NEET UG 2026 Cutoff Rises Sharply Across All Categories
NEET UG 2026 cutoff marks rise sharply for all categories. Check the updated qualifying marks, topper details, and what comes next in counselling.
AC Team
The NEET UG 2026 result is out, and one number is making students sit up straight: the cutoff. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the qualifying marks for every category, and this year the numbers have jumped by a wide margin. If you were expecting the same cutoff as last year, you are in for a surprise.
Aryan Gupta from Punjab and Panshul Bansal from Haryana topped the exam with 715 marks out of 720. Behind these top scores lies a bigger story: lakhs of students pushed themselves harder this year, and the competition shows up clearly in the cutoff data.
General and EWS Cutoff Jumps to 213
Parijat Mishra, a career counsellor at Allen Career Institute, points out that the qualifying cutoff for General and EWS candidates has gone up by 69 marks. Last year, the cutoff stood at 144. This year, it has climbed to 213 out of 720. That is not a small jump, and it tells us the exam pool got tougher.
OBC, SC, ST Cutoff Rises to 177
The story is the same for OBC, SC, and ST categories. Their qualifying cutoff has moved up by 64 marks, from 113 last year to 177 this year. Mishra also notes that Physics scores played a big role in deciding rank and selection this time. So if you were weak in Physics, your rank probably took a hit.
A Quick Look at the Numbers Over the Years
| Category | 2026 Qualifying Marks (out of 720) | 2025 Qualifying Marks | 2024 Qualifying Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and EWS | 213 | 164 | 162 |
| OBC/SC/ST | 177 | 113 | 127 |
Looking at this table, the trend is clear. Cutoffs have moved up steadily, and this year the rise is sharper than usual. Experts believe this reflects both a tougher paper and a larger number of well-prepared candidates.
What Happens After the Result
Once the result is out, the next step is counselling. The Medical Counselling Committee handles admissions at the national level, while State Medical Counselling Committees manage seats within each state. Both bodies will release their own notifications and schedules on their official websites, so keep checking those pages if you are waiting for your seat allotment.
Over 11 Lakh Candidates Qualify This Year
More than 11 lakh 21 thousand candidates have qualified NEET UG 2026. Among them, female candidates have taken the lead, making up 58 percent of all qualified candidates. That is a strong number and shows how many young women are choosing medicine as a career path.
With the result declared and cutoffs updated, the race for medical college seats begins now. Students who qualified will start preparing documents and tracking counselling dates, while those who missed the cutoff will look at other options, including state quotas, deemed universities, or a repeat attempt next year.
If there is one lesson from this year's data, it is this: NEET is getting more competitive every year, and a good rank now needs more than just clearing the cutoff. It needs a strong, balanced score across Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
