NEST Result 2026: Out on 24 June at nestexam.in, Counselling, Cutoff and Marks vs Rank

The NEST 2026 result was declared on June 24, 2026 by NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai at the official website nestexam.in. Qualified candidates can log in with their application ID and password to view their scorecard. The full scorecard PDF download opens on June 30, 2026.

The scorecard is issued only to candidates who clear both qualifying thresholds — the Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) and the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP). Qualified students are eligible for the 5-year Integrated MSc programme at NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai, two premier science institutes under India’s Department of Atomic Energy.

• NEST 2026 result declared on June 24, 2026; scorecards accessible via login from June 25
• The scorecard carries section-wise marks, overall percentile, All-India merit rank, and category rank
• To qualify, candidates must clear SMAS in the General section plus at least 3 of 4 subject sections, and also meet the MAP threshold for their category
• MAP for General/OBC-NCL in 2026 is 80th percentile; for SC/ST it is 75th percentile
• NEST score is used for admission to two institutions only — NISER Bhubaneswar (200 seats) and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai (57 seats)
• Qualified NISER applicants must submit the Expression of Interest (EOI) form online by July 6, 2026 (4:00 PM)

The NEST merit list is prepared separately for NISER and UM-DAE CEBS, based on the candidate’s total score in the General section plus the best 3 of 4 subject sections, out of a maximum of 180 marks.

NEST Result Previous Year Statistics

NEST has grown in participation over the last five cycles, though total seats remain at 257. The table below tracks key metrics across recent years.

The biggest shift in 2026 is the MAP for General/OBC-NCL candidates dropping sharply from 95th percentile in 2025 to 80th percentile — the lowest qualifying bar in five years. This means more students cleared the threshold in 2026 compared to the previous cycle. Despite the lower MAP, competition for actual seats stays intense: with only 257 seats available and roughly 1 in 12 test-takers qualifying historically, a high merit rank still matters for admission.

The 2026 result also arrived in late June rather than mid-July — about two to three weeks earlier than the 2023–2024 pattern. For context, the 2025 result was re-declared on July 17 after an initial July 10 publication, following a percentile recalculation issue. Always check the final published scorecard rather than relying on the initial portal display.

How to Download NEST Result 2026

You can check your NEST 2026 result by logging in at nestexam.in. The scorecard is issued only to qualified candidates. Follow these steps to access it.

1. Go to nestexam.in.
2. Click the "NEST Result 2026" or "Scorecard Download" link on the homepage.
3. Enter your Application ID (or User ID) and Password.
4. Click the login or submit button.
5. Your NEST 2026 scorecard appears on screen. Review your section-wise marks, percentile, and rank.
6. Save the page or download the scorecard. The PDF download option opens on June 30, 2026 — use it to get a printable copy for counselling.

If you log in and do not see a scorecard, it means you did not clear the SMAS or MAP thresholds for your category. Non-qualified candidates do not receive a scorecard through the NEST portal.

Forgot your password? Use the "Forgot Password" option on the login page and enter your registered email ID to reset it. If the registered email is inaccessible, contact NEST support via the helpline details listed on nestexam.in.

NEST 2026 Scorecard

Your NEST 2026 scorecard is the official document confirming your qualification and merit rank. You will need it at counselling for both NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. It is available only to candidates who clear both SMAS and MAP.

The NEST 2026 scorecard contains the following details:

• Candidate name, date of birth, and photograph
• Roll number and application number
• Category
• Date of examination
• Section-wise marks — General section, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics
• Total merit score (General section + best 3 of 4 subject section scores; maximum 180 marks)
• Overall percentile score
• Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) applicable for your category
• SMAS values applicable for your category
• All-India merit rank and category rank
• Number of candidates who appeared and qualified (aggregate statistics)
• Documents required for counselling
• Counselling schedule and venue details

Take a printout of your scorecard and keep the originals of all supporting documents ready before counselling. You can re-download the scorecard from nestexam.in if needed, but a printed copy is easier to carry on the day.

