MBBS entrance: Here's the complete guide to NEET 2026

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is soon going to close the registration window for the NEET UG 2026, the national-level MBBS and BDS entrance examination.

The NEET 2026 exam is scheduled to be held on May 3, 2026 (Sunday) from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Online applications will be accepted till March 8, 2026, through the official website.

All the concerned candidates are advised to carefully review the eligibility criteria, exam pattern, and important guidelines as mentioned below before applying.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND DATES AT A GLANCE-

FEE PAYBALE FOR NEET (UG) 2026

TIMING AND PATTERN OF NEET (UG) 2026

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:

Candidates are strongly advised to read carefully all the instructions before applying for NEET (UG) 2026.

1. Download Information Bulletin and Replica of Application Form. Read these carefully to ensure your eligibility.

2. Carefully read the Information Bulletin and instructions/ procedures given therein and eligibility to appear in the test, before you start filling the Online Application Form. Candidates must strictly follow the instructions given in the Information Bulletin and on the NTA website. Candidates not complying with the instructions shall be summarily disqualified

3. You can apply for NEET (UG)-2026 ‘ON-LINE’ only through the official website of NEET (UG) (https://neet.nta.nic.in). Submission of the Online Application Form may be done by accessing the NTA website.

4. The entire application process for NEET (UG) - 2026 is online, including uploading of scanned images/documents, payment of fees, and generation of the Confirmation Page, Admit Card, etc. Therefore, candidates are not required to send/submit any document(s) including Confirmation Page to NTA through Post/ Fax/WhatsApp/Email/by Hand. The Application Form in any other mode will not be accepted.

5. It has been observed in the past, that during the process of filling of online application form, certain candidates registered using identity proof documents other than the Aadhaar Card, for which additional documents are required to be uploaded/submitted to ascertain their identity. Therefore, to avoid the need for submitting additional documents, candidates may consider using their own Aadhaar Card as the mode of Identity verification while completing the online application form.

6. Candidates must ensure that mobile numbers and e-mail ID filled in the online Application Form are their own and/or of their Parents/Guardian only, as NTA will communicate through SMS or e-mail on the given mobile number and e-mail ID only.

7. Application once submitted cannot be withdrawn. Incomplete applications and applications not in accordance with instructions are liable to be rejected without any further intimation.

8. Candidates shall ensure that the information entered by them in their online Application Form is correct. Request for change in any particulars in the online Application shall not be entertained under any circumstances.

9. Those Candidates who have passed should fill Code 02 to 07 against the column provided for, in case of Qualifying Examination. Candidates are advised to refer to Chapter 6 for eligibility and qualification for appearing in NEET (UG) 2026.

10. Candidates appearing in Class 12 in 2026 should select Qualifying Code as 01.

11. The Application Form other than the one filled in online mode will not be accepted. The Candidates are not required to send the Confirmation Page of the Online Application Form or any other document to the NTA. However, the candidates are advised to preserve sufficient number of hard copies of the Confirmation Page along with the proof of fee paid for future reference.

12. The Candidate should fill in complete correspondence and permanent address with the pin code, e-mail address, and mobile number (own or Parents/Guardian only) for future correspondence.

13. All candidates must ensure that they have provided the correct e-mail address and mobile number. When Candidates register, they have to enter the OTP received on their registered Mobile Number, and before submitting the fees, they have to enter the OTP received on their registered e-mail address.

14. Candidates must ensure that their email address and mobile number which they are going to register in their online Application Form are their own and/or Parents/Guardians only, as relevant/important information/ communication will be sent by NTA through e-mail on the registered mail address and/or through SMS on the registered mobile number only. NTA will NOT be responsible for any incorrect credentials and for any non-communication/miscommunication with a candidate due to error in the email address or mobile number given by him/her or if the details provided by him/her are other than his/her own. Candidates are advised to visit the NTA Website and check their e-mails regularly for the latest updates.

15. It is mandatory to provide the Mobile Number and e-mail of the Parent or Guardian during the submission of the online Application Form of NEET (UG) – 2026 as a copy of the Confirmation Page, Scanned OMR, and Score Card of NEET (UG) - 2026 will be sent to the registered e-mail address of the Candidates as well as on Parents/Guardians e-mail address as provided in the Application Form.

16. Information provided by the candidates in their respective online Application Form, like contact details, personal details, address, disability details, identity details, register APAAR ID, examination cities, qualification details, additional details, emergency contact details, capture live photograph will be treated as final and non-editable post payment of application fees and generation of confirmation page. Any request for change in these particulars will not be considered by NTA under any circumstances except in the permissible fields during stipulated correction window period.

17. Fee can be submitted only online through Net Banking, Credit Card, Debit Card, or UPI Services. Processing charges and GST as applicable are chargeable from the candidate (in addition to the examination fee) by the concerned Bank /Payment Gateway Integrator.

18. The Confirmation Page of the online Application Form will be generated only after the successful payment of the fee by the Candidate.

19. NTA does not edit/modify/alter any information entered by the candidates after completion of the application process under any circumstances. Any request for change in information thereafter will not be entertained. Therefore, candidates are advised to exercise utmost caution before filling up the correct details in the Application Form.

20. NTA disclaims any liability that may arise to a candidate(s) due to incorrect information provided by him/her in his/her online Application Form.

21. Candidates shall appear at their own cost at the examination centre on the date and time indicated on their Admit Cards issued by the NTA in due course through its website.

22. NTA reserves the right to withdraw permission, granted inadvertently if any, to a candidate who is not eligible to appear in the NEET (UG) - 2026 even though the Admit Card has been issued by the NTA.

23. Candidate should not give the postal address, contact number/mobile number, and e-mail ID of Coaching Centres in their Online Application Form.

24. All Candidates shall ensure that the information (like his/her name, mother’s name, father’s name, gender, date of birth, category, PwBD/PwD status, mobile number, e-mail address, photographs, Left and Right Hand Fingers and Thumb impression, and signature, choice of cities for exam Centre, etc.) provided by them in their online Application Form is correct and their own.

25. Candidate’s eligibility for NEET (UG) - 2026 is purely provisional and is subject to fulfillment of eligibility criteria prescribed by the NMC / DCI / NCISM /NCH / Ministry of Health & Family Welfare / Ministry of AYUSH, as the case may be.

26. NTA is facilitating all candidates with an additional platform of DigiLocker to download their documents like Confirmation Page, Admit Card, Score Cards, etc. Instruction will be provided in subsequent phases. Candidates are advised to visit the NTA Website and check their e-mails regularly for the latest updates.

27. Any request to change the Question Paper Medium, Examination Centre, Date, and Time provided on the Admit Card shall not be considered under any circumstances.

28. Candidates are advised to take 6-8 Passport size coloured photographs with white background. The photographs are to be used for uploading on Online Application Form, for examination, and also for Counselling/Admission processes. This is to ensure that the same photograph is used for all documents and all purposes related to NEET (UG) - 2026.

29. Candidates are strongly advised and requested to retain sufficient number of hard copies of each of the Confirmation Page, Admit Card, and Score Card of the NEET (UG) – 2026 as the same will be available only for a stipulated time period as per Weeding Out Policy (Please refer weeding out policy).

30. All Candidates appearing in NEET (UG) – 2026 must regularly check updates on the website of NTA and other concerned counselling authorities of participating States/Universities/Institutions, till the conclusion of the final round of Counselling.

31. In case of any ambiguity in the interpretation of any of the instructions/ terms/ rules/ regulations/ criteria regarding the determination of eligibility/ information contained therein, the interpretation of the MoE/NMC/ DCI/ NCISM/ NCH / Ministry of Health & Family Welfare / Ministry of AYUSH, as the case may be, shall be final and binding.

