NEET Cut Off 2026 (Re-NEET): Category-Wise Marks, NEET 2026 Cutoff Percentile & Safe Score for MBBS

Last updated: 16 July 2026, 6:30 PM IST

NEET Cut Off 2026 – The NEET 2026 cutoff is the minimum qualifying marks or percentile that candidates must score to become eligible for MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH admission counselling. The original NEET UG 2026 held on 3 May 2026 was cancelled by NTA due to a confirmed paper leak. The Re-NEET 2026 examination was conducted on 21 June 2026 (2:00 PM – 5:15 PM). NTA has now officially declared the Re-NEET 2026 result on 16 July 2026, along with the final answer key. Category-wise cutoff marks and percentiles have been published simultaneously by NTA on neet.nta.nic.in.

On this page you will find: the official NEET UG cut off 2026 category-wise qualifying percentile, category-wise qualified candidate numbers, safe score for MBBS government college admission, qualifying cut off vs admission cut off explained, year-wise NEET cutoff trend comparison (2021–2026), and all previous years' official NEET cut-off data. Use the NEET Rank & College Predictor to estimate your rank based on your NEET cut off 2026 score, and explore NEET Counselling 2026 details for admission guidance.

NEET (UG) 2026 Result: Key Numbers at a Glance

• Total candidates appeared: Close to 20 lakh, across 5,440 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad
• Total candidates qualified: 11.21 lakh
• Women qualified: More than 58% of all qualified candidates; women qualified at a higher rate (56.8%) than men (55.1%)
• Languages of examination: 13 — Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English
• Highest score: 715/720, jointly by Aryan Gupta (Punjab) and Panshul Bansal (Haryana)
• Result declared: 16 July 2026 — ahead of the earlier expected date of 20 July 2026

What is NEET Cut Off 2026?

The NEET cut off 2026 refers to the minimum qualifying marks or percentile that candidates must score in the NEET UG 2026 (Re-NEET) examination to become eligible for medical admission counselling. The NEET 2026 cutoff is released by NTA along with the NEET result and varies each year depending on the difficulty level of the exam, total number of candidates appearing, and seat availability in MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH courses.

There are two types of NEET cutoff 2026 that every aspirant must understand:

• NEET 2026 Qualifying Cut Off — The minimum NEET cut off marks 2026 required to pass the exam and become eligible for counselling. This is the NEET passing marks 2026, fixed as a percentile by NTA.
• NEET 2026 Admission Cut Off — The actual score required to secure a seat in a specific medical college. This is significantly higher than the qualifying cut off and varies by college, category, quota (All India Quota or State Quota), and competition level.

Candidates who score equal to or above the prescribed NEET UG cut off 2026 can participate in MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other medical admission processes. Simply meeting the NEET qualifying marks 2026 does not guarantee MBBS admission — the actual admission cut off for government medical colleges is substantially higher.

How Many Marks Were Required in NEET 2026 for MBBS?

This is the most common question among students following the Re-NEET 2026 result. The NEET cut off marks 2026 for MBBS admission depend on several factors — difficulty level of the June 21 paper, the number of test-takers (close to 20 lakh), and MBBS seat availability across government and private medical colleges in India (1,36,939 MBBS seats nationwide for 2026 counselling).

The NEET UG 2026 exam comprised 200 questions (180 to be attempted) with a maximum score of 720. The NEET 2026 marking scheme awarded +4 marks for every correct answer and deducted −1 mark for every incorrect answer: Score = (4 × Correct Answers) − (1 × Incorrect Answers).

To clear the NEET 2026 cutoff, candidates needed to achieve the qualifying percentile set by NTA — 50th percentile for General/EWS and 40th percentile for OBC/SC/ST. In NEET 2025, the corresponding qualifying marks were 144 for General/EWS and 113 for OBC/SC/ST — the most recent official benchmark ahead of the 2026 figures being finalised. For actual MBBS admission in a government medical college, candidates typically need substantially higher scores — approximately 620–650+ marks for General/EWS under the All India Quota (AIQ).

Merely achieving the NEET 2026 qualifying marks does not guarantee MBBS admission. The NEET UG cut off 2026 for admission to top government medical colleges will be determined through counselling by MCC (for AIQ seats) and respective state counselling authorities (for State Quota seats).

