NEET UG 2026 Pass Percentage: Overall, Category-Wise and State-Wise Stats

NEET UG 2026 pass percentage is approximately 55.3%, with around 13.30 lakh students qualifying out of approximately 24.06 lakh who appeared, as per the result announced on July 1, 2026 by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The NTA declared the NEET UG 2026 result on July 1, 2026. Students who scored at or above the qualifying cutoff marks for their category are counted as having passed the exam. The overall pass percentage for NEET UG has remained in the 53-57% range over the past five years, reflecting the intensely competitive nature of medical admissions in India.

• Total students who appeared in NEET UG 2026: approximately 24.06 lakh
• Total students who qualified NEET UG 2026: approximately 13.30 lakh
• General category qualifying cutoff (2024 reference): 164 out of 720 (50th percentile)
• SC/ST/OBC qualifying cutoff (2024 reference): 129 out of 720 (40th percentile)
• NEET UG 2026 overall pass percentage: approximately 55.3%

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NEET UG 2026 Overall Pass Percentage

The NEET UG 2026 pass percentage is calculated as the share of students who scored at or above the qualifying cutoff for their category. Approximately 55.3% of all students who appeared in NEET UG 2026 have qualified the examination.

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Year-Wise NEET UG Pass Percentage (2021-2026)

The table below tracks how NEET UG pass percentage has changed over the past six years. The total qualifier count has grown from 8.70 lakh in 2021 to approximately 13.30 lakh in 2026, while the pass percentage has stayed broadly stable in the 53-57% range.

The steady rise in total qualifiers is largely driven by the growing number of students registering for NEET UG each year. The pass percentage itself has not shown dramatic improvement, underscoring how difficult it remains to cross the qualifying threshold.

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NEET UG 2026 Category-Wise Pass Percentage

Each reservation category has a different qualifying percentile, which results in different pass percentages across categories. General category students must reach the 50th percentile, while SC, ST and OBC students qualify at the 40th percentile. The actual pass percentage for each category also depends on that group’s score distribution within the exam.

The lower pass percentages seen for SC and ST students reflect gaps in access to NEET coaching and quality schooling in several regions. Government scholarship programs and state-run coaching initiatives aim to improve these numbers in upcoming examination cycles. Cutoff marks for 2026 will vary from 2024 reference figures depending on the overall difficulty of the paper; check the official NTA website for the exact 2026 qualifying marks.

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NEET UG 2026 State-Wise Pass Percentage

The number of NEET qualifiers from each state reflects both the size of that state’s student pool and the quality of medical entrance preparation available there. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra consistently produce the largest numbers of NEET qualifiers. The table below uses 2024 qualifier data as the reference; NTA will release the official state-wise 2026 breakup in due course.

Southern states such as Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu tend to produce higher per-student pass rates because school biology and chemistry syllabi in these states align closely with NEET topics. Northern states lead in total qualifier volume due to larger appearing student populations and a dense network of NEET coaching centres, particularly in Rajasthan cities such as Kota.

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NEET UG Qualifying vs Admission: Key Difference

Many students confuse the NEET UG qualifying cutoff with the admission cutoff. Qualifying NEET UG 2026 makes you eligible for counselling but does not guarantee a medical seat. Here is what these two thresholds mean:

• The qualifying cutoff is the minimum percentile score needed to appear in counselling — set by NTA as the 50th percentile for General and 40th percentile for reserved categories.
• The admission cutoff is the closing All India Rank at which seats fill during MCC and state counselling rounds — far more competitive than the qualifying cutoff.
• Approximately 1.09 lakh MBBS seats and 28,000 BDS seats are available across government and private medical colleges in India as of 2026.
• With around 13.30 lakh NEET UG 2026 qualifiers competing for these seats, fewer than 10% of qualifiers will secure an MBBS seat.
• Students who qualify but do not secure a seat can appear again in subsequent years or explore BDS, AYUSH and state-specific medical programs based on their NEET score.