What the college predictor does
The neet2seat college predictor takes your NEET All India Rank, state, and category, then classifies every college in that state as Safe, Target, or Reach based on three years of actual closing AIR data (2023, 2024, and 2025). It answers the question every NEET candidate asks after results come out: “Which colleges can I realistically get?”
The tool uses historical allotment data from Maharashtra (86 colleges) and Karnataka (74 colleges), not estimates or formulas. Every classification is derived from how the closing ranks at each college have actually moved over the past three years of state counselling.
- Enter your NEET AIR, state, and category to classify every college as Safe, Target, or Reach
- Run the predictor separately for each category you are eligible for to compare outcomes
- Use predictions with the choice filler: Reach colleges at top, Target in middle, Safe at bottom
- The predictor uses state counselling data only — AIQ cutoffs at the same colleges may differ
How to use it
Go to /predict. Enter three inputs:
Your NEET AIR: your All India Rank from the NEET UG scorecard. Not your score, not your percentile; your rank. If you are coming from the homepage, this field may already be filled in.
State: Maharashtra or Karnataka. The predictor uses state-level counselling data, so you should select the state where you plan to participate in counselling.
Category: your reservation category for state counselling. For Maharashtra, this includes OPEN, SC, ST, VJ, NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, OBC, SEBC, EWS, and others. For Karnataka, this includes GM, Category 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, SC, ST, and others. Select the category you will actually claim during counselling. If you are eligible for multiple categories, run the predictor separately for each to compare outcomes.
Click Predict. Results appear grouped by classification.
The three classifications
Safe
Colleges where your AIR has been comfortably within the closing rank in recent years. Based on historical data, you would have been allotted a seat here in most or all of the past three years. These are your backup options: the colleges you can reasonably count on.
“Comfortably within” means your rank is well below the historical closing AIRs. The exact threshold accounts for year-to-year variation. If a college’s closing AIR has bounced between 40,000 and 50,000 over three years and your AIR is 25,000, it is classified as Safe.
Target
Colleges where your AIR falls near the historical closing range. You might get in, depending on the year, round, and how other candidates fill their preferences. These are realistic options but not guaranteed. In some past years you would have made the cut; in others you would not.
Target colleges are where your preference ordering matters most. Placing a Target college higher in your preference list increases your chances, because the algorithm assigns you the highest-ranked preference where your AIR qualifies.
Target colleges are where your preference ordering matters most. Place your most-preferred Target colleges as high as possible on your list. The algorithm assigns you the highest-ranked preference where your AIR qualifies, so a Target college ranked at position 3 has a better chance of allotment than the same college at position 15.
Reach
Colleges where your AIR is above (worse than) the historical closing ranks. Getting in would require cutoffs to shift in your favour compared to recent years. This can happen (cutoffs move year to year due to changing candidate preferences and seat availability), but you should not plan around it.
Including a few Reach colleges at the top of your preference list costs nothing. If cutoffs shift, you benefit. If they do not, the algorithm moves down to your Target and Safe preferences.
Reading the results
Results are grouped into three sections: Safe, Target, and Reach. Within each section, colleges are listed in order of competitiveness (most competitive first). Each college card shows:
- College name and city
- Classification badge (Safe, Target, or Reach) with colour coding
- College type (Government, Private, or Deemed)
The summary at the top tells you the total count in each classification. For example: “12 Safe, 8 Target, 15 Reach” means you have 12 colleges where admission looks likely, 8 where it is competitive, and 15 where it is a stretch.
Shortlisting
Logged-in users can shortlist colleges directly from the prediction results. Click the bookmark icon on any college card to add it to your shortlist. Your shortlist is saved to your profile and can be used later when building your preference list in the choice filling optimizer.
How the classification engine works
The predictor does not use a formula or a simple percentage threshold. It looks at the actual closing AIRs for your category at each college across all available years and rounds, then classifies based on where your AIR falls relative to that historical distribution.
The engine accounts for:
- Year-over-year variation: closing AIRs shift between years. The engine considers the range, not just the most recent year.
- Round-to-round variation: Round 1 and Round 2 closing AIRs differ. The engine uses the full picture.
- Category-specific data: your classification is based on data for your specific category, not the overall college cutoff. The same college might be Safe for SC and Reach for OPEN.