32. In case of any ambiguity in the interpretation of any of the norms /terms /rules/instructions regarding registration of candidates, allocation of Exam Centre, issuance of Admit Card, conduct of exam and publication of Result and All India Rank (AIR), the interpretation /determination of NTA shall be final and binding.

33. The information about the State/UT from where 12th/equivalent passed/appearing as per candidate’s information, is purely provisional for appearing in the NEET UG 2026 examination and does not guarantee admission in that State. The allocation of seats will be governed by the Guidelines issued by National Medical Commission (NMC) with respect to admission in the MBBS course for the post examination and counselling process.

34. Candidates are NOT allowed to carry Instruments, Geometry or Pencil box, Handbag, Purse, any kind of Paper/ Stationery/ Textual material (printed or written material), Eatables and Water (loose or packed), Mobile Phone/ Earphone/ Microphone/ Pager, Calculator, DocuPen, Slide Rules, Log Tables, Camera, Tape Recorder, Electronic Watches with facilities of calculator, any metallic item or electronic gadgets/ devices in the Examination Hall/Room.

35. The candidates will be subjected to extensive and compulsory frisking before entering the Examination Centre with the help of highly sensitive metal detectors. They may also undergo various other identity verification checks, such as Biometric Authentication, Face Authentication, videography etc.

36. Merely appearing and qualifying in NEET (UG) - 2026 does not confer any right to the candidate for admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses. The selection and admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses seats in any Medical Institution recognized for offering Undergraduate Medical Courses is subject to fulfilling the admission criteria, eligibility, rank in the merit list, medical fitness, and such other criteria as may be prescribed by the Government of India, respective States, Universities, Institutions and Medical/ Dental/ Ayurveda/ Siddha/ Unani/ Homoeopathy Colleges.

37. The candidates are required to fill in the Online Application Form with correct and complete information carefully. If any incomplete or false information is given, then the candidate will be solely responsible for the same and on the basis of false and incomplete information, the Application Form shall be rejected at any stage of the selection without giving any reasons/notice. On furnishing any false certificates or indicating wrong category/sub-category regarding caste in the application form or in case of any other default, NTA/respective authorities/ counselling and/or admitting institutes may reject the candidature at any stage of the selection and may take all necessary action.

38. Information uploaded on the website shall not be provided to the candidate or any other person under R.T.I. Act, 2005. The information uploaded on the website shall remain for a specific period only. Therefore, the candidates are advised to download the uploaded information and keep up with them for future. In due course of examination or in midway of process, neither any application under Right to Information Act, 2005 shall be entertained nor information shall be provided. Factual Information under R.T.I., Act shall be provided only after declaration of final result. Inferential questions or speculative questions shall not be answered in RTI.

39. The Result of the Candidates who indulge in Unfair Means (UFM) Practices shall not be declared (and may be cancelled) and action/criminal proceedings as deemed fit may also be initiated.

Instructions for submission of Application Form/ Payment of FEE

1. Readiness for Filling Up Application Form

i. Candidate can apply for the NEET (UG) – 2026 by logging on to https://neet.nta.nic.in/.

ii. Before submitting application form, make the following preparations:

a) The information to be filled in the Online Application Form such as name of Father/Mother and Candidate with correct spellings / Aadhaar Card/Passport number/ PAN Card number/ Date of Birth certificate/ Class X, XII Marks Sheet/Certificate/ Address proof/Mobile Number, email id, etc. may be kept ready. Candidates are advised to check the “Replica of Application Form” as given in (Appendix-IX), before the actual filling of the Application.

b) The candidates need to provide any one of the following identity details given below:

c) To avoid the need for submitting additional documents, candidates may consider using their own Aadhaar Card as the mode of Identity verification while filling the online application form.

2. APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Please follow the following Instructions carefully before filling the Online Application Form:

i) Be extremely careful in filling in the Application Form. You can edit/modify any information before submitting each Section. Check again before pressing the ‘SUBMIT’ button.

ii) Read instructions carefully about photographs, signature, Left and Right hands Fingers and Thumb impressions, and all certificates before uploading.

iii) Mobile Number and ‘Email ID’ need to be verified through OTP. Please understand that this is a very important step.

iv) Choose Question Paper ‘Medium’ carefully as it cannot be changed at a later stage. THREE SIMPLE STEPS TO BE FOLLOWED TO APPLY ONLINE:

Candidates must carefully read the Instructions (including how to fill up Application Form online) given in the Information Bulletin available on the NTA Website. Candidate not complying with the Instructions shall be summarily disqualified.

STEP 1: Register for Online Application Form and note down system generated Application Number.

The candidate should supply the required details while filling the Online Application Form and is also required to create PASSWORD and choose Security Question and enter his/her Answer. After successful submission of the personal details, Application number will be generated and it will be used to complete the remaining Steps of the Application Form and will also be required for all future reference/ correspondence. It is therefore important to note down the Application Number.

For subsequent logins, candidate will be able to login directly with the respective system generated Application Number and created Password.

STEP 2: Complete the Application Form:

a. Candidate can login with the system generated Application Number and pre-created Password for completing the Application Form including filling up of personal details choosing the Question Paper medium and Examination Cities, providing the details of Educational Qualifications, and uploading the images and documents.

b. The candidate will have to upload his/her live photograph at the time of filling of the application form and will also have to upload his/her Scanned Images of recent Passport size Photograph (taken after 01 January 2026), Signature, Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impression, Citizenship Certificate (if applicable), Social Category Certificate/Applied for Application, Class X Marksheet and Class X Passing Certificate or equivalency certificate(s) for conversion of CGPA/Grades, in percentage as also duly indicating DOB and PwBD/PwD Certificate (wherever applicable). All uploaded images should be in PDF/JPG/JPEG format (clearly legible).

c. Category: Candidates must select appropriate category in the application form, namely General/General-EWS/SC/ST/OBC-NCL. The OBC-NCL category should only be selected by candidates belonging to the Central List of OBCs available on the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website. Candidates of reserved categories who do not fall under any of the above-mentioned reserved categories, for the purpose of filling up NEET(UG) 2026 application form, may apply under the General category. Caste Certificate uploaded in the Online Application Form of NEET (UG) – 2026, necessary document (s) related to Caste / Community will be verified at the time of Counselling by concerned Central/State Counselling Authority.

• Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL)- Non-Creamy Layer as per the Central List of Other Backward Classes available on National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), Government of India website. Thus, the candidates falling in this list may mention OBC-NCL in the Category Column.

• Economically Weaker Section (EWS) - As per the OM No. 20013/01/2018-BC-II dated January 17, 2019, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the OM No. 12-4/2019-U1 dated 17.01.2019 as well as the Letters No 35- 2/2019-T.S.I dated 21.01.2019, 01.02.2019, 04.02.2019, and 15.02.2019 of the MHRD Department of Higher Education (now known as Ministry of Education) regarding the implementation of reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) for admission in Central Educational Institutions.

• Nationality: Indian Nationals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) & Foreign Nationals are eligible to appear in NEET (UG) - 2026.

• Choice of Examination Cities: The candidate should select any three cities of their choice for examination of NEET (UG) - 2026 given in Appendix-V. Allotment of Centre is made by computer and there is no human intervention.

• Medium of Question Paper:

i. Candidates opting for English would be provided Test Booklet in English only.

ii. Candidates opting for Hindi/Regional Language would be provided Bilingual Test Booklet i.e. English + Hindi/Regional Language. In case of any ambiguity in the translation of any of the questions, its English version shall be treated as final.

