CUET PG Cutoff 2026: Expected June-July 2026, DU BHU JNU Course Wise and Safe Score

The CUET PG 2026 cutoff is the minimum score you need for admission to postgraduate programmes at central universities. NTA declared the CUET PG 2026 result on April 24, 2026 at exams.nta.nic.in/cuet-pg. Every participating university now uses these scores to release its own merit list and programme-wise cutoff.

Central universities including the Central University of Rajasthan (CURAJ) are expected to release CUET PG 2026 cutoffs and merit lists in late June and July 2026 as their admission cycles progress.

Here is what you need to know about the CUET PG 2026 cutoff right now:

• The CUET PG 2026 result was declared on April 24, 2026 by NTA on its official website.
• NTA does not publish a single official cutoff for CUET PG — each university releases its own score-based cutoff and merit list.
• The CUET PG 2026 exam had 75 MCQs worth 300 marks total, with +4 for every correct answer and −1 for every wrong one.
• Around 3.45 lakh candidates appeared for CUET PG 2026 from 4.11 lakh who had registered.
• At CURAJ in 2025, the General category closing score ranged from 27 to 170 out of 300 depending on the programme.
• A score of 200 marks or above is generally considered safe for most competitive PG programmes at top central universities in the General category.
• CURAJ is expected to release its 2026 merit list in late June–July 2026 — check curajcuet.samarth.edu.in/pg for updates.

CUET PG Cutoff 2026: Important Dates

Track these key events for the CUET PG 2026 admission cycle. Upcoming events appear first; completed events follow in chronological order.

Factors Affecting CUET PG Cutoff 2026

The CUET PG 2026 cutoff is not a fixed number. Several factors push it higher or lower each year. Here are the key ones you should understand:

• Number of applicants per programme: More students competing for the same seats pushes the closing score up. A larger applicant pool means you need a higher score to make the merit list.
• Total seat availability: Programmes with fewer seats fill up at a higher score. Wider seat intake usually results in a lower closing score.
• Exam difficulty level: If CUET PG 2026 was easier than 2025, raw scores rise across the board. This pushes closing scores up at each university.
• Score normalisation across sessions: CUET PG 2026 was held across multiple sessions from March 6 to 27. NTA normalises scores to account for difficulty differences. Your normalised score — not the raw score — determines your merit list position.
• Category reservation norms: SC, ST, OBC-NCL, and EWS candidates compete on separate merit lists as per Government of India reservation policy. Their closing scores are lower than the General category cutoff.
• University popularity: Top-ranked universities like DU, JNU, and BHU attract far more applications. Their cutoffs are naturally higher than those of smaller central universities.
• Programme demand trends: Programmes with strong placement outcomes or rising media attention attract more applications the next year. This can tighten the cutoff sharply from one cycle to the next.

CUET PG 2026 Category-Wise Expected Cutoff

The CUET PG 2026 category-wise cutoff is yet to be released by individual universities. Based on 2025 admission data, here are the expected score ranges for competitive PG programmes at central universities. These ranges apply to high-demand disciplines such as M.Sc, MA English, MA History, and professional programmes.

These are expected ranges based on 2025 admission trends at central universities. Actual cutoffs vary by university, programme, and seat intake. Official cutoffs will be published by individual universities on their own portals.

Science programmes (M.Sc) and high-demand humanities courses like MA English tend to close at the upper end of these ranges. Interdisciplinary and applied social science programmes typically close at the lower end.

CUET PG: Qualifying Cutoff vs Admission Cutoff

There are two types of cutoffs in the CUET PG system. Both matter, but for different reasons.

Qualifying Cutoff: This is the minimum score some universities require before processing your application. If you fall below this number, the university does not include you in the merit list — even if seats remain available. Not all universities publish this separately. Many include it as part of their eligibility criteria in the admission notification.

Admission Cutoff (Closing Score): This is the score of the last candidate who received a seat in a given programme and category. Your score must be at or above this number for you to get admission in that round. The closing score shifts every round. It usually rises in the final round as unreserved seats fill up and fewer candidates remain.

