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  • NEET 2026 cut-off jumped to 213: what it really means for your seat

    By Ashok Hegde, Founder, neet2seat.com

    This year, the NEET UG qualifying cut-off for the general category is 213 marks. Last year it was 144. That jump of nearly 70 marks has worried a lot of students and parents, who read it as a sign that seats have become much harder to get. They have not. The cut-off moved for a reason that has little to do with your chances of admission. Here is what it actually means.

    What the qualifying cut-off really is

    The qualifying cut-off is the minimum NEET score that counts you as “qualified”, meaning you are eligible to take part in counselling. For the general category it is set at the 50th percentile; for OBC, SC and ST it is the 40th percentile. Those percentiles are fixed by regulation and do not change from year to year. What changes is the score that lands at that percentile. So the cut-off is really a percentile wearing a score as a mask.

    The three-year picture (national)

    Category Percentile 2024 2025 2026
    General / EWS 50th 164 144 213
    OBC / SC / ST 40th 129 113 177

    The top score rose too, to 715 out of 720 in 2026.

    Why the number jumped in 2026

    The percentile did not move; the paper did. When a paper is easier, or students score higher, the whole band of marks shifts up, and the score sitting at the 50th percentile rises with it. NEET 2026 was a high-scoring year, so the general cut-off climbed from 144 to 213. It is the same mechanism that pulled the cut-off down to 144 in 2025, when the paper was tougher. And fewer students sat the exam in 2026 (about 20 lakh, down from 22 lakh) and fewer qualified (11.2 lakh, down from 12.4 lakh), yet the cut-off still rose. A percentile bar does not care how many people sit. It cares how they score.

    The part most people get wrong

    Clearing 213 does not get you a seat. It gets you into the queue. The score at which seats actually close, the admission cut-off, is far higher and is decided during counselling, college by college and category by category. A general-category student at 213 is qualified but nowhere near a government MBBS seat. Treating the qualifying cut-off as if it were an admission cut-off is the single most common mistake families make. You can see how far real seat-closing ranks sit on the all-India cut-offs, and since your rank is already out, run it through our college predictor to see exactly where you stand.

    What it means for you

    Because raw scores are inflated this year, a given score is worth less than the same score last year. A 213 in 2026 sits at the same percentile as a 144 in 2025: same standing, bigger number. So do not judge yourself by the mark; judge yourself by your rank. Counselling runs on your all-India rank, not your score. You already have that rank, so read it against last year’s closing ranks and build your list around the colleges that realistically come within reach.

    A higher cut-off is not bad news, and it is not good news. It only tells you this year’s paper was easier. What decides your seat is your rank, and you already have it.

    Related: Andhra Pradesh’s NEET UG 2026 qualified candidates list is out, with these same national cut-offs applied to state counselling.

    Source: National Testing Agency (NTA), “Key Data Points of NEET (UG) Over the Years” and NEET UG 2026 result data.

    About the author
    Ashok Hegde is the founder of neet2seat.com. Connect on LinkedIn.

  • Andhra Pradesh NEET UG 2026: qualified candidates list and cut-offs out

    Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS), Vijayawada, has released the rank-wise list of NEET UG 2026 qualified candidates from Andhra Pradesh. The list is based on data received from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Government of India, for the exam conducted by the NTA.

    This is an early step towards MBBS and BDS admissions in Andhra Pradesh for 2026-27. The university has said a separate notification calling for online applications will be issued later, so this list does not open registration by itself.

    What the list contains

    The list gives the NEET Roll Number, NEET Rank and NEET Score of Andhra Pradesh candidates who have qualified with scores at or above the cut-off set by the NTA. You can check whether your details appear in it on the NTRUHS website.

    Category-wise eligibility cut-offs

    NTRUHS has listed these cut-off percentiles and score ranges to be eligible to apply for UG medical and dental courses in 2026-27:

    Category Cut-off percentile Cut-off score
    UR / EWS 50th 715 – 213
    OBC 40th 212 – 177
    SC 40th 212 – 177
    ST 40th 212 – 177
    UR / EWS & PwBD 45th 212 – 194
    OBC & PwBD 40th 193 – 177
    SC & PwBD 40th 193 – 177
    ST & PwBD 40th 191 – 177

    These are the scores needed to be eligible to apply, not the scores at which seats close. The actual admission cut-offs during counselling are much higher and depend on the college and category.

