Here are the official Economics cutoffs for five exam cycles. The tables show JRF, Assistant Professor and PhD-only cutoffs separately, followed by the number of JRF-qualified candidates reported for each category.
All cutoff marks are out of 300, combining Paper I and Paper II.
On this page
Which category should you check?
The tables cover five reservation categories: UR (Unreserved), OBC-NCL (Other Backward Classes, Non-Creamy Layer), EWS (Economically Weaker Sections), SC (Scheduled Castes) and ST (Scheduled Tribes). For disability subcategories and other applicable rows, open the official PDF linked against the exam cycle and find Economics, subject 001.
Minimum marks and the actual cutoff
For December 2026, the minimum aggregate is 40% (120 out of 300) for General/UR and EWS, and 35% (105 out of 300) for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, PwD/PwBD and third-gender applicants. You must appear in both papers. These are minimum qualifying marks; you still need to reach the cutoff for your subject and category. See section 11.3 of the bulletin.
JRF cutoffs
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| NET exam cycle (official PDF) | General / Unreserved (General / UR) | Other Backward Classes — Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) | Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | Scheduled Castes (SC) | Scheduled Tribes (ST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | 210 | 198 | 200 | 184 | 176 |
| December 2024 | 206 | 192 | 194 | 178 | 172 |
| June 2025 | 198 | 184 | 186 | 166 | 162 |
| December 2025 | 232 | 216 | 220 | 202 | 198 |
| June 2026 | 224 | 212 | 216 | 204 | 192 |
The UR JRF cutoff ranged from 198 to 232 marks across these five cycles.
Assistant Professor and PhD-admission cutoffs
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| NET exam cycle (official PDF) | General / Unreserved (General / UR) | Other Backward Classes — Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) | Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | Scheduled Castes (SC) | Scheduled Tribes (ST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | 182 | 160 | 164 | 148 | 144 |
| December 2024 | 180 | 162 | 166 | 150 | 148 |
| June 2025 | 170 | 150 | 154 | 140 | 136 |
| December 2025 | 200 | 180 | 180 | 164 | 158 |
| June 2026 | 196 | 178 | 178 | 164 | 160 |
PhD-only cutoffs
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| NET exam cycle (official PDF) | General / Unreserved (General / UR) | Other Backward Classes — Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) | Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | Scheduled Castes (SC) | Scheduled Tribes (ST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | 154 | 140 | 140 | 130 | 128 |
| December 2024 | 156 | 142 | 142 | 132 | 132 |
| June 2025 | 146 | 132 | 132 | 124 | 122 |
| December 2025 | 170 | 154 | 152 | 140 | 138 |
| June 2026 | 170 | 154 | 150 | 144 | 142 |
If you qualify under this category, you can apply for PhD admission, but you do not get JRF or Assistant Professor eligibility. The article on next steps after NET explains the admission process further.
How many candidates qualified for JRF?
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| NET exam cycle (official PDF) | General / Unreserved (General / UR) | Other Backward Classes — Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) | Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | Scheduled Castes (SC) | Scheduled Tribes (ST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | 66 | 41 | 15 | 22 | 17 |
| December 2024 | 66 | 45 | 24 | 31 | 18 |
| June 2025 | 56 | 38 | 11 | 16 | 12 |
| December 2025 | 74 | 56 | 19 | 24 | 20 |
| June 2026 | 90 | 64 | 21 | 30 | 23 |
These are qualified-candidate counts, not available seats. Universities announce PhD seats separately.
Using cutoffs during preparation
Compare your recent full-mock scores with the past range for your category. Use mocks covering both papers, since the cutoff is based on the combined score. The cutoff changes with each exam.
The mock-review article explains how to compare scores and plan the work between tests.