CUET Photo and Signature Size (UG and PG) Free Guide

As per NTA's CUET (UG) 2026 Information Bulletin, the photo must be a JPG/JPEG between 10 KB and 200 KB, and the signature a JPG/JPEG between 10 KB and 50 KB. The photo needs a white background with your face, ears included, filling about 80% of it. The tight signature range is where most people slip, and the free image compressor lets you dial it in on your own device.

CUET is run by the National Testing Agency for central and participating universities. NTA publishes a new bulletin for each cycle, usually early in the year for UG and around December for PG, so treat the numbers below as the 2026 rules and confirm them in the current bulletin on the official CUET site before you upload.

CUET UG vs CUET PG uploads

Upload	CUET (UG) 2026	CUET (PG) 2026
Photo format and size	JPG/JPEG, 10-200 KB	JPG/JPEG, 10-200 KB
Photo colour	Colour	Colour or black and white
Photo background	White, 80% face incl. ears, no mask	White, 80% face incl. ears, no mask
Signature	JPG/JPEG, 10-50 KB	JPG/JPEG, 10-50 KB
Disability/UDID certificate (if applicable)	PDF, 50-300 KB	PDF, 50-300 KB
ID proof (only if not verifying by Aadhaar or DigiLocker)	JPG/JPEG, 10-200 KB	Not listed
Live photo	Yes, by webcam or phone via QR code	Yes

The CUET (UG) bulletin gives no pixel or centimetre dimensions. Only the format and the file size are checked, along with whether the image is clear.

The PG column is as per NTA's CUET (PG) 2026 Information Bulletin, which also gives no pixel dimensions. Bulletins change between cycles, so check the current official one before you upload. Either way, clarity matters more than squeezing the size.

Why the signature is the tricky one

A photo has lots of room: 10 to 200 KB. The signature has only 10 to 50 KB, and it can fail in either direction:

• Over 50 KB: a full-resolution phone photo of a signature is often 1-3 MB. You must shrink it a lot.
• Under 10 KB: a small, tightly cropped, heavily compressed signature can drop below the minimum. Portals reject that too.

The aim is a readable signature at around 20-35 KB, the middle of the range.

Making a CUET signature, step by step

1. Sign in black or dark blue ink on plain white paper. Use a pen that gives a solid line; a faint ballpoint scan looks grey and blotchy after compression.
2. Photograph it in daylight, phone held flat above the paper, with no shadow across the page.
3. Crop with the free image cropper: choose Free, drag the box tight around the ink with a thin white margin, choose JPG under Save as, and click Crop image.
4. Resize in the free image resizer: Pixels, Lock proportions on, width about 400 px. Click Resize image and download.
5. Compress in the free image compressor: Save as JPG, Quality 80%, click Compress image, and read the size on the row.

Then adjust:

Size you see	What to do
Under 10 KB	Resize to 500-600 px wide and check again
10-50 KB	Done. Download it
Over 50 KB	Lower quality to 70%, or resize to 300 px wide

A signature photographed on grey-looking paper costs more bytes than one on bright white paper, because the compressor has to store all that faint texture. If you keep landing just over 50 KB, retake the photo in brighter light.

The photo (10-200 KB)

1. Stand in front of a white wall, face a window, and have someone take the photo at eye level.
2. Crop with Passport 35×45 mm in the cropper so your face fills about 80% of the frame, ears visible.
3. Resize to about 500 px wide.
4. Compress as JPG at 80%. Most come out at 40-120 KB.

For CUET UG, use a colour photo. The CUET (PG) 2026 bulletin allows colour or black and white, but colour is still the safer choice.

The live photo

Both CUET bulletins require a live photograph during the application. Switch on your webcam, or scan the QR code with your phone if the computer has none. The UG bulletin asks for a light-coloured background, good lighting and 80% face visibility, ears showing, no mask. Take it in the same spot you took your passport photo and it will look consistent.

Disability/UDID certificate (PDF, 50-300 KB)

Photograph the certificate flat, crop to its edges, resize to about 1200 px wide, and compress as JPG to roughly 100-250 KB. Then put it in a PDF with the free JPG to PDF converter: add the image, choose A4, and click Create PDF. The image goes into the PDF as it is, so the PDF stays close to the image's size.

Applying to JEE or UGC NET as well?

The same photo usually works across NTA exams, but the signature cap differs: JEE Main allows up to 100 KB, while UGC NET matches CUET's 50 KB. Keep a 25-35 KB signature and it fits all three. See JEE Main photo size and UGC NET photo and signature size.

The quick way

Crop tight, resize to about 400 px, and compress your signature in the free image compressor until it sits between 10 and 50 KB. It's free, needs no account, and your files stay on your device.