    What happens next

    • The university will issue a separate notification with the online application form and schedule. Watch the NTRUHS website for it.
    • Your final merit position will be shown only after you submit the online application and it is verified.
    • Category eligibility (BC/SC/ST) is confirmed only after you submit a valid community certificate and the welfare department verifies it.

    What to do now

    Related: Why the NEET 2026 qualifying cut-off jumped to 213, and why your rank matters more than your score.

    Source: Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS), Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada — NEET UG 2026 rank-wise qualified candidates list.

  • Gujarat NEET UG 2026: Round 1 counselling registration opens, closes 12 August

    The Admission Committee for Professional Undergraduate Medical Educational Courses (ACPUGMEC), Government of Gujarat, has opened online registration for first-year MBBS and BDS admissions for the academic year 2026-27. Registration runs from 31 July 2026 to 12 August 2026 and closes at 4:00 pm on the last day.

    The counselling covers seats in government, grant-in-aid and self-financed medical and dental colleges in Gujarat. For the full state process, see our Gujarat NEET counselling guide.

    Round 1 schedule

    • Online PIN purchase: 31 July 2026 to 12 August 2026 (till 12:00 noon)
    • Online registration: 31 July 2026 to 12 August 2026 (till 4:00 pm)
    • Document verification at help centre: 3 August 2026 to 13 August 2026 (till 4:00 pm), by prior appointment

    What the PIN costs

    You buy the registration PIN online at www.medadmgujarat.org. It costs ₹1,000 (non-refundable) plus a ₹10,000 refundable security deposit, so ₹11,000 in total.

    Who can apply

    You must have passed Class 12 (science stream, B or AB group) from a school in Gujarat under the Gujarat Board, CBSE, CISCE, Cambridge or NIOS, and qualified in NEET UG 2026 on all-India rank. You also need to meet the admission rules of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Gujarat.

    To gauge your chances, check last year’s Gujarat MBBS closing ranks and BDS closing ranks, and run your rank through our college predictor.

    Steps after registering

    After online registration, book an appointment and take self-attested photocopies of your documents to a help centre for verification. You can pick the date and help centre while printing your registration slip. Help centres work Monday to Friday (10 am to 4 pm) and Saturday (10 am to 12 noon); they stay closed on Sundays and public holidays.

    Local quota and NRI candidates

    For local-quota seats at Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad or SMIMER, Surat, you must also get a local-resident certificate from the Dean of that college. NRI candidates have to submit a demand draft of ₹10,000 in favour of “ACPUGMEC” (payable at Gandhinagar) as a processing fee at the ACPUGMEC office, GMERS Medical College, Gandhinagar.

    What to do now

    • Buy your PIN and register at www.medadmgujarat.org before 12 August 2026.
    • Keep your NEET 2026 scorecard and Class 12 documents ready.
    • Line up your choices using the list of MBBS colleges in Gujarat and the Gujarat counselling hub.
    • Check the admission committee website often for updates.

    Source: Admission Committee for Professional Undergraduate Medical Educational Courses (ACPUGMEC), Government of Gujarat — online registration advertisement, UG 2026-27.

  • NEET UG 2026: PwBD candidates need a new disability eligibility certificate before counselling

    NEET UG 2026: PwBD candidates need a new disability eligibility certificate before counselling

    Update (1 August 2026): On 31 July 2026 the NMC issued a corrigendum revising Appendix-D, the Locomotor Disability Affidavit (a lower-extremity, stability self-declaration) of the PwBD Assessment Guidelines, 2026. All other terms of the 27 July 2026 guidelines stay the same. Locomotor-disability candidates should download and use the revised Appendix-D affidavit; the other disability affidavits are unchanged.

    If you cleared NEET UG 2026 and plan to apply for a seat reserved for persons with disability, there is one step to finish before counselling choice-filling begins. On 30 July 2026 the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) issued a notice telling every candidate in the PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) category how to obtain the eligibility certificate that lets them claim these seats.

    This applies to the All India Quota. The certificate described here is issued by MCC’s own Medical Assessment Boards for the All India Quota (AIQ) counselling that MCC conducts. If you are after a PwBD seat under the 85% state quota, you go through your state’s counselling and its own assessment boards instead (covered lower down). The medical rules are the same NMC 2026 guidelines in both cases, but the certificate and the board are different.