• Academic Details (Class 10 and 12): The candidate has to fill in the complete academic details of the 10 and 12/Qualifying Examination, wherever required. Candidates who are already passed should fill Code [02 to 07] against the column provided for Qualifying Examination. Candidates appearing in Class 12 in 2026 should select a qualifying code as 01.

d. Upload Scanned Images (Clearly legible) of Candidate’s Photograph, Signature, Left and Right Hands Fingers and Thumb impressions and Documents (as applicable) as per following specifications:

i. The recent passport size photograph should be either in colour or black & white with 80% face (without mask) visible including ears against white background. 80% area of the image should be candidate’s face. Photograph should be in JPG/JPEG format (clearly legible) between 10 kb to 200 kb.

ii. Signature file should be in JPG/JPEG format between 10 kb to 100 kb

iii. Left and Right Hands Fingers and Thumb impressions in JPG/JPEG format between 10 kb to 200 kb

iv. Scanned copy of Category Certificate (if applicable) should be in pdf format between 50 kb to 300 kb.

v. Scanned copy of Class- X or Equivalent Certificate should be in pdf format between 50 kb to 300 kb.

vi. Scanned copy of Class-X or Equivalent Marks-sheet should be in pdf format between 50 kb to 300 kb

vii. If Class -X or Equivalent Marks are in CGPA, then scanned copy of Conversion / Equivalent Certificate should be in pdf format between 50 kb to 300 kb.

viii. Scanned copy of Identity Proof (for those candidates who will verify their identities through methods other than Aadhaar or DigiLocker) should be in format JPG/JPEG between 10 kb to 200 kb.

ix. Scanned copy of PwD/PwBD/UDID certificate (if applicable) should be in pdf format between 50 kb to 300 kb.

x. Scanned copy of Address Proof (Present and Permanent) should be in pdf format between 50 kb to 300 kb.

xi. Scanned copy of NRI / OCI/ Foreigner Certificate/ Documentary Proof (for candidates with nationality other than Indian) should be in pdf format between 50 kb to 300 kb.

xii. The size of the scanned signature of scribe should be between 10 kb to 100 kb (clearly legible), wherever applicable,

xiii. The size of the scanned qualification certificate of scribe should be between 50 kb to 300 kb (clearly legible), wherever applicable,

xiv. The size of the scanned undertaking for using your own scribe should be between 50 kb to 300 kb (clearly legible), wherever applicable.

xv. The size of the scanned Identity Proof should be between 50 kb to 300 kb (clearly legible).

xvi. The size of the scanned Certificate of Physical limitation to write, wherever applicable should be between 50 kb to 300 kb (clearly legible).

[Note: Upload the correct photograph, signature, Left and Right Hands Fingers and Thumb impressions as the facility for correction will not be given].

xvii. The candidate will have to upload his/her live photograph at the time of filling of the application form. For capturing Live Photograph, candidates should switch on their camera or connect their webcam to the device used for filling the Application Form. If your device does not support a webcam, QR code on the right side of the Application Form can be scanned by the candidate using a mobile device/tablet etc. Candidates should ensure there is a light-colored background with proper lighting, and 80% face visibility (including ears, without a mask).

xviii. The Live Photograph will be matched with the photograph as per Aadhaar database. In some cases, if the live photographs captured by the candidates during the application process does not match with the photographs as per records available with UIDAI, and/or the candidates who are using mode of identity verification other than Aadhaar, such candidates are required to verify their identity by uploading a signed and attested certificate, along with a recent photograph duly certified by their School/College Principal or Headmaster/obtain attestation from a Class-I Gazetted Officer, such as Tehsildar, Revenue Officer, SDM, DM / Class-I Gazetted Officer of the Indian Embassy (for NRI candidates) as per Annexure-VI.

Candidate’s Photograph: to be uploaded in JPG/JPEG format

Note: Same Passport size is to be used for uploading with Online Application Form and for pasting on Attendance Sheet at the Examination Centre / Counselling / Admission. Candidates are reminded to keep 6 to 8 passport size and 4 to 6 Post Card size (4”X6”) colour photographs with white background.

• Spectacles are allowed only if being used regularly.

• Polaroid and Computer-generated photos are not acceptable.

• Applications not complying with these instructions or with unclear photographs are liable to be rejected.

• Application without photographs shall be rejected.

• The photographs need not be attested. Candidates are advised to keep 6 to 8 passport size and 4 to 6 Post Card size (4”X6”) colour photographs with white backgrounds.

• Candidates may note that if the photographs uploaded are found to be fabricated i.e. de-shaped or seem to be hand-made or computer made, the application of the candidate will be rejected and the same would be considered as using Unfair Means and the candidate would be dealt with accordingly.

• In case someone else’s photographs have been uploaded, the candidature shall be cancelled and the case will be considered as an Unfair Means Case. Criminal action as per laws of the land shall also be initiated.

Candidate’s Signature: to be uploaded in JPG/ JPEG format

Candidate’s Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impressions: to be uploaded in JPG / JPEG format

• The candidate should put Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impressions.

• File size must be between 50 kb to 300 kb.

Further, unclear Left and Right hand fingers and thumb Impressions in Online Application Forms will also be rejected.

STEP 3 : Fee Payment

The candidate has to select Debit card/Credit card/UPI/Net Banking option to pay the application fee and follow the online instruction to complete the payment of fee. Processing charges and GST as applicable are chargeable to the candidate (in addition to the examination fee) by the concerned Bank/Payment Gateway Integrator.

After successful payment, candidate will be able to print the Confirmation Page of the online Application Form. In case the Confirmation Page is not generated after payment of fee then the transaction is cancelled and the candidate has to approach the concerned Bank/Payment Gateway (in the helpline number and e-mail given in the Information Bulletin) for refund of amount. However, the candidate has to make another payment/transaction, in case the Confirmation Page is not generated. Such cases of multiple payments (if any) will be reconciled by the NTA after the declaration of final result and will be refunded to the concerned candidates.

The examination fee once deposited will not be refunded. The fee will not be carried forward to a future examination.

• Candidates must note that mere deduction of fee from the bank account is not proof of fee payment. The payment should be supported by an updated fee payment and generation of the Confirmation Page. The generation of the Confirmation page is proof of successful submission of the Application Form. If Confirmation Page has not been generated, this means that Application Form has not been submitted successfully.

• Online Transaction Password (OTP) generated on the NEET (UG) - 2026 website while registering/submitting the form will be valid for 10 minutes only. After the lapse of this period, candidates need to click on the link “RESEND OTP” to generate a new OTP.

The final submission of the Online Application Form will remain incomplete if Step 3 or Payment Process is not complete. Such forms will stand rejected and no correspondence on this account will be entertained.

Download, save and print sufficient number of hard copies of the Confirmation Page of the Application Form (which would be downloadable only after successful remittance of fee) for future references.

All 3 Steps can be done together or at separate timings. The submission of the application of a candidate will be considered successful and his/her candidature would be confirmed only on the successful transaction/receipt of the prescribed application fee.

Once finally submitted, particulars in certain specific fields may be changed only during the stipulated correction window period. After that, no communication in this regard would be entertained.

3. CHECK LIST FOR FILLING THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM-

(i) Whether they fulfill the prescribed eligibility conditions for the Test

(ii) That they have selected their gender viz. Male/Female/Third Gender correctly.

(iii) That they have selected their category viz General/General-EWS/OBC-NCL (Non- Creamy Layer)/SC/ST correctly.