NEET Cut Off 2026 (Re-NEET): Category-Wise Qualifying Percentile

NTA has confirmed the qualifying percentile thresholds for NEET 2026 remain unchanged from previous years. Exact category-wise cutoff marks have been published by NTA alongside the result on neet.nta.nic.in; this table will be updated the moment those figures are consolidated here.

Note: The corresponding qualifying marks for 2026 will vary from previous years based on the difficulty level of the 21 June Re-NEET paper and the performance of the ~20 lakh candidates who appeared. Refer to neet.nta.nic.in for the exact category-wise cutoff marks released with today's result.

NEET 2026 Category-Wise Qualified Candidates (Official)

NEET 2026 Reservation Criteria

NEET 2026 Score Distribution (Official)

The highest score of 715 out of 720 was jointly obtained by Aryan Gupta (Punjab) and Panshul Bansal (Haryana). 138 candidates scored above 690 marks, coming from 66 cities; over 93% of them were first-time NEET candidates, and 99% were aged 17–19. The top 17 rankers, all scoring above 705, span Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

NEET 2026 Expected Cutoff – Safe Score for MBBS Government College

The most critical distinction every NEET 2026 aspirant must understand is this: the NEET qualifying marks 2026 only make you eligible to sit for counselling. The NEET 2026 cutoff marks required to actually secure an MBBS seat in a government college are far higher. This is what experts call the safe score for NEET 2026.

Based on Aakash expert analysis of NEET 2025 admission data and this year's Re-NEET paper difficulty, here are the expected NEET cut off 2026 safe scores for MBBS government college admission by category and quota:

Note: For premier institutions like AIIMS Delhi, the NEET cut off marks typically exceed 700+ for General category. AFMC Pune and other top government colleges generally require 650+ marks. These are indicative safe scores — actual NEET 2026 admission cutoffs will be known after MCC and state counselling rounds.

NEET Qualifying Cut Off 2026 vs NEET Admission Cut Off 2026

Many students confuse the NEET 2026 qualifying cut off with the NEET 2026 admission cut off. Both are components of the NEET cutoff 2026 but serve entirely different purposes in the medical admission process.

NEET 2026 Qualifying Cut Off

The minimum NEET passing marks 2026 required to pass the NEET UG exam and become eligible for counselling. Achieving the qualifying marks alone does not guarantee MBBS admission.

NEET 2026 Admission Cut Off

The minimum score required to actually secure a seat in a specific medical or dental college. This varies by college, category, seat availability, and quota — typically 4–5 times higher in absolute terms than the qualifying cut off. For example, while the qualifying marks for General category are around 135, AIIMS Delhi requires 700+ marks and most top government medical colleges require 620–650+ marks under AIQ.

In summary: the NEET qualifying marks 2026 make you eligible for counselling, while the NEET 2026 admission cut off determines whether you actually get a government MBBS seat.

Factors That Affected NEET Cut Off 2026

• Difficulty level of the Re-NEET 2026 exam — Tougher papers generally lower cutoff marks, while easier papers raise the cutoff since more students score high.
• Number of candidates — Close to 20 lakh candidates appeared for Re-NEET 2026, keeping competition for popular government colleges intense.
• Seat availability — 1,36,939 MBBS seats are available nationwide for 2026 admissions, directly affecting the admission cutoff.
• Previous year trends — NEET cutoffs have historically ranged from 93 to 164 marks depending on category and year.
• Re-exam paper pattern — Since Re-NEET 2026 was a freshly set paper for 21 June, its cutoff marks may differ from what the cancelled 3 May paper would have produced.

NEET 2025 Cut-Off (Category-Wise) – Reference for NEET Cut Off 2026

The NEET 2025 official cut-off marks remain the most directly comparable benchmark until the exact 2026 marks are consolidated on this page:

• General (UR) / EWS: 686 – 144 marks (50th Percentile)
• OBC: 143 – 113 marks (40th Percentile)
• SC: 143 – 113 marks (40th Percentile)
• ST: 143 – 113 marks (40th Percentile)
• General PwD: 143 – 127 marks (45th Percentile)
• SC/ST/OBC PwD: 126 – 113 marks (40th Percentile)

NEET Cutoff 2024 (Official)

NEET Cutoff 2023

NEET 2022 Cut-off

NEET 2021 Cut-off

NEET Cut Off Year-Wise Trend (2021–2026)

This year-wise comparison shows that NEET qualifying marks have historically ranged between 93 and 164 marks across categories and years.

Why is the NEET Cut Off 2026 Important?

