NEST 2026 Application Form – Eligibility Criteria & Exam Pattern

National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2026

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a compulsory online computer-based test for admission to the five-year Integrated MSc programs offered by the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), and the University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM–DAE CEBS). 

 

NISER and UM-DAE CEBS are autonomous institutions established by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, in 2007. These institutes were started with the mandate of providing research-oriented teaching in basic sciences by faculties of practising scientists aimed at creating a national pool of human resources to lead the nation to excellence in teaching and research in basic and applied sciences. 

 

Interested and eligible candidates may read this article and apply online for this examination for studying integrated MSc courses.

NEST Details

Name of exam: National Entrance Screening Test (NEST)

Name of organization: National Testing Agency (NTA)

Name of institutes: 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).

Name of course: 5-Year Integrated MSc programs in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics

No of seats: The total number of seats at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS are 200 and 57, respectively.

Type of exam: Entrance exam

Date of exam: June 06th, 2026 (Saturday), 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM.

Duration of exam: 3 hours

Mode of exam: Online Mode (Computer-Based Test)

 

Exam centres in Assam/ North-East: Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur, Naharlagun, Papum pare, Ri-Bhoi, Tura and Shillong

Type of questions: Objective type with Multiple Choice Questions

Academic Session: 2026-2031

Mode of application: Online

Helpline: nest-exam@niser.ac.in 

 

Related Article: GATE Online Form 2026

NEST 2026 Eligibility Criteria

 

Age Limit: There is no age limit for appearing in the NEST 2026 examination and admission to either NISER or UM-DAE CEBS.

Educational Qualification: 

# Candidates must 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.

# Candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM–DAE CEBS for the Integrated MSc programme 2026–31 should have at least three out of the four disciplines of basic sciences, namely, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, in classes XI and XII.

Minimum Marks: Candidates in the unreserved category must secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination to be eligible for admission to NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. 

For candidates belonging to scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), and Divyangjan categories, the minimum requirement of marks is relaxed to 55% in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination.

 

Application Fee: 

• The application fee for the male candidates of the Unreserved (UR) and OBC categories is ₹1,400/–.
• The application fee for candidates in the Unreserved-EWS (UR-EWS) and SC/ST/Divyangjan categories and all female candidates is ₹700/–.
• Payments can be made using credit card/debit card/net–banking through an online payment gateway.
• You may use MasterCard/Visa/RuPay cards or UPI as payment options.

 

How to Apply for NEST Exam ?

 

Interested and eligible candidates may apply online for NEST Exam by visiting at official online portal of NTA NEST. They may follow below mentioned steps .

# Scroll down, go to Important Web-Links section .

# Click on Online Application Form link .

# A new webpage will be opened.

# Enter all your personal and educational details as required .

# Upload your passport sized photograph and signature and other required documents.

# Pay the application fee as per your category and at the end click on submit button .

# Don't forget to take a print of submitted application form .  

Important Dates of NEST 2026

# Starting date of submission of online application: 5th January 2026
# Last date of submission of online application: 06th April 2026 (Up to 11:30 P.M.)
# Issue of admit cards online: May 15th, 2026
# Date for NEST 2026 examination: June 06th, 2026
# Declaration of Result on the NTA website: To be announced later 

 

Important Web-Links of NEST Online Form

Online Application Form	Click Here
Information Brochure	Click Here
Official Notification	Click Here
Official Website	Click Here

 

NEST Exam Pattern

Section	Subject	No. of Questions	Marks
Section 1	Biology	20	60
Section 2	Chemistry	20	60
Section 3	Mathematics	20	60
Section 4	Physics	20	60
Total	—	80 Questions	240 Marks

The syllabus for NEST 2026 primarily follows the CBSE curriculum (2025-26) and NCERT books of classes XI–XII for Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The knowledge gained in the science subjects up to class 10 may also be required to answer some of the questions. 

 

About the Program

 

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) offer unique Integrated MSc programs in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. 

 

The candidates admitted to the Integrated MSc program are eligible to receive an annual scholarship of Rs 60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of Rs 20,000/- per annum for summer internships. Candidates selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE program are endorsed for the INSPIRE scholarship by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. 

 

A vast majority of students graduating from the integrated MSc programs offered in the two institutes pursue doctoral research at universities and institutions of repute in India and abroad, including NISER or CEBS and join academia or industry primarily in research positions.