(iv) That the Person with Benchmark Disability candidate has filled the relevant column in the Online Application Form correctly. Only PwBD candidates with Benchmark disabilities have to fill this column and the others have to leave it blank.

(v) Whether they have kept a Printout of Application Form (Confirmation Page) for their own record.

NOTE:

a) For PwD/PwBD candidates, the details of the UDID Card as uploaded will be verified from UDID portal of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DePwD). Those who do not have UDID Card should upload Disability Certificate in the proper format and the same may be verified by NTA with the issuing authority.

b) For PwD/PwBD candidates, if they use the service of scribe, the Aadhaar details of the scribe may be provided in the Application Form to avoid submission of additional documents at a later stage.

c) The Candidate has to upload only his/her own latest (taken on/after 01 January 2026) photograph, signature, Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impression, and certificate(s) as mentioned above (and not of anybody else) in a correct/proper manner, as the facility for correction will not be given in future. In case, it is found at any time in the future that the Candidate has used/uploaded the photograph, Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impression, signature, and certificate(s) of someone else in his/her Application Form/Admit Card, or he/she has tampered his/her Admit Card/Result/Scorecard, these acts of the candidate shall be treated under Unfair Means (UFM) Practices and action(s) will be taken as detailed under the provisions of the Information Bulletin relating to Unfair Means Practices.

d) To streamline the process for NEET (UG)-2026, all eligible aspirants have been advised to ensure that the following documents are updated well in advance before applying for NEET (UG)-2026 in order to avoid any discrepancies, grievances or rejection at a later stage:

i. Aadhaar Card- All the candidates appearing for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2026 are advised to ensure that their Aadhaar Card is accurate, valid and duly updated in all respects. The Aadhaar details must correctly reflect the following information of the Candidate:

a) Name, b) Date of Birth, c) Gender, d) Photograph, e) Address, f) Biometric Information (wherever applicable)

Candidates requiring any correction or update in their Aadhaar details may do so by following the UIDAI guidelines. For Aadhaar update related services, candidates may visit the official UIDAI website: https://uidai.gov.in/ or https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in.

ii. UDID Card (for Persons with Disabilities)- Candidates have been advised that UDID Card is valid, updated and renewed, as required.

iii. Permanent UDID is to be produced at the time of counselling for medical/physical assessment at designated centres for claiming the category.

iv. Category Certificate- Candidates have been advised that Category certificate (EWS/SC/ST/OBC-NCL) is updated and valid.

EXAMINATION SCHEME-

1. SYLLABUS OF THE TEST

NMC (National Medical Commission) has notified the syllabus of NEET (UG) - 2026. The detailed syllabus (Appendix-III) is available on the official Website(s) of NTA and NMC.

2. PATTERN OF THE TEST

The Test pattern of NEET (UG) - 2026 comprises Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany & Zoology). The question paper will consist of 180 compulsory questions which must be attempted by the candidates in 180 minutes.

(As per Letter CDN-20011/289/2024-Cordination-NMC dated 05.12.2025)

The pattern for the NEET (UG) - 2026 is as under :

3. IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE:

To answer a question, the candidate needs to choose one option corresponding to the correct answer or the most appropriate answer. Marking will be done as per following criteria :

(i) Correct answer or the most appropriate answer: Four marks (+4)

(ii) Any incorrect option marked will be given minus one mark (-1).

(iii) Unanswered: No mark (0).

While every effort will be made to ensure that each question has one unique answer, in case, it is found that a question has more than one option, it will be dealt in following manner:

(i) If more than one option is found to be correct then Four marks (+4) will be awarded to only those who have marked any of the correct options.

(ii) If all options are found to be correct then Four marks (+4) will be awarded to all those who have attempted the question.

(iii) If none of the options is found correct or a Question is found to be wrong or a Question is dropped then all candidates who have appeared will be given four marks (+4) irrespective of the fact whether the question has been attempted or not attempted by the candidate.

4. MODE OF EXAMINATION

NEET (UG) - 2026 will be a single day/ single shift exam in PEN and PAPER mode as was conducted in 2025. (As per Letter CDN-20011/289/2024-Cordination-NMC dated 05.12.2025)

5. DURATION OF TEST

The duration of the test would be three (03) hours. Compensatory time of one hour for examination of three hours (03:00 hrs) duration for PwD/PwBD candidate (having a physical limitation to write) will be given whether such candidate uses the facility of Scribe or not.

6. MEDIUM OF THE QUESTION PAPERS

i. NEET (UG) -2026 is being conducted in English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu mediums.

Candidates can opt for a Question Paper in any one of the following 13 mediums:

ii. Option of medium of Question Paper should be carefully chosen while filling in the Application Form. The option once chosen cannot be changed.

iii. Candidates opting for English would be provided Test Booklet in English medium only.

iv. Candidates opting for Hindi would be provided with a Bilingual Test Booklet in English and Hindi medium.

v. Candidates opting for Regional Languages would be provided Test Booklet in English + selected Regional Language medium. (For Example: If a candidate opted Tamil (out of 13 languages), the Test Booklet would be provided in English

+ Tamil).

vi. In case of any ambiguity in the translation of a question in the test, its English version shall be treated as final and the decision of NTA shall be final in this regard.

vii. For the correctness of the questions in all the question papers, the English version will be taken as final.

viii. Candidates qualifying for NEET (UG) – 2026 would be eligible for All India Quota and other quotas under the State Governments/Institutes, irrespective of the medium of the examination, subject to other eligibility criteria.

ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MBBS AND BDS COURSE-

1. ELIGIBILITY TO APPEAR IN NEET (UG) – 2026

Eligibility for appearing in NEET (UG), as per related Regulations of NMC and DCI are as follows: -

As per the Graduate Medical Education Regulation-2023 (Amendment) dated 16.06.2023, following amendment with respect to minimum age has been notified in GMER-2023, which mandates that:

i) He/She has completed the age of 17 years as on or before 31st December of the year that the candidate shall be appearing for NEET-UG examination.

ii) Accordingly, the lower age limit shall be as under:

iii) Upper age limit: (As per Letter No. U-11022/2/2022-UGMEB, dated 09 March 2022 received from National Medical Commission (NMC), Under Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) regarding the upper age limit) there is no upper age limit.

(As per Letter No. U-14023/19/NEET(UG Exam)/UGMEB dated 13.01.2026)

iv) Indian Citizens/ Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) intending to pursue Undergraduate Medical Courses in a foreign Medical/ Dental Institute also need to qualify for NEET (UG).

2. CRITERIA FOR NRI / OCI / FOREIGN NATIONALS

i) Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), and Foreign Nationals are eligible for admission in Medical /Dental Colleges subject to rules and regulations framed by the respective State Governments, Institutions, and the Government of India, as the case may be. The NRI and OCI Applicants/Candidates have to upload a Certificate from the concerned Indian Diplomatic Mission in the country of their residence in support of their claim as an NRI/OCI Candidate, along with their online Application Form for NEET (UG) - 2026 and retain the original of such document for producing it at the time of Counselling / Admission to the Courses covered under NEET (UG). Similarly, a foreign applicant for NEET (UG) 2026 shall also upload Documentary Proof (e.g. relevant pages of a valid passport or a Certificate from the Competent Authority in the country of his/her Nationality regarding his/her citizenship status) in support of his/her Nationality, along with online Application Form. The format of Embassy Certificate and Citizenship Certificate or any Documentary proof of Citizenship are given in Appendix – VI and Appendix – VII. Foreign nationals may confirm their eligibility from the competent state authorities and counselling authorities, as the case may be.

ii) Eligibility of OCI cardholders for NEET (UG):

a) Indian Nationals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizen of India (OCI), Persons with Indian Origin and Foreign Nationals are eligible for admission in Medical/Dental/Ayurveda/Siddha/Unani/ Homoeopathy Colleges subject to the rules and regulations framed by respective State Governments, Institutions and The Government of India, as the case may be.

b) In compliance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court Order dated 03.02.2023 in WP No. 891 of 2021, OCI will be entitled to the rights and privileges which had been conferred on them earlier to the notification dated 04.03.2021.

