1.2 Eligibility Requirements, Master's Degree Criteria & Domicile Policy

1.2 Eligibility Requirements, Master's Degree Criteria & Domicile Policy

Eligibility for CG SET is set by the Higher Education Department's rules, published as the departmental detailed advertisement (विभागीय विस्तृत विज्ञापन) alongside the CGSSB notice. CGSSB is explicit that only candidates who meet those departmental conditions are eligible, and that filling in the online form or sitting the exam does not by itself make anyone eligible. Certificates of caste, date of birth, residence, qualification or disability are not collected with the online form. You are responsible for every detail you enter, and the result is prepared from the information in your application.

---

Master's Degree Requirement

The departmental rules for SET26 require a Master's degree or equivalent from a recognised university with the following minimum marks:

No rounding off: 54.99% does not become 55%, and 49.9% does not become 50%. If your university awards grades or CGPA, state your percentage using the university's own conversion rule.

Who receives the 5% relaxation? The rules state that relaxation in marks and reservation benefits are available only to native or local residents of Chhattisgarh who belong to the SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer) and Divyangjan categories. A reserved-category candidate from another state therefore needs 55% and is treated as unreserved for eligibility and result purposes.

Further UGC Conditions

The departmental rules add that the UGC SET Guidelines 2023 apply if any dispute arises. Those guidelines also provide that:

• Ph.D. holders whose Master's examination was completed by 19 September 1991 receive a 5% relaxation (55% to 50%).
• Third-gender candidates receive the same fee, age and eligibility relaxations as SC, ST and PwD candidates.
• Candidates should appear in the subject of their post-graduation; if that subject is not on the SET list, they may take UGC-NET or the joint CSIR-UGC test instead.
• Candidates holding a post-graduate diploma or certificate from an Indian institution, or a degree, diploma or certificate from a foreign university, must make sure the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) recognises it as equivalent to an Indian Master's degree.

---

Final-Year and Result-Awaited Candidates

Candidates who are appearing in the final Master's examination may apply, but their eligibility is provisional. They must pass the Master's degree with the required percentage within two years of the date on which the SET result is declared. The UGC certificate format records the "date of eligibility for Assistant Professor" as the SET result date or the date of passing the Master's degree with the required marks, whichever is later. A candidate who does not meet the condition in time is treated as disqualified.

---

Application Fee and Refund

The CG SET 2026 notice fixed these online fees:

The notice adds that, under a 2025 instruction of the Chhattisgarh General Administration Department, local residents of Chhattisgarh who actually appear in the examination have the fee refunded after the result, into the same bank account used to pay it. Candidates from other states, and Chhattisgarh residents who apply but do not appear, do not receive this refund.

---

Age, Attempts and Validity

• No age limit: the UGC SET Guidelines 2023 state that a candidate can appear in SET "any number of times and there is no age limit."
• Validity: the validity of a SET certificate "shall be forever", but for SETs held since 1 June 2002 it makes you eligible only for universities and colleges in the state where you cleared it, which here means Chhattisgarh.
• Elsewhere in India: for nationwide eligibility you need UGC-NET (or the joint CSIR-UGC test).

---

Application Steps (CG SET 2026)

1. Profile registration on the CGSSB profile portal. Your profile details are pulled into every exam application, so check them carefully.
2. Photo and signature: a recent front-facing photo on a light background and your own signature, each scanned as a JPG/JPEG of 50 KB to 100 KB, with an alphanumeric file name that contains no spaces or dots.
3. Online application and fee payment, then press SUBMIT and keep a printout.
4. Correction window: three days after the last date (18 to 20 August in 2026). Basic details are corrected through the profile; CGSSB makes no corrections at any later stage, and the admit card and result follow your entries.
5. Admit card: uploaded about seven days before the exam and not sent by post. Print all pages, single-sided.

---

Exam-Day Rules in the Notice

Without an original photo ID you will not be admitted. Candidates wearing religious or cultural dress should report earlier, because they undergo an additional security check.

---

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Choosing the wrong subject. Paper II should match your post-graduation subject; for example, an M.Sc. in Zoology or Botany points to Life Sciences.
2. OBC status without non-creamy-layer proof. OBC relaxation requires non-creamy-layer status under state rules. Keep a valid certificate ready for document verification by the recruiting authority.
3. Ignoring the residence condition. The 50% relaxation and reservation benefits depend on Chhattisgarh native or local residence.
4. Treating the admit card as proof of eligibility. CGSSB's role ends with conducting the exam and declaring results; document verification and appointment are carried out by the recruiting authority.