New Delhi | The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admissions to undergraduate programmes will be held from May 8 to June 1, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Saturday.

The applications for the exam began on March 1 and will be open till March 22.

The agency officials said the exam dates are tentative and the detailed schedule will be announced later.

The exam will be conducted in 13 languages — English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

CUET-UG was introduced in 2022 to standardise admissions across central, state, and select private universities in India.

Replacing multiple entrance exams, CUET-UG aims to provide a uniform assessment platform. The exam evaluates candidates on language skills, domain-specific subjects, and general aptitude, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to promote inclusivity and equal opportunities.

In 2024, approximately 13.47 lakh (1.347 million) candidates registered, a slight decline from 14.99 lakh (1.499 million) in 2023.

Conducted between May 15 and 29, the 2024 edition introduced a hybrid format, allowing both online and offline examinations. Among the test takers, 7.17 lakh were male, 6.30 lakh were female, and seven identified as transgender, reflecting the exam’s broad reach and diversity.