The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed both shifts of the Common University Entrance Test (Undergraduate) — CUET (UG) 2026 — that were originally scheduled to be held on 28 May 2026. The postponement follows a change in the date of the Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) public holiday, communicated to NTA through an office note from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Revised exam dates, fresh admit cards, and an updated Exam City Intimation Slip will be released on nta.ac.in and the CUET portal exams.nta.ac.in/CUET-UG. If your CUET (UG) 2026 slot was 28 May — in either Shift 1 or Shift 2 — read this guide end-to-end before you do anything else.
What exactly did NTA announce?
Per the official Public Notice issued on the National Testing Agency website and reported in the national press, NTA stated: “In continuation of the Public Notice dated 05 May 2026, it is hereby informed that the CUET (UG) 2026 examinations scheduled to be held on 28.05.2026 in both shifts stand postponed.” The agency added that the decision was taken after considering the DoPT’s office note on the revised Bakrid holiday and that fresh dates will be announced shortly. Until that happens, candidates whose original slot was 28 May should not travel to any exam centre.
Who is affected — and who is not
The postponement is limited to candidates whose admit card carried 28 May 2026 as the exam date. Candidates with exam dates on other days of the CUET (UG) 2026 window will appear on their originally allotted dates and at their originally allotted centres. If your admit card showed any date other than 28 May, your schedule remains unchanged unless NTA issues a separate notice for that date. Always re-check your dashboard on cuet.nta.nic.in if you are unsure.
Why did NTA postpone these shifts?
The change is procedural rather than logistical. The Government of India announces gazetted public holidays for the calendar year through the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. When the dates of moon-sighted festivals like Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) shift by a day or two compared to the initial calendar entry, the Department of Personnel and Training issues an office note revising the official holiday date. NTA, which conducts CUET as a high-stakes national exam, then aligns its calendar accordingly — exam centres are often hosted on government or aided premises, invigilator deployment depends on holiday rosters, and candidates would otherwise face transport and access disruptions on a notified public holiday.
What you must do now: a clean checklist
- Do not travel to any exam centre on 28 May 2026. Your earlier admit card for 28 May is no longer valid for examination on that day.
- Bookmark nta.ac.in and exams.nta.ac.in/CUET-UG. All revised schedule notices appear here first — before any news portal or social media post.
- Watch for two new notices. NTA will issue (a) a Public Notice carrying the revised exam date and (b) a fresh Exam City Intimation Slip and Admit Card. The City Intimation Slip historically appears 7-10 days before the actual exam date.
- Re-download the fresh admit card. Even if your centre stays the same, the date, reporting time and bar-coded copy will be different. Carry only the latest copy on the new exam day.
- Update logistics. If you had booked train/flight tickets or hostel stays for 28 May, cancel or postpone them only after the new date is officially out — do not rely on rumours.
Stay-calm guide for the next 10-15 days
For most aspirants, the immediate impulse on hearing “postponement” is to either panic-revise everything from scratch or, conversely, stop preparing because “the exam is far now”. Both extremes are mistakes. Treat the postponement as a strategic gift — extra time to plug your weakest sections without burning out. Here is the playbook we recommend at CUET Gurukul:
- Days 1-3 (post-notice): No new chapters. Take one full-length CUET sectional mock in your two weakest CUET domains and one in your strongest. Diagnose, do not despair.
- Days 4-10: Targeted revision of the three lowest-scoring sections from your diagnosis. Pair each chapter with a topic-wise quiz on the CUET Sample Papers page.
- Days 11-to-exam: Three full-length CUET mocks under exam-day conditions, two daily current-affairs reads, and zero new theory. Sleep on schedule.
- For language papers (Code 101 English / 102 Hindi etc.), do not stop daily reading. RC stamina decays in 72 hours of inactivity.
- For General Test (Code 501) aspirants, lean on quantitative reasoning and current affairs — both tend to swing scores by 20-40 marks in a tight cut-off window.
Practice with CUET Gurukul while you wait
Use the postponement window to sharpen, not start over. Our CUET 2026 crash courses include section-wise revision modules and full-length mocks calibrated to NTA’s actual difficulty distribution. Aspirants targeting Delhi University, JNU, BHU and other central universities benefit from our previous year-style sample papers grouped by paper code (101, 102, 306, 501 etc.).
Quick self-quiz
Test what you just read with a 10-question quiz built around the NTA notice, the City Intimation Slip workflow, and CUET (UG) 2026 logistics.
Practice Quiz — 10 CUET-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
Frequently asked questions
Will the postponement push CUET (UG) results back?
Yes, by a small margin. NTA typically maintains the result-release gap from the last exam date, so a postponement of the 28 May shifts to a later date will shift the answer-key and result timeline by roughly the same number of days. The exact date will be confirmed by NTA in subsequent notices.
Will I receive my old admit card back?
No. NTA replaces the old admit card with a freshly generated one carrying the new exam date, reporting time, and barcode. The earlier admit card is automatically invalidated; do not carry it.
What if I am away from home and cannot reschedule travel for the new exam date?
NTA generally does not allow individual centre changes after the City Intimation Slip is reissued. Plan flexibility into your travel and look out for the City Intimation Slip first (it confirms city before the exact centre is shown on the admit card).
Where can I get a single, clean summary of these official updates?
Bookmark this post and the CUET Gurukul CUET 2026 courses page. For one-on-one help, call our helpline 7033005444.
Bottom line
The 28 May 2026 CUET (UG) postponement is not a setback — it is breathing room. Use it deliberately: diagnose, revise the weakest sections, take three full-length mocks, and watch nta.ac.in for the revised dates. If anything feels confusing, our helpline 7033005444 is open through the rescheduling window.
Sources: National Testing Agency Public Notices on nta.ac.in (Notice dated 05 May 2026 and follow-up postponement notice); Business Standard education desk reportage on the Bakrid-linked postponement; Department of Personnel and Training office note revising the Eid al-Adha holiday date.
