CUET PG Reservation Criteria/ Policy 2025 Released

CUET PG Reservation Criteria 2025 The CUET PG Reservation Criteria 2025 ensure that a certain percentage of seats in each programme are reserved for specific categories of candidates, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD). These reservations aim to provide equal opportunities to all eligible candidates and promote social and economic diversity in higher education. Based on the reservation policy, candidates will be offered seats in the CUET PG Participating institutes 2025.

Also Read: How to Prepare for CUET PG 2025; Preparation Strategy, Tips & Important Topics 

NTA will provide the CUET PG reservation policy 2025 in the information brochure of the examination. The CUET PG 2025 exam notification were released on January 2, 2025. Candidates can fill out the CUET PG application process 2025 from January 2, 2025 till February 1, 2025 till 11:50 pm Candidates can read out this Shiksha article to learn about the percentage of seat allocation to the candidates pertaining to various categories, documents required by the candidates inorder to avail the CUET PG reservation benefits and grounds on which a scribe is provided by the exam officials to the PwD candidates. 

CUET PG Reservation Policy/ Criteria 2025

Candidates can check out the category wise reservation policy in the CUET PG 2025 exam form here:

Categories	Seat Reservation (In Percentage)
General Economically Weaker Sections (GEN-EWS)	10 per cent
Other Backward Classes (Non creamy layer)	27 per cent
Scheduled Castes (SC)	15 per cent
Scheduled Tribes (ST)	7.5 per cent
Persons with Disabilities	5 per cent in each category

CUET PG Reservation Criteria for OBC Candidates

Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer (OBC- NCL) – 27% of seats in every course. Canddiates pertaining to OBC categories should be listed in the current updated central list of OBCs. Candidates can go through the important points below:

• OBCs present in the State list but not covered in the central list of OBCs (as per the list in http://www.ncbc.nic.in) are NOT eligible to claim the reservation.
• The criteria for OBC-NCL will be as per the notification of the Government of India.
• Candidates belonging to the creamy layer of OBC are NOT entitled to reservation. Such candidates are treated as belonging to the general (GEN), i.e. unreserved category, and they will be eligible only for the
  OPEN seats – the seats for which all candidates are eligible.
• OBC-NCL certificate is required which should have been issued on or after 01 April 2024, in consonance with the latest guidelines of the Government of India. 

OBC Caste Certificate Upload Format

 CUET PG Reservation Criteria for GEN-EWS Candidates

General category belonging to Economically Weaker Section (GEN- EWS) – 10% of seats in every course. The benefit of reservation will be given only to those General category candidates who satisfy the conditions, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The criteria for GEN-EWS will be as per the prevailing norms and/or notifications of the Government of India. GEN-EWS certificate is required which should have been issued on or after 01 April 2024 in consonance with the latest guidelines of the Government of India.

GEN-EWS Caste Certificate Upload Format

CUET PG Reservation Criteria for SC/ST Candidates

Candidates can check out the format of SC/ST category certificate required for the candidates to upload while filling out the CUET PG registration form 2025:

 

CUET PG Reservation Criteria for PwD Candidates

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD Act) of 2016 defines "Persons with Disabilities (PwD)" as individuals with long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments that, when interacting with societal barriers, hinder their full and equal participation in society. The Act further defines "persons with benchmark disabilities" as those with a disability level of 40% or more, as certified by the designated authority.

To accommodate candidates with benchmark disabilities, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has issued guidelines for written examinations. These guidelines apply to candidates with benchmark disabilities who possess a valid Disability Certificate issued as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017.

• The facility of Scribe, in case he/she has a physical limitation and a scribe is essential to write the examination on his/her behalf, being so certified in the aforesaid format by a CMO/Civil Surgeon/ Medical Superintendent of a Government Health Care Institution.
• Compensatory time of one hour for examination of three hours duration, whether such candidate uses the facility of Scribe or not. 

Services of Scribe

As per the office memorandum of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the PwD candidates who are visually impaired OR have a disability in the upper limbs OR have lost fingers/hands thereby preventing them from properly operating the Computer Based Test platform may avail the services of a scribe (amanuensis). The scribe will help the Candidate in reading the questions and/or keying in the answers as per the directions of the candidate. A scribe will NEITHER explain the questions NOR suggest any solutions. PwD candidates who desire to avail the services of a scribe need to opt for this during the online registration of CUET PG 2025.
It is to be noted that the Scribe will be provided by the National Testing Agency (NTA), if requested. If it is found at any stage that a candidate has availed the services of a scribe and/or availed the compensatory time, but does not possess the extent of disability that warrants the use of a scribe and/or grant of compensatory time, the candidate will be excluded from the process of evaluation, ranking, counselling, and admission. In case such a candidate has already been admitted to any Institution, the admission of the candidate will be cancelled. 

Note:

1. The minimum degree of disability should be 40% (Benchmark Disability) in order to be eligible for availing reservation for persons with specified disability.
2. The extent of “specified disability” in a person shall be assessed in accordance with the “Guidelines for the purpose of assessing the extent of specified disability in a person included under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (49 of 2016)” notified in the Gazette of India by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment [Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)] on 4 January 2018.
3. No change in the category will be entertained after the last date specified by NTA for CUET (PG) 2025 Registration. 

CUET PG Reservation Criteria 2025: Application Fee for PG Programmes Increased

The below table shows the CUET PG 2025 application fee:

Category	Application Fee (in INR) (For upto two test papers)	Application Fee Outside India (in INR) (For upto three test papers)
General	1400	7,000
Gen-EWS/ OBC-NCL	1200
SC / ST / Third Gender	1100
PwD	1000

Read More:

• CUET PG Eligibility Criteria 2025: Age Limit, University- Wise Degree Requirement & Qualification 
• CUET PG 2025 Changes: Exam Pattern (Revised), General Paper (Redesigned) and Other Details 
• What is a Good Score in CUET PG? Know Course and University Wise Good Score Here