — BA via CUET or EFLU, or JLPT, HSK and TOPIK certificate tracks.
- Psychology and clinical psychology — BA or B.Sc after 12th, then a recognised PG to practise.
- Sports management and BPE — 3 years after 12th in any stream; LNIPE runs its own entrance.
- B.Sc Agriculture — 4 years; MHT-CET (PCB or PCM) in Maharashtra, CUET for ICAR seats.
If it doesn't work out
A modest CUET score narrows the campus, not the subject: state universities, autonomous colleges (many admit on 12th marks or their own tests), and good private universities teach the same B.Com/BA/B.Sc. Delhi University is a brand advantage in exactly two things — peer group and placement access for a few courses; the syllabus is the same everywhere. A drop year for CUET alone is almost never worth it; improve through internships and skills instead.
Frequently asked questions
Q: When is CUET UG 2027?
NTA has not notified it yet. Going by recent cycles, forms are expected in January–February 2027 and the exam in May 2027.
Q: How many subjects can I take in CUET UG?
Up to 5, chosen from languages, domain subjects and the General Test, as the universities you apply to require. Each test has 50 compulsory questions in 60 minutes; +5 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong one (2025–26 pattern).
Q: Does CUET replace board marks completely?
For admission to participating central universities, yes — course seats are allotted on CUET scores, with boards used only as eligibility (often just pass marks, sometimes a minimum percentage). Boards still matter for universities outside CUET and for some professional courses.
Q: How many CUET subjects should I take?
Work backwards from 4–6 target courses at 3–4 universities: their mappings usually resolve to 3–4 papers (one language, two or three domain subjects, plus the General Test where required). Extra papers cost money and split preparation for little gain.
Q: Is coaching needed for CUET?
Generally no. The papers are NCERT-level; the gap is MCQ speed, which mock papers fix. Coaching may help only for the General Test if your GK habit is weak — and even there a daily current-affairs digest does the same job.
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