NEST 2026 – National Entrance Screening Test Official Notification
The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2026 is a national-level online computer-based examination conducted for admission into the prestigious five-year Integrated MSc programmes at NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai. Designed to nurture future scientists through research-oriented education in basic sciences, NEST opens pathways to advanced academic and research careers across India and abroad. Interested candidates apply for this excellent opportunity.
About NEST
The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a compulsory test for students seeking admission to the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, and the University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai. Both NISER and UM-DAE CEBS were set up by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, in 2007. Their mandate is to train scientific manpower to carry out cutting-edge scientific research and provide input to scientific programmes of the Department of Atomic Energy and other applied science institutions in the country. NEST 2025 will be conducted in around 140 cities across India.
Candidates admitted to the programme at NISER or CEBS are eligible to receive an annual scholarship of ₹60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of ₹20,000 per annum for the summer internship. Alumni of the programme are presently pursuing Ph.D. at reputed universities and institutes in India & abroad. Besides, top performers at NISER and CEBS, securing overall grades above a certain threshold at the end of the programme, are eligible to appear directly for the interview for admission to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) training school.
NISER, Bhubaneswar, and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai, are in compliance with the UGC and the Government of India guidelines on anti-ragging. Ragging in any form is a punishable offense and hence is totally prohibited on these campuses. Any complaint regarding ragging can be made at the 24×7 toll-free National Anti-Ragging Help Line number 1800-180-5522 and/or at the email ID helpline@antiragging.in
About NISER Bhubaneswar
NISER, established by the Department of Atomic Energy, strives to become a citadel for basic sciences and allied subjects in terms of teaching and research. Its vision includes imparting high-quality science education in a vibrant academic ambience to the bright, motivated students, by a faculty of distinguished scientists and teachers. The curriculum is amply supported by a strong visitors’ programme by accomplished scientists from India and abroad.
NISER offers a 5-year Integrated M.Sc. programme in Biological, Chemical, Mathematical, and Physical sciences. In addition to a major in any of these subjects, a student may choose a minor in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Physics. NISER, located near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, is an off-campus centre of the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed-to-be university established by DAE. The academic programs at NISER are affiliated with HBNI.
There are a total of 200 seats this year, which include reserved seats for SC/ST/OBC/Divyangjan candidates as per Government norms. 02 supernumerary seats are reserved for eligible candidates from J&K and Ladakh. If offered admission under the OBC-NCL category, the candidate must produce the relevant valid certificate on the date of admission. Further details about the institute are available on the NISER website www.niser.ac.in. Fee structure for the integrated MSc programme at NISER can be found here: Fee Structure
About UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai
The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, has an autonomous Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences in Mumbai. CEBS offers high-quality teaching in a vibrant postgraduate and research environment, with some of the best teachers and scientists from major institutions in the city (TIFR, BARC, IIT) and the University of Mumbai and its colleges, as its faculty. The Centre is located in the Vidyanagari campus of the University of Mumbai. CEBS offers a 5-year integrated M.Sc. programme in Biological, Chemical, Mathematical, and Physical sciences. The degrees at CEBS are awarded by the 150-year-old University of Mumbai.
Tentatively, there are 57 seats this year with reservations as per government norms. 02 supernumerary seats are reserved for eligible candidates from J&K and Ladakh. Further details, including the maximum number of seats in each stream and the allotment procedure, are available on the CEBS website at www.cbs.ac.in.
Important Dates
- Online Application Opens: 05 January 2026 (12 noon)
- Online Application Closes: 06 April 2026 (11:30 pm)
- Correction & Update window: 13 April 2026 (10 am) until 14 April (10 am)
- Mock Test Opens: To be announced
- Link will appear here
- Download of Admit Card: 15 May 2026 (10 am)
- Date of Examination: 06 June 2026, Saturday (2 pm)
- Challenge the Answer Keys: To be announced
- Result Announcement: To be announced
- Scorecard Download: To be announced (Only for qualified candidates)
Eligibility Criteria
FOR ADMISSION
- Candidates should have at least three out of the four disciplines of basic sciences, namely, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics, in classes XI and XII.
- Candidates should have passed the class XII examination from any recognised Board in India in the year 2024 or 2025 or should be appearing for the same in 2026. The (provisional) certificate declaring the aggregate should be from a single board. Candidates appearing for the board examination in 2026 must satisfy the eligibility criteria at the time of admission into the programme.
- Candidates must secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in the class XII examination. For candidates belonging to the scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), and Divyangjan categories, the minimum aggregate marks requirement is 55% or an equivalent grade in the class XII examination.
- The candidate should secure a rank in the NEST 2026 merit list.
- There is no upper age limit for appearing in the NEST 2026 examination and admission to either NISER or UM-DAE CEBS, provided all the above eligibility criteria are fulfilled.
Application Fee
- Female applicants (irrespective of category): ₹700
- Applicants of SC/ST/Divyangjan category: ₹700
- Applicants of Unreserved-EWS (UR-EWS): ₹700
- Male/Other applicants of UR/OBC category: ₹1,400
How to Apply ONLINE
To apply for NEST 2026, candidates must fill out the online application form available only on the www.nestexam.in website. The online application process closes on April 06, 2026 (11:30 pm) unless extended for some reason [See Important Dates].
Phase 1: Candidates must register before applying online. During this process, some basic information, such as Name, DoB, eMail-ID, Mobile#, and Class X Roll#, has to be entered. Provide name and DoB strictly as per the certificate. These details cannot be modified. The process sends login credentials via email within 30 minutes (max).
Phase 2: One can log in and proceed to the application only after receiving the credentials. Additionally, the Forgot Password and Change Password options are there. After a successful login, click “Go to Application” (top-right) and provide the required details. The application can be filled out partially and saved for completion later before final submission.
Phase 3:
Seeking technical support is generally not needed if everything goes well. If needed, the query/complaint should first be raised by clicking HELPDESK after login. A suitable problem type must be selected from the drop-down list, and a brief description must be provided. Screenshot of the error page / unsuccessful payment can be uploaded. Alternatively, tech support can be contacted by phone.Application Fee –
- Female applicants (irrespective of category): ₹700
- Applicants of SC/ST/Divyangjan category: ₹700
- Male/Other applicants of UR/OBC category: ₹1,400
Important Dates
- Online Application Opens: 17 February 2025
- Online Application Closes: 09 May 2025
- Correction & Update Window: 10 – 14 May 2025
- Mock Test Opens: 16 May 2025
- Download of Admit Card: 02 June 2025
- Date of Examination: 22 June 2025 (Sunday)
- Challenge the Answer Keys: To be announced
- Result Announcement: To be announced
- Scorecard Download: To be announced