You can clear the qualifying cutoff and still miss admission if the actual closing score is higher than your marks. Always check both figures before applying. At CURAJ, both the qualifying threshold and programme-wise closing scores are published on the official admission portal once the merit list is released.

The qualifying cutoff is the floor — it screens who gets considered. The admission cutoff (closing score) is the actual bar — it decides who gets in. Your target should always be the closing score, not just the qualifying threshold.

CUET PG Previous Year Cutoff Trends

CUET PG replaced the CUCET exam in 2022. Over four admission cycles, the closing score at central universities has moved upward as more students take the exam. Awareness of participating universities has grown, and the quality of preparation has improved. Both factors push the competitive bar higher each year at top-ranked universities.

The table below shows the approximate score range needed for admission to competitive PG programmes at top central universities (DU, BHU, JNU, HCU) in each category, based on available admission data across cycles:

Score ranges are compiled from admission data across major participating central universities. These reflect competitive PG programmes with high applicant volumes. Actual cutoffs vary by university and programme. 2026 figures are expected values pending official merit list release.

Between 2022 and 2024, the General category upper closing score at top universities rose by 20 marks — from 225 to 245. The 2025 cycle showed a slight easing of 5 marks at the upper end, likely because the exam was harder that year and raw scores were lower across the board. The 2026 expected range is similar to 2024–25 levels.

The OBC-NCL gap below the General category has stayed steady at 15 to 20 marks across all four years. The SC and ST gaps are wider — about 30 to 40 marks for SC and 40 to 50 marks for ST below the General cutoff. These gaps reflect the seats reserved in each category and the score distribution of candidates in each group.

CUET PG Tie-Breaking Rules

When two or more candidates score the same in CUET PG, NTA applies a standard tie-breaking order to assign merit rank. Here is how it works:

• Step 1 — Higher raw score: The candidate with the higher absolute raw score gets the higher merit rank.
• Step 2 — Fewer incorrect answers: If raw scores are equal, the candidate who attempted fewer wrong answers is ranked higher. This rewards accuracy over guesswork.
• Step 3 — Section-wise performance: For papers with multiple domain areas, performance in a priority section may break the tie. The specific section depends on the programme applied for.
• Step 4 — Age (older candidate first): If all the above remain equal, the older candidate receives the higher merit rank.

Individual universities may add their own tie-breaking criteria when preparing final merit lists. Check your target university’s admission notification for programme-specific rules before filling choices.

CUET PG Marks vs Percentile

Your CUET PG scorecard shows both your raw marks and your percentile. The percentile tells you how you performed relative to all other candidates who appeared. A raw score of 220 out of 300 does not mean you scored a fixed percentage — your percentile depends on how all 3.45 lakh candidates performed.

Percentile ranges are approximate and based on the 2025 CUET PG score distribution. Exact values depend on the 2026 paper difficulty and the overall candidate pool.

Universities use your raw score to prepare the merit list — not your percentile. The percentile is a general indicator of where you stand in the full candidate pool. The raw score is what matters when the university ranks you for a specific programme.

How to Check CUET PG Cutoff 2026

There is no single website where you can check the CUET PG 2026 cutoff for all universities at once. Each university releases its own cutoff separately. Here is what you should do:

• Step 1: Visit the NTA CUET PG portal at exams.nta.nic.in/cuet-pg and download your scorecard.
• Step 2: Note your raw score and percentile from the scorecard.
• Step 3: Visit the official admission portal of each university you are targeting. For CURAJ, go to curajcuet.samarth.edu.in/pg.
• Step 4: Look for the merit list or cutoff notice. Find the closing score for your programme and category.
• Step 5: If your score is at or above the closing score, follow the admission steps in the university’s official notification.

University portals update at different times across June and July 2026. Check your target university’s site regularly. Missing a notification can mean missing a round — and some universities do not allow late registration after a round closes.