HP SET 2026: The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission has released the State Eligibility Test (SET-2026) notification on its official website to determine the eligibility of candidates for recruitment to the posts of Assistant Professor in Universities and Colleges located within the State of Himachal Pradesh.
HP SET 2026
Online Applications are invited from eligible and interested candidates for admission to the State Eligibility Test (HP SET 2026). Applications will be accepted only through online mode, and any application submitted through other means will be rejected outright. The online application process will remain open on the official website of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) i.e. www.hppsc.hp.gov.in till 30 January 2026 (11:59 PM), after which the application link will be disabled. Candidates are advised to complete the application process well before the closing date to avoid last-minute technical issues.
HP SET Notification 2026
The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission, being the authorized nodal agency, will conduct the HP SET 2026 to determine eligibility for recruitment to the posts of Assistant Professor in Universities and Colleges located within Himachal Pradesh. The examination will be conducted in offline mode for 22 subjects at various examination centres including Shimla, Solan, Mandi, Kangra (Dharamshala), Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Nahan, Una, Kullu and Chamba, subject to the number of candidates. Candidates must ensure that they fulfill all eligibility conditions, as admission at every stage of the examination will be purely provisional. Issuance of an admit card will not be treated as final confirmation of eligibility, and detailed examination schedules will be notified separately in due course.
HP SET 2026 Overview
| Organized by | Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission |
| Exam Name | State Eligibility Test (SET-2026) |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| Purpose | To determine eligibility for Assistant Professor posts in University/Colleges of HP. |
| Total Subjects | 22 |
| Apply Online Start Date | 03 January 2026 |
| Apply Online Last Date | 30 January 2026 |
| Mode of Exam | Offline Mode Only |
| Official Website | https://hprca.hp.gov.in/ |
| Category | HP SET Exam 2026 |
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List of Subject for HP SET
- Chemical Sciences
- English
- Life Sciences
- Commerce
- Economics
- Geography
- Hindi
- History
- Mathematical Sciences
- Music
- Physical Sciences
- Physical Education
- Sociology
- Sanskrit
- Political Science
- Public Administration
- Computer Science and Applications
- Tourism Administration and Management
- Mass Communication and Journalism
- Psychology
- Education
- Environment Sciences
Eligibility Criteria for HP SET Exam 2026
i) General / Unreserved / General-EWS candidates who have secured at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in Master’s Degree and Scheduled Caste (SC) of H.P. /Scheduled Tribe (ST) of H.P. /Other Backward Classes (Non- creamy layer of H.P./ and Persons with Disability (PWD) of H.P. category candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (without rounding off) in Master’s Degree from Universities / Institutions recognized by UGC in Humanities (including languages) and Social Sciences, Computer Science & Applications are eligible for this Test.
ii) Candidates who are pursuing their Master’s degree or equivalent course or candidates who have appeared for their qualifying Master’s Degree (final year) examination and whose result is still awaited or candidates whose qualifying examinations have been delayed may also apply for this test. However, such candidates will be admitted provisionally and shall be considered eligible for the post of Assistant Professor in the Universities/Colleges situated in the State, only after they have passed their Master’s Degree examination as stated above. Such candidates must complete their P.G. Degree examination within two years from the date of SET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified.
iii) The Ph.D. Degree holders whose Master’s level examination had been completed by 19th September, 1991 (irrespective of date of declaration of result) shall be eligible for a relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks (i.e. from 55% to 50%) for appearing in SET.
iv) Candidates are advised to appear in the subject of their post-graduation only. The candidates, whose Post Graduation subject is not covered in the list of SET subjects may appear in UGC-NET/Joint CSIR-UGC Test (for instance the candidates having post graduation degree in Acharya (Traditional Sanskrit) are not eligible to appear in Sanskrit subject}. Similarly, a candidate having the Degree of Hotel Management is not eligible to appear in the subject of Tourism Administration. If a candidate qualifies the SET Examination in the subject other than the subject of his Master’s Degree, H.P. Public Service Commission will not be responsible for that.
v) Candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC (Non-creamy layer) /PWD (General PWD, S.C. PWD, S.T. PWD & OBC PWD) category must ensure that their certificate of respective category is on parental lineage issued by the competent authority.
vi) Candidates having post-graduate diploma/certificate awarded by Indian University / Institute or foreign Degree/ diploma/certificate awarded by the Foreign University/ Institute should in their own interest, ascertain the equivalence of their diploma/degree/certificate with Master’s Degree of recognized Indian Universities from Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi. (www.aiu.ac.in).
