About NEST 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. 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 to provide input to scientific programmes of the Department of Atomic Energy and other applied science institutions in the country. NEST 2024 will be conducted in around 120 cities across India. The candidates admitted to the programme in NISER, or CEBS, are eligible to receive an annual scholarship of ₹60000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of ₹20000 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. About NISER 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 visitor's programme by accomplished scientists from India and abroad.NISER offers a 5 year integrated M.Sc. programme in Biological, Chemical, Mathematical and Physical sciences. Along with the major subject, a student can have minor in Biology, Chemistry, Computer science, Mathematics or, Physics. NISER functions from its campus at Jatni. Degrees at NISER will be awarded by the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed-to-be University within the Department of Atomic Energy. Number of Seats There are a total of 200 seats this year, which include reserved seats for SC/ST/OBC/Divyangjan candidates as per Government norms. 2 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 (https://www.niser.ac.in). Fee structure for the integrated MSc programme at NISER can be found here. About UM-DAE CEBS The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, has an autonomous Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences in Mumbai. CEBS offers high quality teaching embedded in a vibrant post-graduate 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.2 supernumerary seats are reserved for eligible candidates from J&K and Ladakh. Further details including maximum number of seats in any stream and allotment procedure are on the CEBS website (https://www.cbs.ac.in). Eligibility Criteria Candidates must qualify all the three eligibility criteria listed below: The candidates who have cleared the 12th Standard examination or equivalent in 2023, 2024 or those who will be appearing for the 12th Standard examination or equivalent in 2025, irrespective of category and age, will be considered to be eligible for admission to the Integrated M.Sc. programme of NISER/CEBS in 2025. At least 60% marks in aggregate (or equivalent grade) in Class XII examination from any recognized Board in India. For Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates and for Divyangjan candidates, the minimum requirement is 55%. Candidates should secure a position in the NEST 2025 merit list. Application Fee Female applicant: ₹700 Applicant of SC/ST/Divyangjan category: ₹700 Male/Others applicant of the General/OBC category: ₹1400 Payment can be made using credit card/debit card/UPI/net–banking through an online payment gateway. Syllabus The syllabus for NEST 2025 follows the rationalised science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics) syllabus of class XI–XII as per NCERT. Syllabus of Biology Syllabus of Chemistry Syllabus of Mathematics Syllabus of Physics The rationalised topics of the syllabi can be found at https://ncert.nic.in/rationalised-content.php Important Dates Online Application Opens: 05.01.2026 Online Application Closes: 06.04.2026 Correction & Update Window: 13 - 14 April 2026 Mock Test Opens: To be announced Download of Admit Card: 15 May 2026 Date of Examination: 06 June 2026 (Sunday) Online Portal to Challange Answer Keys: To be updated soon Date of Result Announcement: To be updated soon Helpdesk Helpdesk for raising queries/complaints regarding Registration, Application, Payment etc.:Use the grievance portal (click 'Helpdesk') after Registration/Login.Helpdesk Contact: 022-61306266 (Mon-Sat 10:00-13:30 and 14:30-17:00) For queries regarding Information Brochure & Syllabus and general information about NEST 2026:Email-ID: nest-exam@niser.ac.inHelpdesk Contact: Call 0674-2494017 (Mon-Fri 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-17:00 except public holidays) Related Links Information Brochure Online Registration Previous NEST Question Papers/Answers Source: www.nestexam.in