NEET 2026 Cutoff Marks

Cutoff at a glance #

Every category's qualifying percentile is fixed by rule. The marks that percentile converts to change every year — these are the 2026 numbers.

The same table for NEET 2025

Kept because the category-level qualified counts below are only published for 2025 — the 2026 breakdown is gender-level only. See the result page for what is available.

Which seats this cutoff applies to

Clearing the cutoff makes you eligible for every route into an undergraduate medical seat. It does not distinguish between them — the same qualifying score opens all five.

• 15% All India Quota seats — MCC counselling
• 85% State Quota seats — state authorities
• Deemed and Central universities
• ESIC and AFMS institutes
• Private medical and dental colleges

Reservation inside the All India Quota

Within the 15% All India Quota at government medical colleges, seats are reserved as follows: 15% for Scheduled Caste candidates, 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe, 27% for OBC in central institutions under a central act, and 3% for candidates with a disability.

Percentile vs marks #

The percentile is your position against everyone else who sat the paper. The marks are whatever that position happened to cost in that particular year.

The 50th percentile for UR means you must finish ahead of half the candidates in your own category — not that you need 50% of the marks. Because it's defined by position, the score behind it moves with the difficulty of the paper. The 50th percentile landed on 213 marks in 2026, 144 in 2025 and 164 in 2024 — a 69-mark swing in one year, on the same rule.

This is why a cutoff score can never be predicted from the rulebook alone, and why last year's number is a poor target — 2026 proved it by moving 69 marks. What is fixed: 50th percentile for UR and EWS, 45th for UR/EWS-PwBD, 40th for OBC, SC, ST and their PwBD sub-categories.

What moves the cutoff each year

• How many candidates sat the exam
• How difficult that year's paper was
• Total seats available that cycle

Year on year #

The cutoff fell in 2025, then jumped in 2026 — +69 marks for UR in a single year.

Who qualified #

Of 19,99,895 candidates who appeared in 2026, 11,21,185 cleared the cutoff — a qualifying rate of 56%.

The category, gender and nationality breakdown below is NEET 2025 — the only year NTA has published at that level of detail. For the 2026 gender split and the full topper list, see the result page.

College closing ranks #

Qualifying gets you into counselling. The closing rank — the All India Rank of the last candidate admitted — is what decides whether you get the college. Ranks below run to 2025; 2026 closing ranks publish after MCC counselling completes.

Deemed universities #

Deemed and minority-quota seats close at far deeper ranks than government colleges — but under management, NRI or minority quotas, with fees to match.

Key dates #

The cutoff is published with the result, not before it — on 16 July 2026 for the 2026 cycle.

Counselling #

Counselling runs online, in two rounds. MCC handles the 15% All India Quota and deemed seats; your state authority handles the other 85%.

The Directorate General of Health Services, acting for the Medical Counselling Committee, prepares the merit list from All India Ranks and conducts counselling for All India Quota seats, deemed and central universities, ESIC, AFMS and central pool seats. States run their own two-round process for state quota seats and for private colleges inside the state.

What you need to bring

Originals only. A candidate who cannot produce the original documents will not be admitted to any MBBS or dental college through NEET.

• NEET admit card
• Result — rank letter and scorecard
• Matric certificate — for date of birth
• Class XII certificate
• Ten passport photographs — matching the application form
• Identity proof
• SC / ST certificate — if applicable
• OBC certificate — if applicable
• Disability certificate — from the authority named in the prospectus

If two candidates tie #

Four tie-breakers, applied in this order until the tie is broken.

1. Higher marks in Biology. Botany and Zoology combined. The candidate with the better Biology score is placed higher.
2. Higher marks in Chemistry. Applied only if Biology doesn't separate them.
3. Fewer incorrect answers. The candidate with fewer wrong attempts across the paper is placed higher.
4. Age. If everything above is level, the older candidate takes the higher rank.

Frequently asked #