41 percent of over 22 lakh NEET 2026 candidates came from just 4 states

New Delhi: Among the 22.7 lakh candidates registered for NEET UG 2026 examination held on May 3, nearly 9.4 lakh aspirants came from just four states, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Bihar.

According to the National Testing Agency (NTA)’s state-wise data for NEET-UG 2026, these four states together accounted for around 41.4% of the total candidates for the exam, as per TOI report.

This shows how India’s largest medical entrance exam remains concentrated in a few states, with nearly two in five NEET-UG aspirants this year coming from just four states.

Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of candidates, with around 3.6 lakh aspirants, followed by Maharashtra with 2.2 lakh candidates, while Rajasthan and Bihar reported nearly 2 lakh and 1.5 lakh candidates, respectively.

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The NEET UG 2026 exam was conducted on May 3 by the National Testing Agency and was held from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in pen-and-paper mode. Over 22.7 lakh aspirants appeared for the examination this year. It took place across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, covering over 5,400 centres. It continues to be one of the largest undergraduate entrance examinations in India and serves as the gateway for admission to MBBS, BDS and other allied medical programmes across institutions in the country.

As per a latest TOI media report, the overall participation in the exam remained high this year. Of the 22.7 lakh candidates, over 22 lakh appeared, translating into an attendance rate of 96.9%. A total of 69,976 candidates were absent, or 3% of those allotted centres.

Apart from the top four states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also saw large participation, with around 1.5 lakh and 1.4 lakh candidates, respectively. Madhya Pradesh reported nearly 1.2 lakh aspirants, followed by Kerala with 1.1 lakh and West Bengal with around 1 lakh candidates.

Together, the top nine states accounted for over 17 lakh candidates, or roughly three-fourths of the total pool, indicating a sharp clustering of aspirants in a limited set of large states.

On the other hand, several smaller states and Union territories reported allocations below 5,000 candidates.

Meanwhile, the attendance levels were consistently high across states. Gujarat recorded the highest attendance rate at 98.1%, followed by Puducherry at 98% and Rajasthan at 97.9%.

Among the larger states, Uttar Pradesh reported a 97.5% attendance rate, while Maharashtra recorded 97.4%. Kerala had the lowest attendance rate among major states at 94.4%, followed by Assam 95.1% and Tamil Nadu 95.9%.

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