NEET UG 2026 Cut Off (Out): Category-wise Marks, Percentile & What It Means for You

The NEET UG 2026 cut off is out and if you are trying to figure out whether you qualified, or what your score actually means for MBBS admission, this page has everything you need.

One thing to understand first, there are two different cut offs in NEET. The qualifying cut off tells you whether you are eligible for counselling. The admission cut off college wise, round wise is what actually decides which MBBS seat you get. Most students confuse the two.

This blog covers the qualifying cut off. We will update admission cut offs as counselling rounds are announced.

NEET UG 2026 Category wise Qualifying Cut Off

NTA has released the official qualifying marks and percentile for each category. Here is the complete table:

Category	Qualifying Percentile	Cut Off Marks
General / EWS	50th Percentile	715 – 213
OBC	40th Percentile	212 – 177
SC	40th Percentile	212 – 177
ST	40th Percentile	212 – 177
UR / EWS – PwBD	45th Percentile	212 – 194
OBC – PwBD	40th Percentile	193 – 177
SC – PwBD	40th Percentile	193 – 177
ST – PwBD	40th Percentile	191 – 177

So if you are in the General or EWS category, you needed a minimum of 213 marks to qualify. OBC, SC and ST candidates needed 177 marks minimum.

How Many Candidates Qualified in Each Category?

Category	Qualified Candidates
General / EWS	9,96,935
OBC	81,111
SC	29,947
ST	12,452
UR/EWS – PwBD	480
OBC – PwBD	185
SC – PwBD	64
ST – PwBD	11

Total qualified across all categories: 11.21 lakh candidates out of nearly 20 lakh who appeared.

NEET 2026 Cut Off vs NEET 2025 - A Big Jump

This is where things get interesting and a little alarming for students who were targeting scores based on last year's cut off.

Category	NEET 2025 Cut Off	NEET 2026 Cut Off
General / EWS	686 – 144	715 – 213
OBC	143 – 113	212 – 177
SC	143 – 113	212 – 177
ST	143 – 113	212 – 177
UR/EWS – PwBD	143 – 127	212 – 194

The minimum qualifying mark for General category jumped from 144 in 2025 to 213 in 2026. That is a 69-mark increase.

Why such a big jump? The re-examination format, stronger student preparation, and overall higher performance across the board pushed scores up significantly. 19 students scored above 700, and 138 crossed 690 numbers that were much lower in previous years.

What this means practically: students who were relying on 2025 cut off data to estimate their chances may find themselves in a very different position this year. The competition for seats has intensified.

Also Read : NEET UG 2026 Result Out

Qualifying Cut Off vs Admission Cut Off - Know the Difference

This is the most common confusion every year and it costs students seats.

Qualifying cut off = minimum marks to be eligible for counselling. If you crossed the table above, you are in.

Admission cut off = the actual last rank at which a specific college allotted a seat in a specific round. This varies enormously from around 50 marks for some private colleges to 680+ for AIIMS Delhi.

You cannot predict your admission chances from the qualifying cut off alone. You need to track previous year college wise closing ranks which MCC releases after every counselling round.

The CLC Rank Predictor at clcsikar.com can help you estimate which colleges fall in your rank range based on your NEET 2026 score and category. Use it before you fill your counselling preferences not after.

What to Do Right Now If You Qualified

Do not sit on this. Counselling dates will be announced soon and the timeline moves fast.

Step 1 — Download your scorecard from neet.nta.nic.in. Save it and print it.

Step 2 — Note your AIR (All India Rank) and category rank from the scorecard.

Step 3 — Use the CLC Rank Predictor to map realistic college options for your score and category.

Step 4 — Register for MCC All India Quota counselling at mcc.nic.in as soon as registration opens. This covers 15% of all government MBBS seats plus AIIMS and JIPMER.

Step 5 — Register separately for Rajasthan State Quota counselling. State quota is 85% of government seats in Rajasthan this is where most students from our region get their MBBS seat.

Step 6 — Research college preferences carefully. Do not fill randomly. Previous year closing ranks are your guide.

What to Do If You Did Not Qualify

First check your score against the category table above. A lot of students assume they did not qualify without checking the actual category-wise cut off for their specific category.

If you genuinely did not cross the cut off  or you qualified but your score is far below what you needed for a government seat — here is the honest reality.

You have two choices. Accept a private college seat with high fees. Or take one more year, prepare properly and come back stronger for NEET 2027.

Most students who make a real attempt at a structured dropper year with the right coaching, the right test series and the right faculty improve their score by 80 to 120 marks. That jump is often the difference between a private seat and a government seat.

CLC Sikar's NEET 2027 dropper batch is open now. Students who join in July and August get the full preparation cycle from foundation revision all the way through mock test series. The ones who wait until October or November lose two to three months of that cycle.

NEET UG 2026 Important Dates

Event	Date
Re-NEET 2026 Result Declared	July 16, 2026
Final Answer Key Released	July 16, 2026
MCC AIQ Counselling Registration	To be announced
Rajasthan State Counselling	To be announced

Keep checking neet.nta.nic.in and mcc.nic.in daily for counselling schedule updates.

Talk to CLC Sikar — Counselling Guidance + Dropper Batch

Whether you need help understanding your counselling options or you are considering a dropper year for NEET 2027 — CLC Sikar's team is available to help.

Call 01572-255500 or visit www.clcsikar.com for rank predictor access, counselling guidance, and dropper batch details.

Your next step starts today. Do not wait.

CLC Sikar — NEET & JEE Coaching in Sikar, Rajasthan | Est. 1996 | NEET 2027 Dropper Batch Now Open

FAQs

Is the NEET UG 2026 result out?

Yes. The result was declared on July 16, 2026 at neet.nta.nic.in.

What is the NEET 2026 cut off for General category?

The qualifying cut off for General / EWS category is 213 marks (50th percentile).

Why is the 2026 cut off so much higher than 2025?

Overall student performance improved significantly in the re-examination. The minimum qualifying mark for General category rose from 144 in 2025 to 213 in 2026.

What is the difference between qualifying cut off and MBBS admission cut off?

The qualifying cut off is the minimum score to be eligible for counselling. The admission cut off is the actual closing rank at which each college filled its seats, that is announced after each counselling round.

When will NEET 2026 MBBS admission cut off be announced?

College wise admission cut offs are released by MCC after each round of counselling. Dates have not been announced yet, check mcc.nic.in for updates.