Tamil Nadu NEET Toppers Push Score Curve Higher, MBBS Cut-Offs May Rise by 40 Marks

Tamil Nadu’s MBBS and BDS admission competition is expected to intensify in 2026, with government medical college cut-offs likely to rise by up to 40 marks for open-category candidates and 21–41 marks for some reserved categories. The state’s NEET 2026 topper scored 705/720, compared with 665 last year, while more than 6,000 students scored above 500 marks. Counselling begins on August 13. Experts, however, say higher scores do not necessarily mean tougher admissions, as seats will be allotted according to merit and Tamil Nadu’s 69% reservation policy. The open-category MBBS cut-off for government colleges could cross 570 marks, compared with 533 last year, while BC, BCM and MBC cut-offs are also expected to rise, reports TOI.

Tamil Nadu has 9,999 MBBS seats, with 7,157 entering the state counselling matrix after the All India Quota share. Around 850 new MBBS seats have been added, including 700 in private colleges, although four institutions with 800 seats have moved to the deemed-university category and will come under central counselling. BDS has 1,383 seats, including 213 in government dental colleges and 1,170 government-quota seats in self-financing colleges. Experts say BDS cut-offs remain difficult to predict as many students now prefer repeating NEET rather than choosing dentistry.