The Punjab NEET category list has four vertical reservation categories totalling 45% of state quota seats (SC 25% + BC 10% + EWS 10%), with the remaining 55% filled under the Open (General) category on merit. PwD reservation (5%) is horizontal, applied within each category rather than as a separate vertical slice.
Vertical reservation categories
| Code | Category | Reservation % |
|---|---|---|
| OPEN | Open / General | 55% (unreserved) |
| SC | Scheduled Caste | 25% |
| BC | Backward Classes | 10% |
| EWS | Economically Weaker Section | 10% |
Punjab does not have ST (Scheduled Tribe) reservation in state counselling, unlike most other states. The SC reservation at 25% is among the highest in India. Punjab’s SC population is approximately 32% per the 2011 Census, the highest proportion among Indian states.
Punjab also does not apply OBC reservation; the equivalent category is BC (Backward Classes) at 10%.
How to find your code in the Punjab NEET category list
Your category for Punjab NEET counselling is determined by certificates issued by the relevant government authority:
- OPEN: If you do not belong to any reserved category
- SC: Per the Scheduled Castes list for Punjab, with a certificate from the Deputy Commissioner or Sub-Divisional Magistrate
- BC: Per the Punjab Backward Classes list, with a certificate from the competent authority
- EWS: Family income below ₹8 lakh per annum, with an EWS certificate from the Tehsildar or equivalent (certificate must be issued in the year of admission)
Your category certificate must be in the candidate’s name and issued by an authority recognized by the Punjab government.
Horizontal reservations (applied across all vertical categories)
These quotas are applied within each vertical category, not in addition to the 100% seat count:
| Code | Category | Reservation |
|---|---|---|
| PWD | Persons with Disability | 5% |
| DEFENCE | Wards of Defence Personnel | Up to 3% |
| SPORTS | Sports Person | 1% |
| FF | Freedom Fighter descendants | 1% |
| TA | Terrorist Affected | 1% |
| RA | Riots Affected (1984 Sikh riots) | 1% |
| BAK_AR | Backward Area | 1% |
| BR_AR | Border Area | 1% |
Punjab-specific quotas explained:
The Terrorist Affected (TA) quota covers children of those affected by terrorism during Punjab’s period of militancy. The Riots Affected (RA) quota is specifically for children and grandchildren of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Political Pensioner (PP) category, found in allotment data, covers descendants of political sufferers from the independence movement or the Punjab unrest period.
The Backward Area and Border Area quotas (1% each) are geographic reservations for candidates from designated backward regions and border districts of Punjab. These geographic quotas are uncommon among Indian states.
Additional quotas in private colleges
| Code | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| JK | J&K Migrant | 1% in private colleges; for Kashmiri migrants displaced by terrorism |
| NRI | Non-Resident Indian | 15% of private college seats |
| MINORITY | Minority Quota | 50% seats in Sikh minority institutions |
| CHRISTIAN_MINORITY | Christian Minority | CMC Ludhiana (Christian minority institution) |
The J&K Migrant quota was clarified for the 2025 cycle, applicable from Round 3 onwards.
Minority institutions in Punjab operate on two tracks: Sikh minority colleges (such as Sri Guru Ram Das Institute, Amritsar) and Christian minority institutions (CMC Ludhiana). Each reserves 50% of seats for their respective community. Within minority institutions, sub-categories 2A through 2G are used for internal classification.
Vacancy conversion
When reserved seats go unfilled after all rounds, they convert to the general pool. BC and EWS unfilled seats move to OPEN category. SC seats that remain vacant after the mop-up round are also converted.
Horizontal reservation seats (Defence, Sports, FF, etc.) that go unfilled revert to the parent vertical category from which they were drawn.
How Punjab categories differ from AIQ categories
| Punjab state counselling | AIQ equivalent |
|---|---|
| OPEN | UR (Unreserved) |
| BC | OBC (but Punjab’s BC is 10% vs AIQ’s 27%) |
| SC | SC (Punjab 25% vs AIQ 15%) |
| EWS | EWS (both 10%) |
| — | ST (Punjab has no ST reservation) |
| — | OBC-NCL (Punjab uses BC instead) |
| DEFENCE, SPORTS, FF, TA, RA | No AIQ equivalent |
| BAK_AR, BR_AR | No AIQ equivalent |
If you hold both a Punjab category certificate and a central OBC/SC certificate, you can use each in its respective counselling (Punjab certificate for state quota; central certificate for AIQ).