NEST 2026 Application Fee: The NEST 2026 application process was started on January 5, 2026, at 10 AM on the official NEST exam website — nestexam.in. The last date to complete the application process is April 6, 2026. Candidates filling out the form must know the application fee as per their respective category and follow the correct steps to avoid any problems during the application process.
To help candidates with this, this SciAstra article provides details about the NEST 2026 application fees for the General, SC, ST, and OBC categories.
NEST 2026 Overview
The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a national-level entrance exam conducted for admission to 5-year integrated MSc courses offered by NISER Bhubaneswar and the University of Mumbai – DAE CEBS, Mumbai.
All aspirants who wish to apply for NEST 2026 can check the exam overview below to get all the important details about it.
Features | Details |
Exam Name | National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) |
Exam Conducting Body |
|
Exam Level | Undergraduate Level |
Courses Offered |
|
Exam Mode | Online (Computer-Based Test) |
Exam Frequency | Once a year |
Registration Fee |
Note: The registration fees are subject to change. |
Type of Question | Multiple Choice Question (80 questions) |
Marking Scheme | +3 marks for each correct answer -1 mark for each incorrect answer |
Official Website |
NEST 2026 Application Fees
The NEST 2026 application form will be available online from January 5, 2026, at nestexam.in. The last date to fill out the application form and pay the application fee is April 6, 2026.
The NEST 2026 application fees differ for male and female candidates. The fees for unreserved male candidates and those belonging to SC, ST, EWS, and OBC categories are mentioned below.
NEST 2026 Application Fees (Category-Wise) | |
Category | NEST 2026 Application Fee |
Male candidates of unreserved (general) category | INR 1,400 |
Male candidates of OBC category | INR 1,400 |
Female candidates (all categories) | INR 700 |
Candidates of Unreserved-Ecomically Weaker Section (UN-EWS) (both males and females) | INR 700 |
Candidates of SC and ST categories (both males and females) | INR 700 |
Candidates of Divayngjan category (both males and females) | INR 700 |
What is the NEST 2026 Registration Fee?
It is important for the candidates to know about the NEST 2026 registration before applying for the application form. Candidates must note that the NEST 2026 application fees will vary for different categories.
Here is the category-wise distribution of the NEST 2026 registration 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 pay NEST 2026 Registration Fees?
In order to pay the NEST 2026 Registration Fees, candidates can follow the steps mentioned below:
At first, candidates need to visit the official website nestexam.in and complete the registration.
Log in using your credentials and fill out the application form.
Proceed to the fee payment section.
Pay the fee online only via Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking, or UPI.
Download and save the payment receipt after successful payment.
Is the NEST registration fee refundable?
The registration fee for NEST 2026 is non-refundable. Candidates can check the category-wise fee details below:
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
NEST 2026 Application Fees: Payment Method
As the entire application process for NEST 2026 is online, candidates will be able to submit the NEST 2026 application fee only through debit card, credit card, or net banking.
To pay the fees, they can use debit or credit cards of Mastercard, Visa, RuPay, or UPI.
To pay the NEST 2026 application fee, candidates need to follow these steps:
Go to the official NEST 2026 website — nestexam.in.
Click on “New Registration” and fill in the required details to create a candidate registration account.
You will receive login details via email and SMS.
Go to the “Login” option and log in using the provided credentials.
Fill out the application form.
Upload your passport-size photograph and scanned signature.
Pay the application fee using a debit card, credit card, or UPI.
Save and submit the form.
Download the confirmation page as a PDF.
Also Read:
NEST 2026 Application Fee: Refund Policy
The application fee for NEST 2026 is non-refundable. Once you submit the fee, it will not be refunded under any circumstances, even if you do not appear for the exam.
NEST 2026 Dates
Check out all the important dates related to the NEST 2026 application process and other events:
NEST 2026 Exam Schedule | |
Events | Date |
NEST 2026 Application Starts | January 5, 2026 (10 AM) |
NEST 2026 Application Closes | April 6, 2026 (11:30 PM) |
NEST 2026 Application Correction Window | April 13, 2026 (10 AM) to April 14, 2026 (10 AM) |
NEST 2026 Mock Test Release | To be announced |
NEST 2026 Admit Card | May 15, 2026 (10 AM onwards) |
NEST 2026 Exam Date | June 6, 2026 (2 PM to 5 PM) |
NEST 2026 Answer Key Release | To be announced |
NEST 2026 Answer Key Challenging Date | To be announced |
NEST 2026 Result | To be announced |
NEST 2026 Date to Download Scorecard | To be announced |
Can I change details in the NEST Application Form after submitting it?
Yes, candidates can change specific details in their NEST Application Form after submitting by logging in to their NEST registration portal/account during the application correction window.
The NEST 2026 application correction will remain open from April 13, 2026 (10 AM), to April 14, 2026 (10 AM), at nestexam.in.
During the application correction process, candidates can amend the following details:
Academic Details: Marks, passing year, or school/board names for Class 10 and Class 12.
Exam Centre Preferences: You can usually update your choice of cities for the examination.
Address: Your permanent or correspondence postal address.
Parental Details: Spelling mistakes in your Father’s or Mother’s names.
Category/Caste: In some years, a change in category is allowed (though this may require paying an additional fee if moving from a reserved to a general category).
When is the last day to apply for the NEST 2026 Application Form?
The last date to apply for the NEST 2026 Registration Form will be April 6, 2026, at 11:30 pm. Candidates interested in applying for the online registration must read all the important details, like NEST 2026 eligibility criteria, steps to fill the application form, documents required, registration fee and all other details in hand to have a hassle-free admission process.
When will the NEST 2026 application correction window open?
The NEST 2026 application correction will open on April 13, 2026 at 10 AM. Candidates can access the link to application correction at nestexam.in. The last to make corrections in the NEST 2026 application correction form is April 14, 2026 (10 AM)
NEST 2026 Application Correction
Once the NEST 2026 application process is over, NISER Bhubaneswar will allow candidates to correct details in their application form through the correction window facility. To access this facility, candidates will need to visit the official exam website and log in to their candidate account.
The NEST 2026 application correction window will tentatively open in the third week of April 2026 on nestexam.in.
During this period, candidates will be able to edit the following details in their application form:
Details allowed to be edited in NEST 2026 Application Form | |
Personal Details |
|
Present Address-related Details |
|
Details of Guardians |
|
Educational Details for 10th |
|
Educational Details for 12th |
|
Uploaded Documents |
|
Conclusion
It is imperative for a candidate to understand the application fee of NEST 2026 and the requirements related to the application fee in order to smoothly proceed with the application form filling process. It is the responsibility of the candidates to pay the application fee as per the category and via the approved online methods and fill the form before the deadline ends. The application fee is non-refundable; therefore, the candidates are advised to carefully scrutinize all the requirements before the final form filling procedure.
Comments (1)