    The certificate follows the National Medical Commission’s new rules, the Guidelines on Assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for Admission to the MBBS Course, 2026. PwBD candidates hold a 5% reservation across MBBS and postgraduate medical and dental seats, and this certificate is what unlocks those seats in the counselling system.

    You must be assessed in person before seats are shown

    To claim a PwBD seat you have to visit one of MCC’s designated Medical Assessment Boards and be examined there. You cannot self-declare your way into these seats. Carry the following to the board:

    • Your NEET UG 2026 score card showing you are eligible for MBBS.
    • Your permanent UDID card issued by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
    • A self-certified affidavit describing your functional abilities, in the Schedule-I format. The board verifies this during the assessment.
    • The self-certification affidavit (Appendix-A) and the affidavit for your specific disability category, in the NMC formats given in Appendix-B to F.

    The board issues the certificate based on the disability recorded on your UDID card and the affidavits you submit, once you meet the eligibility criteria.

    No certificate, no PwD seats on your screen

    This is the part to plan around. Only candidates who have obtained the eligibility certificate from a designated MCC board will be shown PwD seat choices during AIQ counselling. If you skip the assessment or leave it too late, those seats will not appear when you fill your choices. The certificate is valid for this academic session only, so one from an earlier year does not carry over.

    Where to get assessed

    MCC has listed 62 disability certification centres across the country in Annexure-1 of the notice. Many certify all disability categories, but several are limited to specific ones, so check before you travel. The All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mumbai assesses locomotor disability only; the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru handles speech and hearing only; and the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute, Mumbai covers hearing only. Large boards such as IPGMER Kolkata, Madras Medical College Chennai, GMC Chandigarh and AIIMS Nagpur cover all categories.

    If you are applying for a PwBD seat under the 85% state quota rather than the All India Quota, you can go to your state’s medical assessment board instead. Even then, the evaluation has to follow the NMC’s 2026 guidelines.

    Fake documents will cost you the seat

    MCC has been blunt about misuse. If the UDID card or affidavit you submit is found to be fake, your seat will be cancelled and legal action will be taken against you. Only genuine, verifiable documents belong in this process.

    Plan your AIQ counselling

    While you sort out the certificate, get your college list ready:

    Source: MCC notice Ref. U-11011/07/2026-MEC dated 30 July 2026, enclosing the NMC PwBD Assessment Guidelines, 2026. Read the full notice and the 62-centre list (PDF). Always confirm the current schedule at mcc.nic.in before you act.

  • Goa reopens NEET UG application window: submit forms at DTE till 31 July 2026

    The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Government of Goa, has reopened its application window for NEET-based admissions. Candidates can submit their NEET result and NEET course application form at the DTE up to 31 July 2026.

    What the notice says

    A “Latest Updates” notice on the DTE Goa website (dated 27 July 2026) confirms that NEET results and NEET course application forms can be submitted at the DTE till 31 July 2026.

    Who this is for

    Students seeking a NEET-based seat through Goa who have not yet registered, or who missed the earlier deadline.

    What to do now

    • Submit your application at the DTE before 31 July 2026.
    • Keep your NEET 2026 scorecard ready.

    Source: Directorate of Technical Education, Government of Goa.

  • NEET UG 2026 counselling: no physical reporting for upgrades, online resignation now allowed

    NEET UG 2026 counselling: no physical reporting for upgrades, online resignation now allowed

    The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has made three changes to how NEET UG 2026 counselling will run, and all three cut down on college visits and paperwork. The Ministry of Health wrote to every state on 28 July 2026 to spell them out, with counselling due to start shortly.

    Upgrade your seat online, without visiting the college

    Until now, if you were allotted a seat and wanted to try for a better one in the next round, you first had to physically report to your allotted college to retain your seat and apply for upgradation. In 2026, you can do this online. If you opt for upgradation, your admission stays valid in the counselling system while you take part in later rounds. You no longer report merely to complete formalities.

    Resign your seat online

    You can now give up an allotted seat through the MCC counselling portal. Earlier this meant going to the college and submitting it in person. From this year, you can do it online, wherever the counselling rules allow it and within the given deadlines.

    Submit NRI documents online for deemed universities

    Candidates claiming NRI seats in deemed universities can upload their documents on the portal instead of submitting them for physical verification.