COUNSELLING AND RESERVATION FOR ADMISSION TO MBBS, BAMS, BUMS, BSMS, BHMS, BDS AND B.SC. NURSING COURSES-

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

Admissions to all seats of Undergraduate Medical / Dental Courses will be done through NEET (UG) - 2026.

A. The following are the seats available under different quotas:

• All India Quota Seats

• State Government Quota Seats

• Seats available for admission in Central Institutions/Universities/Deemed Universities

• State/Self-financed merit list/NRI Quota Seats in Private Medical / Dental Colleges or any Private University

• Central Pool Quota Seats

• All seats including NRI Quota as well as “self-financed merit list”, are in private unaided/aided minority / non-minority medical colleges.

• Seats available for admission in AIIMS Institutes across India/JIPMER.

• The Counselling for successful candidates for Seats under 15% All India Quota and 100% including 85% State quota seats of Central Institutions (ABVIMS & RML Hospital/VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital/ESIC)/ Central Universities (including DU/ BHU /AMU)/ AIIMS/ JIPMER and Deemed Universities, will be conducted by the MCC/DGHS for Undergraduate Medical / Dental Courses. MCC only does the registration for AFMC and forwards the data of registered Candidates to AFMC Authorities for the admission process. DU/BHU and other Universities may use the score for any other relevant courses being offered by them.

B. The counselling for admission to the seats under the control of State Governments/ UT Administrations / State Universities/ Institutions shall be conducted by the designated authorities of the State Governments as per the notifications issued separately by the authorities concerned.

C. The Result of NEET (UG) - 2026 may be utilized by other Entities of Central and State Governments, in accordance with their respective eligibility criteria / other norms /applicable regulations/guidelines/rules. The result data will also be utilized for B.Sc. (H) Nursing courses in accordance with their respective eligibility criteria / other norms /applicable regulations/guidelines/ rules. The NEET (UG) - 2026 data will also be used for admissions to BVSc & AH courses under the 15% quota of VCI in recognized Veterinary Colleges. However, the Council has to approach the MCC of DGHS, MoHFW in order to obtain the said data of results.

D. During counselling, the eligibility criteria, self-declarations, all the uploaded documents, etc. of the eligible candidates shall be verified as per norms specified by the respective authorities and/or Medical / Dental Colleges.

E. AACCC (All-India Ayush Central Counselling Committee) shall be the counselling authority for AIQ with respect to BAMS, BUMS and BSMS courses under NCISM. AACCC shall also be the Counselling Authority for AIQ with respect to BHMS under NCH.

F. An All India Merit List of the qualified candidates shall be prepared based on All India Rank in the Merit List of the NEET (UG) - 2026 and candidates shall be admitted to Undergraduate Medical Courses from the said list only, with existing reservation policy. NTA will only provide All India Rank to candidates while counselling authorities will invite applications for Counselling and a merit list shall be drawn based on All India Rank by the counselling authorities. Admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses within the respective categories shall be based solely on All India Rank as per merit list of NEET (UG) - 2026.

Admission in State Medical Colleges / Universities / Institutions / private medical colleges for seats other than 15% All India Quota by respective State/UT counselling authorities:

i. Admission under State Quota Seats shall be subject to reservation policy and eligibility criteria prevailing in the State/Union Territory as notified by the respective State/Union Territory from time to time.

ii. The reservation of the seats in medical colleges for respective categories shall be as per applicable laws prevailing in the State/Union Territory concerned.

iii. Admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses in Private Medical Colleges shall be subject to policies of the Government of India/State/Union Territory.

Admission to 15% All India Quota/ AIIMS / JIPMER / Central Universities (DU/BHU/AMU) / AFMC / GGSIPU / ESIC Medical Colleges / Deemed Universities by MCC of DGHS :

i. Counselling for admission to MBBS / BDS, etc. Courses in AIIMS / JIPMER / Central Universities [(including Medical Colleges under DU and Central Medical/Dental Colleges under Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), BHU Medical College, AMU Medical College], ESIC Medical Colleges, PGIMER and Deemed Universities will be conducted by DGHS and reservation policy will be as per rules/regulations applicable to such Universities / Institutions. Candidates aspiring for admission to MBBS / BDS Courses in such Universities/ Institutions based upon their All India Rank (AIR) in NEET (UG) - 2026, shall have to register on the MCC website after the declaration of NEET (UG) - 2026 Result. The Candidate will have to register on the MCC Website. The list of registered candidates will be forwarded to AFMC authorities for conducting counselling at their end.

ii. Admission to AFMC, Pune shall be subject to the norms prescribed by the Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Candidates seeking info with respect to admission into AFMC, Pune may visit the official website of the Armed Forces Medical Services i.e., www.afmcdg1d.gov.in.The shortlisted candidates will be required to appear for a second-stage Screening Test conducted by AFMC. Candidates are advised to contact AFMC for further and exact details. MCC of DGHS will do only the registration part of the counselling. Further, allotment process will be done by AFMC authorities.

iii. Admission to Medical Colleges under Central Universities (DU / BHU /AMU) /ESIC Medical Colleges /AFMC, shall be as per the provisions of the Statutory Regulations of NMC/ DCI, Deemed Universities relevant judgments of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, and the procedure prescribed by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

iv. Further, the common counselling for admission to MBBS /BDS Courses in the concerned INIs shall be conducted by the DGHS as per the time schedule specified in the relevant Graduate Medical Education Regulation (1997) and Graduate Medical Education Regulation (2023) as amended from time to time.

v. For all institutions, wherein Counselling is conducted by MCC under the DGHS, the candidates may refer to the Counselling scheme uploaded on the MCC website, so as to determine their eligibility to appear in Counselling for subsequent rounds, including in respect of ineligibility on account of allotment of seats in the previous rounds of Counselling in terms of Regulation 5A(4) of the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 which provides for preventing seat blocking in common Counselling for admission to MBBS course.

vi. For all institutions, wherein Counselling is conducted by the State/Union Govt. or its designated authority, the candidates may refer to the Counselling Notifications issued by the State/Union Govt. or its designated authority, so as to determine their eligibility to appear in Counselling for subsequent rounds, including in respect of ineligibility on account of allotment of seats in the previous rounds of Counselling in terms of Regulation 5A(4) of the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 which provides for preventing seat blocking in common Counselling for admission to MBBS.

vii. MCC is only counselling executing body, hence, it cannot change/ edit /modify/alter any information (name, DoB, category, caste, contact details etc.) entered by the candidates at the time of online submission of application/registration form for Counselling under any circumstances. The data entered by the candidate at the time of registration on NTA portal will be shared with MCC as prepopulated and will be used for counselling purposes.

