Based on the official UCEED 2026 Mean and Standard deviation of Part A, the cutoff for UCEED 2026 is increased by nearly 9-10 marks compared to last year.
The mean for UCEED 2026 is announced as 70.86, whereas it was 61.50 for UCEED 2025. It is mainly due to the comparatively easier paper this year.
- The cutoff for the general category students comes around 83.85 marks, whereas it was around 74.35 last year.
- OBC students have to have a score of around 75.37 marks to be eligible for the admission process, whereas they needed 66.92 in UCEED 2025.
- The cutoff for SC/ST in UCEED 2025 was at 37.18 is now increased to 41.872 marks.
Source: UCEED Official Website
Also Read:
- UCEED Part A and Category-Wise Cutoff 2026
- UCEED Seat Matrix 2026: Seat Intake, Category-wise Seat Distribution, Participating Institutes
- Top Colleges in India Accepting UCEED Based on 2026 Ranking
Key Summary
- Candidates must score between 125 to 150+ to get admission in top IITs, while 200+ is ideal for IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi.
- The top score in UCEED 2025 was scored by Shreyansh Agrawal with 230.16 out of 300.
- The cutoff marks has increase to around 9 to 10 marks from UCEED 2025 to 2026.
UCEED 2025 vs 2026 Part A Standard Deviation
Here is the comparison between the UCEED Part A cutoff of 2025 vs 2026.
- The increase of 9.36 marks in the mean score shows that candidates performed better in 2026.
- The stable standard deviation shows that the exam difficulty level was almost similar.
| Year | Mean (μ) | Standard Deviation (σ) |
|---|---|---|
| UCEED 2025 | 61.50 | 25.69 |
| UCEED 2026 | 70.86 | 25.77 |
Source: UCEED Official Website
UCEED 2025 vs 2026 Part A Cutoff: Category-Wise Comparison
The UCEED Part A cutoff for 2026 has increased for all categories in comparison to 2025.
- In 2025, the General category cutoff (calculated using μ + 0.5σ) was 74.35, which increased to 83.75 in 2026, marking a rise of 9.40 marks.
- For OBC-NCL/EWS categories, which are calculated with 10% relaxation from the General cutoff, the marks increased by 8.45, moving from 66.92 to 75.37.
- SC/ST/PwD categories, which are set at 50% of the General cutoff, saw an increase of 4.70 marks, rising from 37.17 to 41.87.
| Category | UCEED 2025 | UCEED 2026 | Increase (Marks) | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 74.35 | 83.75 | +9.40 | Direct impact of higher mean |
| OBC-NCL / EWS | 66.92 | 75.37 | +8.45 | 10% relaxation from General |
| SC / ST / PwD | 37.17 | 41.87 | +4.70 | 50% of General cutoff |
Ques. Why did the UCEED 2026 cutoff increase?
Ans. The cutoff increased mainly due to a rise in the mean score (μ) from 61.50 in 2025 to 70.86 in 2026. Since the cutoff is calculated using the formula μ + (0.5 × σ), even a moderate increase in the mean impacts the cutoff.
Ques. Does the higher cutoff mean UCEED 2026 was easier?
Ans. Not necessarily. While the mean score increased, the standard deviation (σ) remained almost unchanged (25.69 in 2025 vs 25.77 in 2026). This suggests that the overall difficulty level remained comparable, and the higher cutoff reflects improved candidate performance rather than a drastically easier paper.
Was UCEED 2026 Easier Than 2025?
The comparison of both the years shows that UCEED 2026 may be more balanced but not very different in the difficulty level.
Mean Score Comparison
- The mean score increased from 61.50 in 2025 to 70.86 in 2026 which shows an increase of 9.36 marks.
- A higher mean shows that the candidates performed better in 2026.
- It shows more balanced questions, better preparation of candidates and improved accuracy.
Standard Deviation Stability
- The standard deviation remain almost same from 25.69 in 2025 to 25.77 in 2026.
- This shows the stability to differentiate high and low performers in the exam.
- If the 2026 paper was easier the standard deviation must also decreased.
- This stability shows the paper difficulty remains the same.
Cutoff Increase Explained
- The General cutoff increased from 74.35 in 2025 to 83.75 in 2026.
- This change is due to the increase in mean score.
- It does not indicates the paper difficulty has been decreased.
Overall Difficulty
- The UCEED exam difficulty was not very easier.
- The score distribution pattern was same.
- The higher mean suggests the paper was more scoring or candidates performance increased.
Also Check:
- How Many Marks are Required for IIT Bombay UCEED 2026 for General?
- Safe Score for IIT Guwahati UCEED 2026 for General: Check Category-wise Safe Score
Reddit Discussion on UCEED 2026 Was Difficult than 2025
Users on Reddit are discussing if 2026 was more difficult than 2025 by using a pole. 132 users voted, out of which 48 believe it was difficult, while 66 believe it was not. Other 18 dont’t care because they did not clear the exam.
Source: Reddit Discussion
UCEED 2025 vs 2026 Rank CutOff for Top IITs
The expected UCEED 2026 rank cutoffs for top IITs show minor changes in comparison to the 2025 cutoff.
- IIT Bombay will remain the most competitive institute with 1 - 15 expected rank that shows a slight difference in comparison to 2025.
- IIT Delhi shows slight expansion from 15–35 to 15–40 that shows minor flexibility in 2026.
- IIT Guwahati expected widening from 19–77 to 20–90 shows increased rank redistribution during counselling.
| Top IITs | UCEED Cutoff Rank 2025 | UCEED Cutoff Rank 2026 (Expected) |
|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay | 1 - 14 | 1 - 15 |
| IIT Delhi | 15 - 35 | 15 - 40 |
| IIT Guwahati | 19 - 77 | 20 - 90 |
| IIT Hyderabad | 18 - 52 | 20 - 55 |
| IIT Roorkee | 54 - 91 | 60 - 110 |
| IIITDM Jabalpur | 78 - 144 | 80 - 150 |
| IIT Indore | 56 - 80 | 60 - 90 |
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UCEED 2026 Cutoff vs 2025 FAQs
Ques. What is a good rank in UCEED 2025?
Ans. A rank below 15 to 20 is considered best for admission in top institutes like IIT Bombay. This cutoff marks may change when the official one is released. Reserved categories have always less cutoff than the genera.
Ques. How was UCEED 2026 paper?
Ans. The UCEED 2026 paper difficulty was moderate to easy as per the candidates who appeared in it.
Ques. How many people registered for UCEED 2026?
Ans. The number of registered candidates for UCEED 2026 is not released yet, but for previous year, more than 15000+ students appeared.
Ques. Which IITs accept UCEED?
Ans. Top IITs such as IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore, IIT Roorkee and IIITDM Jabalpur accept UCEED for B.Des programs.
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