    What stays the same

    These changes make the process easier, not looser. Round 1 is still a free exit, the security deposit is still at risk from Round 2, and a joined Round 3 seat still cannot be resigned. Online resignation works only “wherever permissible under the counselling rules,” so the deadlines and forfeiture rules you planned around still hold. Only the way you complete each step has gotten simpler.

    Ministry of Health letter to states on NEET UG 2026 counselling changes
    The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare letter to states, dated 28 July 2026. Read the full letter (PDF).

    Source: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare D.O. letter dated 28 July 2026. Read the current MCC bulletin at mcc.nic.in before you file choices.

  • Kerala reopens KEAM medical applications; existing candidates can add MBBS/BDS, closes 27 July

    The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala, has opened a fresh application window for the medical and medical-allied stream under KEAM 2026. The notice (CEE/404/2026-TA4, dated 23 July 2026) does two things: it invites new applications from candidates who had not applied for these courses, and it lets candidates who already have a KEAM 2026 application add the medical and medical-allied courses, along with any eligible reservation claims, through the portal.

    Who can apply

    The window is for candidates who have qualified NEET UG 2026. Medical and medical-allied here covers MBBS and BDS along with the AYUSH courses (Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and the allied streams) that Kerala admits through KEAM. Admission to these courses is based on the NEET UG 2026 rank, while KEAM governs the state counselling and category process.

    Dates

    • Window closes: 27 July 2026, 11:00 AM

    Because the closing time is fixed, candidates who still need to apply, or existing applicants who want to add these courses or a reservation claim, should complete the step on the KEAM candidate portal well before the deadline.

    Two other things happening in Kerala right now

    Alongside the application window, CEE has asked candidates who have flagged issues to rectify defects in their NRI documents through the portal. Separately, the state has revised how MBBS fees are billed, ordering that fees be charged only for the 4.5-year academic part of the course, not five years; we cover that in our report on the Kerala MBBS fee revision.

    What to do

    Keep your NEET UG 2026 score card and the certificates for any reservation or special-category claim ready before you open the portal, since the window is short. Our Kerala MBBS colleges page lists the colleges, seats and fees you will be choosing among once counselling begins.

    Source: CEE Kerala, KEAM 2026 notification (CEE/404/2026-TA4), dated 23 July 2026.

  • Tamil Nadu reopens MBBS/BDS application window for two days, closing 27 July

    The Selection Committee at the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Kilpauk, Chennai, has reopened the online application window for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in Tamil Nadu for the 2026-27 session. The decision, in Notification No. 009/SCS1(1)/2026 dated 25 July 2026, follows representations from students who could not complete their registration in time.

    The reopened window: two days only

    The portal is open on a short schedule:

    • Opens: 26 July 2026 at 10:00 AM
    • Closes: 27 July 2026 at 03:00 PM

    The committee has described this as a one-time measure for the welfare of students and said no further extension will follow. Candidates are advised to finish and submit well before the closing time rather than wait for the last hour.

    Who this is for

    The window is strictly for candidates whose applications are yet to be submitted. If you started but never submitted, or had not applied at all, this is your chance. The application portal is at tnmedicalselection.org.

    If you have already applied, read this carefully

    Candidates who have already submitted cannot use this window to edit their form. The committee has said editing a submitted application is not possible, because the scrutiny of applications received earlier is already under way and reopening forms for edits would delay it. If your submitted form has a minor clerical or typing error, the committee has said you need not panic: such errors will be checked and corrected during document verification and scrutiny, not now.

    What to do

    If you still need to apply, keep your NEET UG 2026 score card and the required certificates ready, and complete the submission on the portal before 3 PM on 27 July. Our Tamil Nadu NEET counselling guide walks through the documents, quotas and steps for state counselling.

    Source: Selection Committee, DME&R Tamil Nadu, Notification No. 009/SCS1(1)/2026, dated 25 July 2026.

  • Karnataka extends NEET UG registration deadline to 30 July for MBBS, BDS and AYUSH

    The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has extended the last date to register for the state’s medical, dental and AYUSH counselling to 30 July 2026. The window was first set to close on 24 July, and KEA reopened it after requests from candidates and parents who wanted more time to apply. The extension is aimed at students who have qualified in NEET UG 2026 but have not yet registered with KEA.