RESERVATION POLICY FOR ADMISSION TO MBBS/BDS/B.SC. NURSING CONDUCTED BY MCC/DGHS

1) Indian nationals belonging to certain categories are admitted under the seats reserved for them in accordance with the rules prescribed by the Government of India. The categories and the extent of reservation are as follows:

• General category belonging to Economically Weaker Section (GEN- EWS) – 10% of seats in every course. The benefit of reservation will be given only to those General category candidates who satisfy the conditions given in the OM No. 20013/01/2018- BCII dated 17 January 2019, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The criteria for GEN-EWS will be as per the prevailing norms and/or notifications of the Government of India.

• Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer (OBC- NCL) – 27% of seats in every course.

i. OBC-NCL should be listed in the current updated central list of OBC-NCL (http://www.ncbc.nic.in).

ii. OBC-NCL present in the State list but not covered in the central list of OBC- NCL (as per the list in http://www.ncbc.nic.in) are NOT eligible to claim the reservation.

iii. The criteria for OBC-NCL will be as per the notification of the Government of India.

iv. Candidates belonging to the creamy layer of OBC are NOT entitled to reservation. Such candidates are treated as belonging to the general (GEN), i.e. unreserved category, and they will be eligible only for the GEN seats – the seats for which all candidates are eligible.

• Scheduled Caste (SC) – 15% of seats in every course.

• Scheduled Tribe (ST) – 7.5% of seats in every course.

• Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) – 5% seats in each of GEN, GEN- EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST category seats (Horizontal reservation).

i. Candidates who want to avail the benefits of PwBD reservation in admission to Undergraduate Courses will be governed as per NMC guidelines (Appendix-VI) and subsequent amendments from time to time.

Reservation in State Quota Seats/Universities/Institutions /Private Medical Colleges under State Governments: In case of seats filled by the State Medical Colleges/Universities/Institutions /Private Medical Colleges under State Quota Seats, the reservation policy of the concerned State Government shall apply.

ii. For Candidates claiming the GEN-EWS category

Candidate should possess valid GEN-EWS certificate (who satisfy the conditions given in the OM No. 20013/01/2018-BC-II dated 17 January 2019, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) in consonance with the latest guidelines of the Government of India for claiming seats under GEN-EWS category.

iii. For Candidates claiming the OBC-NCL category Candidate should possess valid OBC-NCL certificate in consonance with the latest guidelines of the Government of India for claiming seats under OBC-NCL category. Visit the website for the latest guidelines and updates on the Central List of State-wise OBCs.

iv. For Candidates claiming the SC or ST category Candidate should possess valid SC/ST certificate in consonance with the latest guidelines of the Government of India for claiming seats under SC/ST category.

Reservation in Central Institutes / Universities

The reservation policy of the Government of India is applicable to NEET (UG) Examination. According to this, in the Central Universities and Institutions, 10% of the seats are reserved for the category General-Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS), 15% of the seats are reserved for the category Scheduled Caste (SC), 7.5% for the category Scheduled Tribe (ST), 27% for the category Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) and 5% seats (Horizontal Reservation) for PwBD candidates.

Reservation in State Quota Seats/Universities/Institutions /Private Medical Colleges under State Governments: In case of seats filled by the State Medical Colleges/Universities/Institutions /Private Medical Colleges under State Quota Seats, the reservation policy of the concerned State Government shall apply.

Guidelines for PwBD Candidates (For Admission purpose) :

a. The candidates with a benchmark Disability shall be considered for admission in medical course against 5% of the total seats, in accordance with the provision under Section 32 of RPwD Act, 2016.

b. For AIIMS: In accordance with RPwD Act 2016, PwBD Reservation will be followed subject to evaluation by the Medical Board of Institute to determine eligibility.

c. Candidates who consider themselves eligible for this category are advised to ensure their eligibility by getting themselves examined at any Government Medical College/District Hospital/Government Hospital. Such Government Medical College/District Hospital/Government Hospital shall issue a Disability Certificate in reference to Chapter-VII of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017. Such a Disability Certificate is issued as per the Schedule to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the Guidelines for the purpose of assessing the extent of specified disability in a person included under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 notified in the Gazette of India by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment [Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)] on 4th January 2018 and does not confer any right on any candidate to seek admission in a medical course under PwBD Quota. The aforesaid Certificate shall be to ascertain whether a candidate can apply to NTA for appearing in NEET (UG) - 2026 under the PwBD Quota only.

• At the stage of counseling, the NEET UG qualified PwBD candidates must submit:

A valid UDID card issued by a designated medical authority under MoSJE.

Self-Certified affidavits in the format provided under Schedule –I of Interim Guidelines dated 19.07.2025.

The candidate will have to approach the designated medical board for verification of their self-certified affidavit.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNSELLING BY THE MCC FOR MBBS AND BDS ADMISSION

i. Online counselling would be conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Directorate General of Health Services for Undergraduate Medical Courses. Information for online counselling would only be available on the MCC website for Undergraduate Medical/Dental Courses. Qualified candidates are advised to read the counselling-related information carefully and understand the course of action to be taken by them for appearing in the Counselling.

MCC is conducting Counselling for:

A. 15% All India Quota seats MBBS/ BDS Seats of States

B. 100% MBBS/ BDS Seats of BHU OPEN

C. AIIMS Open seats- 100% MBBS Seats of AIIMS across India

D. JIPMER Open (Puducherry/ Karaikal) & Internal seats (Domicile)

E. AMU Open & Internal seats

F. 85% Internal quota/domicile seats of DU/ I.P University (VMMC/ ABVIMS/ESIC Dental)

G. Jamia Open seats- Faculty of Dentistry (Jamia Milia Islamia) & Internal seats

H. 15% All India Quota Seats of ESIC & Insured Persons quota seats

I. AFMC – Only registration

J. 100% B.Sc (Nursing) of selected Central B.Sc. Nursing Institutes

K. Counselling under MCC shall include 100% seats of Deemed Universities, including 15% NRI seats.

ii. Any query related to Counselling for admission to seats under 15% All India Quota and in Central Institutions / Universities, including AIIMS/JIPMER/AFMC/ESIC/DU/BHU/ AMU, and Deemed Universities, may be referred to the following address: For MBBS/BDS Courses: Office of MCC, National Medical Library, Ansari Nagar, East Delhi, E-mail: aipmt-mcc@nic.in, https://mcc.nic.in/UGCounselling/Home/ContactUs

iii. Reservation policy for 15% AIQ, Central Institutes (ABVIMS & RML and VMMC & SJH, ESIC) Universities (DU, AMU, BHU)/AIIMS/JIPMER is as follows:

Reservation Policy of the Central Government for the NEET (UG) Counselling in All India Quota/Central Institutes (ABVIMS & RML and VMMC & SJH, ESIC) Universities (DU, AMU, BHU)/AIIMS/JIPMER is as follows:

• S.C- 15 %

• S.T- 7.5 %

• PwBD- 5 % Horizontal Reservation

• OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)- 27% as per Central List of OBC

• EWS- 10 % as per Central Government Norms (who satisfy the conditions given in the OM No. 20013/01/2018-BC-II dated 17 January 2019, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment)

Reservation Policy for Deemed University is as follows:

• NRI Quota

• Jain & Muslim Minority

iv. Candidates from the creamy layer and those who do not come under the Central List of OBC are advised to mention their category as Unreserved/General.