If a college has no data for your specific category in any year, it will not appear in the results. The predictor does not extrapolate or estimate for categories where no historical allotment data exists.
Using predictions with the choice filling optimizer
The predictor and the choice filling optimizer are designed to work together. A typical workflow:
- Run the predictor with your AIR, state, and category.
- Review the Safe, Target, and Reach lists. Shortlist the colleges you are interested in.
- Go to the choice filling optimizer. Your shortlisted colleges appear as starting points.
- Arrange your preference list with Reach colleges at the top, Target in the middle, and Safe at the bottom. The optimizer helps you order within each tier.
This approach ensures you do not leave better options on the table (Reach and Target colleges are listed first) while guaranteeing you have fallbacks (Safe colleges anchor the bottom of your list).
Follow this workflow: (1) Run the predictor, (2) shortlist colleges from Safe/Target/Reach lists, (3) open the choice filling optimizer, (4) arrange with Reach at top, Target in middle, Safe at bottom. This guarantees you do not miss upside opportunities while maintaining safety nets.
Practical tips
Run it for different categories if you are eligible for more than one. If you can claim both OPEN and OBC in Maharashtra, run the predictor for each. OPEN might show fewer Safe colleges than OBC, giving you a clearer picture of how your reservation status changes your options.
Check both Maharashtra and Karnataka if you can participate in both. Karnataka is an open state for private colleges. If your AIR puts you in the Target zone for Maharashtra government colleges, you might find Safe options at Karnataka private colleges.
Do not treat Reach as impossible. Cutoffs shift every year. A college that was Reach based on 2023-2024 data might become Target in 2025 if competition patterns change. The classification reflects historical probability, not a hard ceiling.
Pay attention to the distribution, not just the count. Having 20 Safe colleges sounds comfortable, but if they are all private colleges with high fees, you may want to focus on the 3 Target government colleges that could save you Rs 50 lakh over five years.
20 Safe colleges sounds reassuring, but check the college types. If all 20 are private (Rs 8-25L/yr) and you have 3 Target government colleges (Rs 50K/yr in KA or Rs 1.62L/yr in MH), those 3 Target options represent Rs 50L+ in potential savings. Focus your preference ordering on maximising the chance of landing those government targets.
The predictor uses state counselling data only. If you are also participating in MCC (All India Quota) counselling, the predictor’s classifications do not apply to AIQ seats at the same colleges. AIQ cutoffs can differ from state quota cutoffs.
Limitations
The predictor is a historical analysis tool, not a guarantee. It cannot account for:
- New colleges: institutions approved after 2025 will not have historical data.
- Seat increases: if a college adds 50 seats for the current year, cutoffs may ease beyond what historical data suggests.
- Policy changes: changes in reservation percentages, counselling rules, or category definitions can shift cutoffs in ways historical data cannot predict.
- AIQ interactions: candidates who receive AIQ seats through MCC exit the state counselling pool, affecting state cutoffs. The predictor does not model this interaction.
The predictor is a starting point, not the final word. Cross-reference predictions with the cutoff analyzer for detailed round-by-round data, and check the current year’s seat matrix from CET Cell or KEA for any seat count changes that could shift cutoffs.
Use the predictor as a starting point for your decision-making, not the final word. Cross-reference with the cutoff analyzer for detailed round-by-round data, and check the current year’s seat matrix from CET Cell or KEA for updated seat counts.
FAQ
Do I need an account to use the predictor?
No. The predictor works for all users. Creating an account gives you access to shortlisting (saving colleges to your profile) and access to the choice filling optimizer, but the core prediction is available to everyone.
Why does the predictor show fewer colleges than the cutoff analyzer?
The predictor only shows colleges where historical data exists for your specific category. If a college has no allotment data for SC in any year (because no SC seats were filled there through state counselling), it will not appear in your SC predictions. The cutoff analyzer shows all available data regardless of category.
Can I use the predictor for deemed university seats?
Deemed university seats filled through state counselling are included in the predictor. Deemed university seats filled through MCC are not, since our data covers state counselling only.
What if my AIR changes after verification or revaluation?
Run the predictor again with your updated AIR. The classifications will change to reflect the new rank.
Does the predictor account for the choice filling order?
No. The predictor classifies colleges based purely on your AIR vs historical cutoffs. How you order those colleges in your preference list is a separate decision. For preference ordering guidance, see our choice filling strategy guide.