    Who this is for

    This registration is for admission to MBBS, BDS and the AYUSH courses (Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and Unani) in Karnataka, under KEA’s notification No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026 dated 16 July 2026. Two situations apply:

    • If you have not registered with KEA for CET-2026: use the “UGNEET-2026 new registration” link on the KEA portal, fill the application and pay the fee. This is the group the extended 30 July deadline is for.
    • If you already registered for CET-2026: you do not apply again. KEA opens a separate link to add your NEET roll number to your existing application, so no fresh registration is needed.

    Candidates from outside Karnataka can also register, pay the fee and enter their Class 12 marks. OCI, PIO, NRI and foreign-national candidates, and anyone claiming an NRI-ward, religious-minority or RC-2 to RC-8 seat at St. John’s Medical College, have to appear at KEA, Bengaluru for document verification.

    What happens after you register

    KEA has said it has not yet received the NEET UG 2026 result data needed for the next stage. Once that data arrives, registered candidates will get a link to enter their NEET roll number, and document verification will follow. The minimum qualifying marks and the category eligibility rules, which for SC, ST and OBC seats apply only to Karnataka candidates, will be confirmed after the results are published. If you miss the 30 July date, no new registration is allowed later except at the Stray Vacancy Round.

    What to do now

    If you want a Karnataka MBBS, BDS or AYUSH seat and have not registered, apply at the KEA portal, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in, before the 30 July cut-off; check the portal for the exact closing time on the day. Keep your Class 12 marks memo and NEET details ready. Our Karnataka medical colleges page lists every college with its cutoffs, fees and seat details to help you plan your choices while you wait for the result data.

    Source: KEA Notification No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026, 16 July 2026, and KEA’s 24 July press statement extending the last date to 30 July 2026.

  • Kerala orders MBBS fee be charged for 4.5 years, not 5, following NMC directive

    The Kerala Health and Family Welfare Department has ordered that the fee for the MBBS course at every government and self-financing medical college in the state be charged only for the prescribed academic duration of four and a half years, not five. The order, G.O.(Rt) No. 2326/2026/H&FWD dated 17 July 2026, was published on the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) portal on 24 July 2026 and applies both to students currently studying and to those admitted in the coming rounds.

    Why 4.5 years, not five

    An MBBS degree runs for five and a half years in total: four and a half years (54 months) of academic study, followed by one year of compulsory rotating internship (CRMI). The National Medical Commission, in its Public Notice CDN-13011/1/2026 dated 7 April 2026, directed all medical colleges to charge tuition only for the 54-month academic period. The internship year is not an academic teaching year, so it should not carry a tuition fee. Kerala’s order puts that directive into effect for its colleges. The state cites the Supreme Court rulings in the T.M.A. Pai, Islamic Academy and P.A. Inamdar cases, which require fees to be reasonable, transparent and matched to the facilities actually provided.

    What the order does and does not settle

    The order fixes the billing period. It does not, by itself, publish new rupee figures for private colleges. Kerala’s Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC) has been asked to refix the fee structure for self-financing medical colleges in line with the NMC directive, so the revised annual and total figures for private colleges will come in a separate FRC notification. Government college fees, set by the state, are affected only in that they too are now billed over 4.5 years.

    The refund question is still open

    The NMC had also asked the Director of Medical Education to refund the excess fees colleges already collected for the fifth year. That refund is on hold. M.O.S.C. Medical College Hospital, Kolancherry, challenged the NMC’s refund letter, and on 19 June 2026 the Kerala High Court stayed it for three months in WP(C) No. 16663 of 2026, allowing the college to collect the FRC-fixed fee for the time being. Whether students get money back for fees already paid will depend on the final judgment in that case.

    What students and parents should do now

    If you are entering an MBBS seat in Kerala this year, expect the fee to be quoted for 4.5 years rather than five once the FRC publishes the revised structure; wait for that notification before assuming a specific amount, since the exact figures are not out yet. If you or a family member is already paying an MBBS fee at a Kerala college, keep every fee receipt, because any refund of the fifth-year component will hinge on the High Court outcome and you will need proof of what was paid. Our Kerala MBBS colleges and fees page lists each college with its current fee and seat details.

    Source: Government of Kerala, Health & Family Welfare Department, G.O.(Rt) No. 2326/2026/H&FWD, dated 17 July 2026.