MERIT LIST AND QUALIFYING CRITERIA-

1. QUALIFYING CRITERIA

i. The NTA will prepare the Merit List/All India Rank (AIR) as per Qualifying/eligibility criteria and other norms as well as the relevant regulations/guidelines of NMC/DGHS/MCC/DCI and Ministry of AYUSH/NCISM/NCH/CCH/AACCC, as the case may be. The details received from the respective competent authority(ies) will be displayed on the NTA website (https://neet.nta.nic.in/) in due course of time.

ii. The eligibility criteria for admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses are as follows:

a. In order to be eligible for admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses for a particular academic year in case of General, General-EWS, it shall be necessary for a candidate to obtain a minimum of marks at the 50th percentile in National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test to Undergraduate Medical Courses held for the said academic year. However, in respect of candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, the minimum marks shall be at the 40th percentile. In respect of candidates with Benchmark, Disabilities specified under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the minimum marks shall be at 45th percentile for Unreserved Category & GEN-EWS Category candidates and 40th percentile for SC/ST/OBC-NCL candidates. The percentile shall be determined on the basis of the highest marks secured in the All India common merit list in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test for admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses.

b. Provided when a sufficient number of candidates in the respective categories fail to secure minimum marks as prescribed in National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test held for any academic year for admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses, the Central Government in consultation with the National Medical Commission and Dental Council of India, National Commission for Indian System of Medicines and National Commission of Homeopathy and any other regulatory body may at its discretion lower the minimum marks required for admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses for candidates belonging to respective categories and marks so lowered by the Central Government shall be applicable for the said academic year only.

c. For admission in BUMS (Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery) Course, the candidate must have passed the 10th standard with Urdu or Arabic or Persian language as a subject, or clear the test of Urdu of 10th Standard (wherever there is provision to conduct of such test) in the entrance examination conducted by the University or Board or registered Society or Association authorized by the Government to conduct such examination. For admission in the BSMS (Bachelor of Sidhha Medicine and Surgery) course, the Candidate must have passed Tamil as one of the subjects in the 10th Standard/in Higher Secondary course or Candidates shall have to study Tamil as a subject during the First Professional course.

d. Provided that a candidate who has appeared in the qualifying examination, the result of which has not been declared, may be provisionally permitted to take up the competitive entrance examination and in case of selection for admission to the Undergraduate Medical Courses, he/she shall not be admitted to that course until he/she fulfills the eligibility criteria as specified above. For details, candidates may refer to the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 and relevant notifications issued by NMC on time to time and BDS Course Regulations, 2007, the Indian Medicine Central Council (Minimum Standards of Education in Indian Medicine) Regulation, and the Homoeopathy (Degree Course) Regulations, 1983.

e. The criteria for minimum qualifying marks to be eligible for admission to MBBS courses shall also be applicable to concerned INIs.

iii) A list of the successful candidates in order of All India Rank based on the marks obtained in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG – 2026 will be prepared by the NTA.

2. THE INTER-SE-MERIT OF CANDIDATES FOR TIE-BREAKING

In case of two or more candidates obtaining equal marks/percentile scores in the NEET (UG) - 2026, the inter-se-merit shall be determined as follows:

a. Candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile score in Biology (Botany & Zoology) in the Test, followed by,

b. Candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile score in Chemistry in the Test, followed by,

c. Candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile score in Physics in the Test, followed by,

d. Candidate with less proportion of the number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in all the subjects in the Test,

e. Candidate with less proportion of number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Biology (Botany & Zoology) in the Test, followed by

f. Candidate with less proportion of number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Chemistry in the Test, followed by

g. Candidate with less proportion of number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Physics in the Test, followed by

h. In case, a-g criteria are exhausted and tie still persists, it will be resolved through a random process with the guidance of an independent expert committee.

(As per Public Notice dated 13.06.2023 issued by UGMEB/NMC and Email vide NMC UGSection dated 28.01.2026)

3. MERIT LIST FOR COUNSELLING UNDER 15% ALL INDIA QUOTA

The merit list of the eligible and successful candidates who have opted for 15% of All India quota seats will be prepared by the NTA on the basis of marks obtained in the NEET (UG) - 2026. The list of successful candidates shall be forwarded to the Directorate General of Health Services (MCC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH), Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India for the purpose of allotment of seats by Online Counselling to 15% All India Quota Seats.

4. MERIT LIST FOR SEATS OTHER THAN 15% ALL INDIA QUOTA

a. NTA will provide All India Rank and Result will be shared with the DGHS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India and Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India along with National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) to provide the same to the counselling authorities.

b. Counselling authorities will invite applications for Counselling.

c. The counselling authorities will draw a merit list of the candidates based on All India Rank in the respective categories declared by the candidates at the time of applying for admission/counselling as per State applicable rules.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA/QUOTA OF SEATS/RESERVATION/RESULT CRITERIA/ COUNSELLING FOR ADMISSION TO BAMS/BSMS/BUMS/BHMS COURSES

1. ADMISSION TO ALL SEATS OF BAMS, BSMS, BUMS AND BHMS COURSES THROUGH NEET (UG) – 2026

Admissions to all seats of Undergraduate Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy Courses will be done through NEET (UG) – 2026 as per the provisions of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Minimum Standards of Undergraduate Ayurveda Education), Regulations 2022, National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Minimum Standards of Undergraduate Siddha Education), Regulations 2022 and National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Minimum Standards of Undergraduate Unani Education), Regulations 2022 and National Commission for Homoeopathy (Homoeopathy Graduate Degree Course BHMS) Regulations 2022 (NCISM & NCH are Regulatory Bodies of the above-mentioned Courses under the Ministry of Ayush).

2. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION TO BAMS/BSMS/BUMS /BHMS COURSES

a. The candidates shall have passed 10+2 (or equivalent) with subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology. The admission shall continue to be done through National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) only.

b. No candidate shall be admitted to BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, and BHMS Degree Courses unless he has attained the age of seventeen years on or before the 31st December of the year of his admission in the first year of the course.

3. THE QUOTA OF SEATS FOR ADMISSION TO BAMS/ BSMS/BUMS /BHMS COURSES:

a. All India quota Government.

b. All India quota Government aided.

c. All India quota Private.

d. State Govt. quota/ Institutional quota.

e. Central Universities/National Institutes.

f. Deemed to be Universities.

g. Self-financed merit list/NRI Quota.

4. RESERVATION OF SEATS FOR SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, PWBD, ETC. FOR ADMISSION TO BAMS/BSMS/BUMS /BHMS COURSES

Reservation Policy of the Central Government in All India Quota seats (Govt./Govt. aided/National Institutes/Central Universities) counselling is as follows:

• SC- 15%

• ST- 7.5%

• PwBD- 5% Horizontal Reservation

• OBC (Non- Creamy Layer)- 27 % Only in National Institutes/Central Universities

• EWS- 10% Only in National Institutes/Central Universities (who satisfy the conditions given in the OM No. 20013/01/2018-BC-II dated 17 January 2019, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment)

Note: Guidelines regarding admission of students with “Specified Disabilities” under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 with respect to admission in BAMS/BSMS/BUMS course shall be as per the criteria prescribed in the regulations as per the CCIM Gazette notification dated 18/06/2019 and in BHMS as per the CCH Gazette notification dated 19/06/2019.

In case of State quota seats counselling under other than minimum 15% All India Quota seats, the reservation policy of the concerned State Govt. shall apply.

5. PERCENTAGE CRITERIA FOR DECLARATION OF RESULT / RANKING FOR BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, AND BHMS COURSES.

To be eligible for admission to under-graduate BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, and BHMS Courses, it shall be necessary for a candidate to obtain a minimum of marks at 50th percentile in the ‘National Eligibility Entrance Test for undergraduate course’ held for the said academic year: Provided that in respect of

a. For candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, the minimum marks shall be at the 40th percentile; candidates with benchmark disabilities specified under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (49 of 2016), the minimum marks shall be at 45th percentile in the case of General category and GEN-EWS and 40th percentile in the case of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.