• Helps candidates gauge where their score stands against the official qualifying and admission benchmarks
• Estimate chances of MBBS admission in government medical colleges through AIQ and State Quota
• Plan NEET Counselling 2026 strategy — choosing between AIQ MBBS, State Quota MBBS, private MBBS, BDS, or AYUSH courses
• Decide on next steps if the score is below the cutoff required for preferred colleges

Timeline: How NEET 2026 Result Was Declared

• 25–28 June 2026: Provisional answer key published; challenge window open
• 13–15 July 2026: Scanned OMR sheets and recorded responses shown to candidates
• 16 July 2026: NEET Final answer key published and NEET (UG) 2026 result declared — on the same day

NTA re-engineered its process this year, running several stages in parallel rather than sequentially, and de-linking the OMR sheet challenge from the answer key release, allowing the result to be declared ahead of the earlier 20 July estimate.

NEET 2026 Counselling: What's Next

NTA's role ends at declaring the result, issuing the All India Rank, and publishing merit/category lists. NTA does not conduct counselling.

• All India Quota (MBBS/BDS): Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) — mcc.nic.in
• State Quota: Respective State counselling authorities
• AYUSH (BAMS/BUMS/BSMS/BHMS) All India Quota: AACCC
• NEET result data is also used for admission to B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing and BVSc & AH under the 15% VCI quota

Important advisory: NTA has cautioned candidates against fraudulent calls, messages, or websites offering admission, seat blocking, or score improvement. NTA never contacts candidates seeking money or credentials. Report suspicious activity at neetug2026@nta.ac.in or 011-40759000.

Conclusion

The NEET cut off 2026 — the Re-NEET cut off 2026 for the 21 June examination — determines candidates' eligibility for MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH admission and counselling. With the result officially declared on 16 July 2026, candidates should check their scorecard on neet.nta.nic.in, compare their score against the qualifying and safe-score benchmarks on this page, and begin planning their counselling strategy without delay.

NEET Cut Off 2026 – FAQs

Q1. Is the NEET 2026 cutoff out?
Yes. NTA declared the Re-NEET (UG) 2026 result, along with cutoff marks and percentiles, on 16 July 2026.

Q2. Will the Re-NEET 2026 cut off be different from what the original NEET 2026 cut off would have been? Yes — the Re-NEET 2026 cutoff is based on the difficulty level of the 21 June paper, the ~20 lakh candidates who appeared, and seat availability, not the cancelled 3 May exam. The qualifying percentile criteria (50th for General/EWS, 40th for OBC/SC/ST) remain the same as always.

Q3. What is the validity of NEET 2026 cut off marks or scores?
The validity of the NEET 2026 score is 1 year — usable only for admissions in the 2026–27 academic session.

Q4. Where can I check the official NEET UG cut off 2026?
The official NEET UG cut off 2026 is available on neet.nta.nic.in along with the declared result.

Q5. Who topped NEET 2026?
Aryan Gupta (Punjab) and Panshul Bansal (Haryana) jointly topped with 715 out of 720 marks.

Q6. How many candidates qualified NEET 2026?
11.21 lakh candidates qualified out of nearly 20 lakh who appeared.

Q7. How is the NEET cutoff 2026 calculated?
NTA converts raw scores of all appearing candidates into percentiles; the minimum percentile threshold (50th for General, 40th for OBC/SC/ST, 45th for General-PwD) determines the qualifying cutoff marks. Raw score formula: Score = (4 × Correct) − (1 × Incorrect).

Q8. Will counselling be conducted based on Re-NEET 2026 scores?
Yes. All admissions and counselling for MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH seats will be based on the Re-NEET 2026 scores from 21 June 2026 — both AIQ counselling (MCC) and State Quota counselling.

Q9. What is the safe score for MBBS admission through NEET cut off 2026?
Approximately 620–650+ marks for General/EWS in AIQ, 590–630+ for OBC, 480–530+ for SC, and 450–510+ for ST — indicative figures pending final admission cutoffs after counselling rounds. AIIMS Delhi typically requires 700+ marks for General category.

Q10. What is the difference between NEET 2026 qualifying cut off and admission cut off?
The qualifying cut off (~135 marks for General, 50th percentile) is the minimum to become eligible for counselling. The admission cut off is the actual score needed for a specific college seat — 620–650+ marks for most government MBBS colleges under AIQ (General) — and is only confirmed after counselling rounds by MCC and state authorities.