EXEMPTION / ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANT PROFESSOR(s)
i) NET/SET shall remain the minimum eligibility condition for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professor(s) in Universities/ Colleges/ Institutions. However, those candidates, who have been awarded a Ph. D. Degree in accordance with the University Grants Commission (Minimum standards and Procedure for Award for Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, shall be exempted from the requirement of the minimum eligibility condition of NET /SET for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professor(s) or equivalent positions in Universities/ Colleges/ Institutions.
ii) For SET Candidates: The candidates who have cleared the State Eligibility Test (SET) accredited by UGC for eligibility for Assistant Professor held prior to 1st June, 2002 (as per UGC updated Guildelines-2023 for State Eligibility Test) are exempted from appearing in NET, and are eligible to appear/apply for Assistant Professor(s) anywhere in India. For SET held from 1st June, 2002 onwards, the qualified candidates are eligible to apply for the post of Assistant Professor(s) only in the Universities/Colleges situated in the State from where they have cleared their SET. A candidate can appear in the SET any number of times and there is no age limit.
Examination fee for HP SET 2026
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General | Rs. 1150/- |
| Gen.-EWS/Other Backward Class (Non-Creamy Layer) of H.P. | Rs. 600/- |
| SC of HP , ST of H.P. , BPL(General BPL/SC BPL / ST BPL of H.P. , PWD (General PWD/S.C. PWD/ S.T. PWD , OBC PWD) of H.P. & EWS BPL of H.P. | Rs. 325/- |
Exam Pattern for HP SET 2026
The Test will consist of two papers. Both the papers will consist of only objective type multiple choice questions in two separate sessions as under:
| Paper | Marks | No. of Questions | Session | MCQ | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (General Awareness) | 100 | 50 | First | The questions will be of general nature, intended to assess the teaching/ research aptitude of the candidate. It will primarily be designed to test reasoning ability, comprehension, divergent thinking and general awareness of the candidate | 01 Hour |
| II (Concerned subject) | 200 | 100 | Second | The questions will be based on the subject selected by the candidate and is intended to assess the domain knowledge of the candidate, covering the entire contents of syllabus uploaded on the website of the Commission as well as the website of the UGC | 02 Hours |
Marking Scheme
i) Each question carries 02 (two) marks.
ii) For each correct response, candidate will get 02 (two) marks.
iii) There is no negative marking for incorrect response.
iv) No marks will be given for un-answered/un-attempted questions.
v) To answer a question, the candidate needs to choose one option as correct option.]
vi) If a question is found to be incorrect and the same is dropped / scrapped, then two marks (+2) will be awarded to all the candidates. The reason could be due to human error or technical error.
How to Apply for HP SET Exam 2026
- Visit the official website of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission: www.hppsc.hp.gov.in
- Click on “Apply Online” available on the Home Page.
- New candidates must complete One Time Registration (OTR) and create a profile.
- After logging in, the dashboard will display the list of available advertisements.
- Select and apply for the State Eligibility Test (SET) through the portal.
- Upload all required documents and pay the applicable application fee.
- Before final submission, preview all uploaded documents carefully.
- Submit the declaration confirming that uploaded documents are clear, readable, and correct.
- Applications will be considered complete only after successful document upload and fee payment.
- Candidates already registered with HPPSC for other examinations can log in using their existing User ID and Password.
- Detailed guidelines for filling out the online application are available on the official website.
HP SET 2026 Official Notification Pdf & Apply Link
| Notification | Download |
| Apply Link | Click Here |
More Pages
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| Daily Himachal GK Topic Wise PDF | Click Here |
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