How much National Testing Agency earns, Govt data reveals
The Narendra Modi Government Wednesday July 22, 2026 released a comprehensive data showing how much the National Testing Agency (NTA) has earned and how many exams it conducted along with the details of appeared students.
New Delhi: The Narendra Modi Government Wednesday July 22, 2026 released a comprehensive data showing how much the National Testing Agency (NTA) has earned and how many exams it conducted along with the details of appeared students.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) was established as a self-sustained autonomous organization to conduct entrance examinations for admission / fellowship in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) on November 11, 2017 by the Union Ministry of Education.
“The NTA has conducted over 270 examinations since its inception, covering more than 6.6 crore candidate registrations. In 2026 so far, NTA has conducted 12 examinations with over 65 lakh candidate registrations”, Minister of State (Mos) in Ministry of Education Dr Sukanta Majumdar said in the Rajya Sabha.
National Testing Agency Income
In a written reply submitted in the Rajys Sabha in response to the questions raised by CPI (M) Kerala MP Dr. V Sivadasan, the Minister said that the NTA's income more than doubled over the five-year period, increasing from ₹504.16 crore in 2019–20 to ₹1,116.84 crore in 2023–24.
Expenditure also rose substantially, from ₹440.20 crore to ₹1,040.96 crore during the same period, reflecting the growing scale of examinations conducted by the agency.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has thus earned over 75 crore rupees last year, generating a cumulative surplus of nearly ₹448 crore over the last five years. Despite the rise in spending, the agency's annual income remained higher than its expenditure throughout the period.
A particularly sharp increase was recorded in 2022–23, when income surged by nearly 77% compared with the previous year, while expenditure rose by almost 60%.
“The NTA income in 2022-23 was ₹900.56 crore and the expenditure was ₹681.52 crore. Thus the net income in the year was ₹219.04 crore in 2022-23”, the data released by the Minister in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon session of the Parliament said.
How NTA Recruits its Staff?
The Minister in her reply also provided the details of the total staff at the National Testing Agency (NTA), their status and how the agency recruits its staff and employees.
“At NTA, a total of 39 permanent posts exist, which are filled through deputation”, the Minister said.
“Additionally, the NTA also recruits staff/ officials as per requirement on a short-term basis”, the Minister said.
“As part of strengthening of NTA, 16 posts (i.e. 8 at Director level and 8 at Joint Director level) have been created for NTA to be filled through the Central Staffing Scheme”, the Minister said.
The Minister further said that the Agency engages staff on contract as well as outsource bases as and when it is required.
“Total 73 persons (which includes 1 General Manager Communication, 1 Senior Advisor, 3 Advisor, 5 Senior Consultant, 44 Consultant, 1 Senior Software Developer, 1 Office Assistant, 17 Young professionals) have been engaged on contract, and 124 persons (such as Data Analyst, Consultant, Junior Consultant, Legal Associate, House Keeping etc) have been outsourced”, the Minister said.
Controversies Surrounding NTA
The data comes at a time when the National Testing Agency is facing criticism from the opposition parties and students. There are also demands to dissolve the National Testing Agency.
Addressing a students’ rally in Dehradun (Uttarakhand) on Friday July 17, 2026, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi said question papers of as many as 152 exams were leaked.
That including the NEET UG 2026 which led to the re-exam of the important medical entrance exam leading to the stress for over 22 lakh students.
The paper leaks also led to the widespread protests by the students and country’s youth in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other parts of India.
After the NEET UG paper leak this year, a number of students – as per reports 22, have reportedly committed suicide.
The states like Tamil Nadu are demanding the scrapping of the NEET UG exam for medical admission, sparking a new debate on the medical admission process in India.
Meanwhile, in his first response after the outrage against NEET UG Paper Leak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks.
Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.
Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