6. COUNSELLING PROVISIONS FOR ADMISSION TO BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, BHMS COURSES FOR ALL INDIA QUOTA SEATS (AIQ).

a. An All India Merit List of the qualified candidates shall be prepared on the basis of All India Rank in the Merit List of the NEET (UG) - 2026 and candidates shall be admitted to Undergraduate Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy Course (ASU & H Courses) from the said list only, with existing reservation policy.

b. Counselling for all India quota seats of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani & Homoeopathy Government, Government aided Institutes, Central Universities, National Institutes, Deemed to be Universities will be conducted by Ayush Admissions Central Counselling Committee (AACCC), and counselling for AIQ seats of Private ASU & H Institutes will be conducted by an authority designated by Central Government and Counselling for State quota seats will be conducted by respective State Government counselling authority as per the provisions of Regulations notified under NCISM Act, 2020 and NCH Act, 2020.

c. *The details filled by the candidate like candidate category, phone number, and email, etc. in NEET (UG)-2026 Online Application will be used for the purpose of All India quota seats counselling. No request for change in candidate category at the time of all India quota seats counselling will be entertained by the counselling authority for all India quota seats designated by the Central Government.

d. The NTA will have no responsibility with regard to the matters relating to counselling/admission to BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, and BHMS Courses.

e. For further details regarding the counselling/admission to BAMS/BSMS/BUMS/BHMS Courses, the following Authorities may be contacted:

i. NCISM Helpdesk, (Email: helpdesk@ncismindia.org;)Website for administrative issues only.

ii. AYUSH Admissions Central Counseling Committee (AACCC), Ministry of AYUSH (Email: counseling-ayush@gov.in; Website for queries related to all India quota seat counseling only.

iii. AYUSH Admissions Counselling Committee of the Directorate of AYUSH of respective State Governments / UTs.

7. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE APPLICATION PROCESS

a. Regarding the application process and other details, the aspiring Candidates of BAMS/BSMS/BUMS/BHMS Courses may peruse the relevant information /documents mentioned in other chapters/ paras, corresponding appendices, apart from the provisions mentioned above in this Chapter.

b. The relevant Regulations / Guidelines / Instructions / Notifications / Circulars of the Ministry of AYUSH / AYUSH Admissions Central Counselling Committee/ National Commission for Indian System of Medicine/ Central Council of Indian Medicine / National Commission of Homoeopathy /Central Council of Homoeopathy, as the case may be, may be referred to for those matters, which are not mentioned above in this Chapter or in any other Chapter / Appendices of this Information Bulletin.

ADMIT CARD

1. The Admit Card is issued provisionally to the candidates, subject to the fulfillment of the eligibility conditions.

2. The candidate has to download the Admit Card from the NTA website and appear for the Examination at the given Centre on the Date and timing as indicated in their Admit Card.

3. No candidate will be allowed to appear at the Examination Centre, on the Date and Timing other than that allotted to him/her in his / her Admit Card.

4. In case a candidate is unable to download his/ her Admit Card from the website, he or she may approach the Help Line between 10:00 AM to 05.00 PM or write an email to NTA at neetug2026@nta.ac.in.

5. The candidates are advised to read the instructions given in this Information Bulletin as well as on the Admit Card carefully and follow them scrupulously during the conduct of the examination.

6. In case of any discrepancy in the particulars of the candidate or his/her photograph and signatures shown in the Admit Card and Confirmation Page, the candidate may immediately approach the Help Line between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. In such cases, candidates would appear in the Examination with the already downloaded Admit Card. However, NTA will take necessary action to make corrections in the record later.

POST EXAMINATION ACTIVITIES AND DECLARATION OF RESULT-

1. Display of OMR sheets and responses on the website and challenging the grading of questions on OMR

i. After the conduct of the examination, NTA will display the scanned images of OMR Answer Sheets and recorded responses by the machine, of all candidates on the website. The exact date of display of scanned images of OMR Answer Sheets shall be communicated after the examination on the NTA website.

ii. Applicants will be given an opportunity to submit representation against the OMR grading by paying a non-refundable processing fee of ₹ 200/- per question challenged.

iii. Representations made by the candidates against the OMR grading will be verified by the NTA from the actual record and the same will be updated in the data if challenges are found to be correct. However, no intimation in this regard will be sent to an individual candidate.

iv. Applicants are advised to visit the website https://neet.nta.nic.in/ for viewing and downloading the image of the OMR Answer Sheet by the candidates.

2. DISPLAY OF ANSWER KEY FOR THE CHALLENGE

i. The NTA will display the Provisional Answer Key of the questions, giving an opportunity to the candidates to challenge, in case of any doubt in the answer key published on the website. For the exact date of display of the Answer Key, candidates may regularly check updates on the NTA website after the examination.

ii. Candidates will be given an opportunity to make an online challenge against the provisional Answer Key by paying a non-refundable processing fee of ₹ 200/- per answer challenged, within a specified period as indicated in the Public Notice.

iii. Challenges made by the candidates will be verified by the NTA with the help of a panel of subject experts. If the challenge of any candidate is found correct, the Answer Key will be revised and applied in the response of all the candidates accordingly. Based on the revised Final Answer Key, the result will be prepared and declared. No individual candidate will be informed about the acceptance/non-acceptance of his/her challenge.

iv. The key finalized after the challenges will be treated as final and will be displayed on NTA website before declaration of result.

3. DECLARATION OF RESULT

i. The National Testing Agency will evaluate the Answer Sheets using standard procedure and the result will be displayed on the website: https://neet.nta.nic.in/ and thereafter candidates may download their respective Score Cards.

ii. The NTA will prepare the Merit List/ All India Rank (AIR) as per Qualifying Criteria and other norms as mentioned in Chapter 14 of this Bulletin as well as the relevant regulations/ guidelines of NMC/DGHS/MCC and Ministry of AYUSH / NCISM /NCH/CCH/AACCC, as the case may be. All Candidates appearing in NEET (UG) - 2026 must regularly check updates on the website of NTA ; MoH&FW; AYUSH Ministry; DGHS; Medical Counselling Committee; (Admission Central Counselling Committee of Ministry of AYUSH and other concerned Authorities of participating States / Universities / Institutions, till the conclusion of the final round of Counselling.

4. RE-CHECKING/RE-EVALUATION OF ANSWER SHEETS

• The machine–gradable Answer Sheets are evaluated with extreme care and are repeatedly scrutinized.

• There is no provision for re-checking/re-evaluation of the answer sheets. This is because of the following reasons:

i. The OMRs are machine gradable and are being evaluated through specific software impartial to all.

ii. The candidates are given an opportunity to make the representation on the OMR gradation of their OMR sheets and also given an opportunity to challenge the answer key in case of any doubt.

• No correspondence in this regard will be entertained.

5. USE OF THE RESULT OF NEET (UG) - 2026 BY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

The Result of NEET (UG) - 2026 may be utilized by other Entities of Central and State Governments, in accordance with their respective eligibility criteria / other norms /applicable regulations/guidelines/rules. The result data will also be utilized for B.Sc. (H) Nursing courses in accordance with their respective eligibility criteria / other norms /applicable regulations/guidelines/ rules. The NEET (UG) - 2026 data will also be used for admissions to BVSc & AH courses under the 15% quota of VCI in recognized Veterinary Colleges. However, the Council has to approach the MCC of DGHS, MoHFW in order to obtain the said data of results.

To view the full official notice, Click the link mentioned below-

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/2026/03/03/202602231394640855-330703.pdf