NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria - Check Age Limit, Marks Required, No of Attempts, Important Factor

Updated By Ankita Jha on 12 Feb, 2025 16:56

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NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria

NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria has been released by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. As per the NEST Eligibility Criteria 2025, students must have passed their Class XII or equivalent exam in 2023 and 2024, or be scheduled to appear in 2025, from a recognised board to be eligible for NEST 2025. Students should have studied at least three of the four basic subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology. Furthermore, their education must come from a science background. Also, NEST application form 2025 will be released on February 17, 2025 so before that go through NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria in details to be eligible for the exam.

Students must have a Class 12 qualification from a recognised board with a minimum of 60% marks as mentioned on the NEST Eligibility Criteria. Students from the SC, ST, or PwD categories must have scored at least 55%. Students for the Unreserved and OBC categories must have been born on or after August 1, 2004. According to the NEST 2025 qualifying requirements, SC/ST and Divyagjan candidates are eligible for a 5-year age relaxation. Students must qualify for the exam and be on the NEST 2025 merit list.

NEST 2025 eligibility criteria define the qualifying examination, age, nationality, qualifying marks, and other requirements. Students must thoroughly check the detailed NEST eligibility criteria 2025 before applying for the exam. As to take NEST 2025 exam, all applicants must meet the minimum NEST 2025 eligibility criteria requirements. NEST 2025 exam will be held on June 22, 2025. Those who do not meet the NEST eligibility criteria 2025 will not be permitted to take the exam. Before completing the NEST 2025 application form, applicants must carefully review the NEST 2025 eligibility criteria. Students clearing NEST 2025 eligibility criteria are suggested to check NEST 2025 syllabus and decide their preparation strategy accordingly.

Scroll down to learn more about NEST eligibility criteria 2025.

NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria Details

As NEST 2025 application will be released on February 17, 2025, we suggest students to go through NEST eligibility criteria 2025 thoroughly and make a decision accordingly. 

NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria: Nationality

  • Candidates must be Indian.

  • NRI students or PIO or OCI candidates are not eligible to apply for the NEST 2025 exam.

  • Candidates from J & K, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana states have a quota of 15%.

NEST Eligibility Criteria 2025: Age Limit

  • General and OBC category applicants born on or after 1st August 2002 are eligible to apply for NEST 2025.

  • SC/ST/PwD applicants with a birth date on or after August 1, 1996 are eligible for a five-year relaxation.

NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria: Number of attempts

  • There is no restriction on the number of attempts for NEST 2025 examination.

NEST Eligibility Criteria 2025: Educational Qualification

  • Candidates should be from the regular science stream with the only combination of at least three subjects among Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics in classes 11th and 12th.

  • Candidates should have passed the class 12th examination or equivalent from any recognized Board in India in the year 2024 or 2023 or must be appearing in the same in 2025.

  • Final-year applicants are also eligible for NEST 2025 as per NEST eligibility criteria 2025.

Note: Those candidates who are appearing for the board examination in 2025 must pass it by the time of admission into the programme.

NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria: Minimum Marks Required

  • Candidates should secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent in class 12th examination.

  • The minimum mark requirement for candidates in the reserved (SC/ST/PwD) categories has been relaxed to 55% in aggregate.

Colleges Accepting Exam NEST :

Important Instructions for NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria

    All candidates must keep in mind these important instructions for NEST eligibility criteria 2025 before filling out NEST 2025 application form.

  • Candidates, who have only letter grades available, will have to submit a certificate from the respective Board which specifies the equivalent percentage of marks.
  • In the absence of such a certificate, the final decision will be made by the admissions committee of the concerned institution.

NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria Age Limit

The eligibility criteria for NEST 2025 for specific age limits is given below for different categories:

  • General and OBC Candidates: Must be born on or after August 1, 2004.
  • SC/ST/PwD Candidates: Eligible for a 5-year relaxation, meaning they must be born on or after August 1, 1999.

NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria: Reservation Criteria

A percentage of the total number of seats in both NISER and CEBS 2025 eligibility is reserved for reserved category candidates. The following categories are accepted by NISER and CEBS for admission as per NEST eligibility criteria 2025:

  • OBC - NCL (Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer)

  • SC (Scheduled Caste) / ST (Scheduled Tribe)

  • PwD (Person with Disabilities)

  • Supernumerary Quota for students from Jammu and Kashmir as per NEST 2025 eligibility criteria

CategoryReservation (%)
OBC - NCL27%
SC      15%        
ST7.5%
PwD5%
Supernumerary Quota (J&K)2 seats in both institutions (NISER and CEBS 2025 eligibility) are reserved for candidates from Jammu and Kashmir.

NEST 2025 Application Form

The NEST 2025 application form will be released on February 17, 2025. Candidates must read NEST 2025 eligibility criteria before registering at the portal. Candidates will be required to fill out the NEST application form to appear in the exam. To fill out the NEST 2025 application form, students will require a valid email address and documents. Once the NEST application process is complete, the officials will release the NEST 2025 admit card. 

Also Check: NEST 2025 Exam Date

Want to know more about NEST

FAQs about NEST Eligibility

What's the difference between NEST and NISER?

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is an annual college entrance examination in India held for admission to the National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar (NISER) and the Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai.

How to become eligible for NEST 2025?

To be eligible for the NEST entrance exam, candidates must have passed the Class 12 board exam from any recognised Indian education board in 2024 or 2023. Additionally, students who are currently preparing to take the Class 12 board exam in 2025 are eligible to apply.

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