NEST 2026 Qualifying Marks

To qualify in NEST 2026, you must clear two independent thresholds at the same time: the Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) and the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP). A high overall score does not save you if you miss the SMAS in a required section. And meeting every SMAS threshold does not help if your overall percentile falls below the MAP for your category.

Threshold 1 — SMAS (Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score)

SMAS is the minimum marks required in each individual section. You must clear the SMAS in the General section and in at least 3 of the 4 subject sections (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics). SMAS equals 20% of the average of the best 100 scores in each section. Note: one question each from Chemistry and Physics was dropped in NEST 2026, and scores were scaled accordingly before SMAS was applied.

OBC-NCL SMAS = 90% of the General SMAS. SC/ST/PwD SMAS = 50% of the General SMAS.

Threshold 2 — MAP (Minimum Admissible Percentile)

MAP is the minimum overall percentile you must achieve across the complete NEST 2026 paper. If your percentile falls below the MAP for your category, you do not qualify regardless of your SMAS performance.

The MAP for General/OBC-NCL candidates came down from 95th percentile in 2025 to 80th percentile in 2026 — the most accessible qualifying bar since 2021. This reflects a deliberate decision by the conducting bodies to widen the pool of qualified candidates relative to the available seats.

NEST 2026 Merit List

The NEST 2026 merit list was released on June 24, 2026, the same day as the result. It ranks all qualified candidates and is the basis for admission at both institutions. Separate merit lists are prepared for NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai, hosted at niser.ac.in/admission/ and cbs.ac.in/Academics/admission respectively.

How your merit rank is calculated:

• Merit score = General section marks + your best 3 out of 4 subject section marks
• Maximum possible merit score = 180 marks
• All-India rank is based on this 180-mark merit score, not the full raw paper total
• Ties are broken first by the General section score, then by Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics scores in that order

Your All-India rank on the NEST 2026 scorecard directly reflects your position on the combined merit list. With only 257 total seats, every rank matters — the difference of even a few positions can decide whether you get a seat in your preferred subject at NISER or CEBS.

NEST 2026 Seat Matrix

NEST score is valid only for admission to NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai. Both offer a 5-year Integrated MSc programme in basic sciences. The combined intake for NEST 2026 is 257 regular seats plus 4 supernumerary seats reserved for candidates from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

NISER does not offer EWS reservation — EWS candidates compete in the General category there. CEBS Mumbai has 6 dedicated EWS seats. PwD reservation is horizontal, applied as a 5% sub-quota within each vertical category. All admitted students at both institutions receive the DISHA scholarship of Rs. 60,000 per year for all 5 years, plus an internship stipend of Rs. 20,000 per year.

What After NEST Result 2026?

Once you qualify in NEST 2026, you have two separate admission tracks — one for NISER and one for UM-DAE CEBS. You can apply to both if you want to maximise your options. The two processes run independently; applying to one does not affect the other.

Track 1 — NISER Bhubaneswar:

1. Submit the online Expression of Interest (EOI) form at niser.ac.in/admission/ by July 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM. This step is mandatory — qualifying NEST alone does not reserve a seat. Skip the EOI, and you are out of NISER’s process entirely.
2. NISER publishes the admission queue on July 10, 2026, ranking EOI submitters by merit.
3. Report in person at NISER campus, Bhubaneswar, on July 28, 2026 by 9:00 AM with all original documents and photocopies.
4. If seats remain after the first round, NISER announces a waitlist on July 29, 2026.

Track 2 — UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai:

1. CEBS runs a separate registration that opens in the third week of July 2026 at cbs.ac.in/Academics/admission.
2. CEBS releases three merit lists — first in the third week of July, second in the first week of August, and third in the second week of August 2026.
3. Spot admissions happen in the fourth week of August 2026 if seats remain after all three lists.
4. Admitted candidates report to CEBS Mumbai for document verification before the academic year starts.

Documents to carry at counselling (both NISER and CEBS):

• Class 12 marksheet and certificate
• Class 10 certificate (for date of birth proof)
• NEST 2026 scorecard (printed)
• Category certificate if applicable — OBC-NCL (non-creamy layer), SC, ST, EWS, or PwD certificate
• Four recent passport-sized photographs
• Photocopies of all original documents