NEET UG 2026 Qualified Candidates: Category-Wise Breakdown & Past Year Trends
NEET UG 2026: NTA statistics for NEET UG (2024–2026) show a drop in overall qualifiers to 11.21 lakh in 2026 due to lower candidate attendance. The OBC-NCL category retained the highest qualifier count (5.12 lakh). Meanwhile, qualifying mark thresholds spiked significantly in 2026 reaching 213 for UR/EWS and 177 for reserved categories.
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NEET UG 2026: The statistics provided by the official NTA concerning the NEET UG qualifying trends in the years 2024, 2025, and 2026 have shown notable differences in the number of qualifiers and a consistent trend in all categories. There is a drastic fall in the number of qualified students from 13.16 lakhs in 2024 and 12.37 lakhs in 2025 to 11.21 lakhs in 2026, probably because of the lower number of candidates appearing rather than due to their abilities. In all the three years, the highest number of qualifiers was observed in OBC-NCL category, with 5.64 lakhs of candidates qualifying in 2024 and 2025, but with a slight fall to 5.12 lakhs in 2026.
In terms of the unreserved general category, there is a drastic decline in the number of qualifiers, from 3.38 lakhs in 2024 and 2025 to 2.91 lakhs in 2026. Moreover, qualifiers in SC dropped from 1.68 lakhs in 2024/2025 to 1.59 lakhs in 2026. However, the number of general EWS qualifiers has not seen much change, from 97,085 in 2025 to 95,026 in 2026, from 1.16 lakhs in 2024. Besides, qualifiers of STs have changed a little bit, from 67,234 in 2024/2025 to 63,716 in 2026.
NEET UG 2026: Category-wise Qualified Candidates Comparison
| Category | NEET UG 2024 | NEET UG 2025 | NEET UG 2026 |
| OBC-NCL | 5,64,611 | 5,64,611 | 5,12,014 |
| General (Unreserved) | 3,38,728 | 3,38,728 | 2,91,133 |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 1,68,873 | 1,68,873 | 1,59,296 |
| General-EWS | 1,16,533 | 97,085 | 95,026 |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 67,234 | 67,234 | 63,716 |
| PwBD (Persons with Disability) | 3,673 | 3,673 | 3,666 |
| Total Qualified | 13,16,268 | 12,36,531 | 11,21,185 |
NEET UG 2026 Qualifying Score: Category-Wise
"Qualifying" means nothing like a passing score at NEET. The NTA calculates the qualifying score in percentiles per category, after which the marks in the relevant range are announced for all evaluated answer sheets. As per 2026, the following will apply:
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General/EWS: 50th Percentile, between 213 & 715 Marks
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OBC: 40th Percentile, between 177 & 212 Marks
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SC: 40th Percentile, between 177 & 212 Marks
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ST: 40th Percentile, between 177 & 212 Marks
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General-PwBD: 45th Percentile, slightly lower than General
NEET UG Category-Wise Marks (2023–2025)
Below mentioned are the past trend of NEET UG Category-Wise Marks:
| Year | General / UR Cutoff (50th Percentile) | OBC / SC / ST Cutoff (40th Percentile) | Candidates Appeared | Candidates Qualified | Qualification Rate |
| 2023 | 137−720 | 107−136 | 20.38 Lakh | 11.46 Lakh | ~56.23% |
| 2024 | 162−720 | 127−161 | 23.33 Lakh | 13.16 Lakh | ~56.41% |
| 2025 | 144−686 | 113−143 | 22.09 Lakh | 12.36 Lakh | ~55.95% |
Top Colleges Accepting NEET Scores
Below Mentioned are the Top Colleges Accepting NEET Scores:
| Institute Name | Type | Location | Approx. MBBS Fees (Total) | Typical AIQ Closing Rank (General) |
| Government | New Delhi | ₹6,855 | Top 50 – 80 | |
| Government | New Delhi | ₹12,900 | Top 80 – 150 | |
| Government | New Delhi | ₹1.62 Lakh | Top 120 – 250 | |
| JIPMER | Government | Puducherry | ₹7,326 | Top 200 – 500 |
| Government | Lucknow, UP | ₹2.46 Lakh | Top 1,000 – 2,000 | |
| Central Univ. | Varanasi, UP | ₹1.49 Lakh | Top 800 – 1,200 | |
| Government | Chandigarh | ₹1.25 Lakh | Top 450 – 700 | |
| Private/Trust | Vellore, TN | ₹13,500 | Top 100 – 500 (Open Merit) | |
| Private | Manipal, Karnataka | ₹70 Lakh – ₹75 Lakh | Top 10,000 – 40,000 | |
| Private | Bengaluru, Karnataka | ₹30 Lakh | Top 6,000 – 15,000 |
Siddhi Sharma is an education journalist at Jagran Josh. A Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from IP University, she brings sharp newsroom instincts developed during her previous stint at Zee News. At Jagran Josh, Siddhi specializes in decoding the educational updates. Her coverage is highly exam-centric, ranging from curated news blogs for competitive exams to crucial school board and university news. Combining her strong media foundations with a research-driven approach, she creates reliable, high-utility content that helps students and aspirants stay ahead of the curve. Her writing is factual, engaging, and tailored to meet the fast-paced needs of modern learners and exam aspirants.
