NEET UG 2026 Results Declared: Category-Wise Qualifying Marks, Toppers and What Happens Next

NTA declared the NEET UG 2026 result on 16 July 2026. Out of nearly 20 lakh candidates who appeared, 11.21 lakh have qualified for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and allied undergraduate medical programmes. The qualifying cutoff — the minimum score needed to be declared eligible — is 213 out of 720 for General category and 177 out of 720 for OBC-NCL, SC and ST categories. Scorecards are live at neet.nta.nic.in, with a direct scorecard login and download page at examinationservices.nic.in/ResultoService26/Ntnt/Login.

NEET UG 2026 Result: Key Numbers at a Glance

The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted NEET UG 2026 at 5,440 centres across 551 Indian cities and 14 cities abroad. Here is the full picture from the official NTA press release.

NEET UG 2026 Category-Wise Qualifying Marks (Out of 720)

The qualifying marks are the minimum score a candidate needs to be declared eligible for counselling — they are not a college cutoff. Meeting the qualifying mark makes you eligible to register for MCC and state counselling; it does not by itself guarantee a seat at any particular college. NTA has published the following category-wise qualifying marks for NEET UG 2026:

Category-Wise Number of Qualified Candidates

Toppers and Score Distribution

Aryan Gupta (Punjab) and Panshul Bansal (Haryana) jointly recorded the highest score of 715 out of 720. Nineteen candidates scored above 700, and 138 candidates scored above 690 — of these, over 93% were first-time NEET UG takers and 99% were between 17 and 19 years old. The 138 top rankers came from 66 cities across the country, and the top 17 rankers who scored above 705 span eight states: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

Qualified candidates came from every one of the 36 states and Union Territories, ranging from over 1.7 lakh in Uttar Pradesh to 43 in Lakshadweep. State toppers were recorded in every North-Eastern state, and include Jigmet Yangchan Lamo (Ladakh, 530 marks), Dhruv Tripathi (Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 606 marks) and Fahmida Anees (Lakshadweep, 573 marks). Seventeen state toppers scored 700 or above, and 26 scored above 690.

Why the Result Came Later Than the Usual Schedule

NEET UG 2026 was originally scheduled for 3 May 2026, but NTA cancelled that exam after a paper-leak controversy and conducted a re-exam on 21 June 2026. NTA states the result was still declared on time for the counselling calendar to stay on track, by running answer-key and OMR-review stages in parallel rather than in sequence:

• Provisional answer key published 25 June 2026, with a challenge window open from 25 to 28 June 2026

• Scanned OMR answer sheets and recorded responses shown to candidates from 13 to 15 July 2026

• Final answer key published 16 July 2026, with the result declared the same day

What This Means for Your Counselling Timeline

With the result out, the next milestone is Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) registration for All India Quota (AIQ) and central institution seats, followed by each state's Directorate of Medical Education (DME) counselling for state quota seats. MCC has not yet published the exact Round 1 registration date — treat any date you see elsewhere as an estimate until MCC confirms it on mcc.nic.in. For a full walkthrough of what to do once registration opens, see our guides on MCC counselling and state quota counselling for NE India.

NTA's Role — and What It Is Not Responsible For

NTA conducts the exam, declares the result against eligibility criteria set by the National Medical Commission (NMC), and issues the All-India Rank. Merit lists, category-wise reservation, domicile determination and counselling itself are handled by MCC (for AIQ) and by state authorities (for state quota) — NTA has no role in these. Counselling for AIQ MBBS/BDS seats is run by MCC; AACCC runs counselling for the AIQ in BAMS, BUMS, BSMS and BHMS.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NEET UG 2026 qualifying cutoff for the General category?

The NEET UG 2026 qualifying cutoff for General (UR) category is 213 marks out of 720, as declared by NTA on 16 July 2026.

What is the NEET UG 2026 qualifying cutoff for OBC, SC and ST candidates?

The qualifying cutoff for OBC-NCL, SC and ST candidates is 177 marks out of 720 for each of the three categories.

How many candidates qualified NEET UG 2026?

11.21 lakh candidates qualified out of close to 20 lakh who appeared for NEET UG 2026.

Where can I check my NEET UG 2026 result and download my scorecard?

Scorecards for all candidates are available on the official NTA website, neet.nta.nic.in, and can be downloaded directly at examinationservices.nic.in/ResultoService26/Ntnt/Login. Log in with your NEET-UG 2026 credentials to view and download your scorecard.

Who scored the highest marks in NEET UG 2026?

Aryan Gupta from Punjab and Panshul Bansal from Haryana jointly scored the highest marks in NEET UG 2026, at 715 out of 720.

Does qualifying NEET UG 2026 guarantee an MBBS seat?

No. Qualifying only makes you eligible to register for MCC (AIQ) and state DME counselling. Whether you get a seat, and at which college, depends on your All-India Rank, the category you apply under, and the choices you fill during counselling.

When will MCC AIQ counselling registration open after the NEET UG 2026 result?

MCC has not yet announced the exact Round 1 registration date. In a normal year, Round 1 opens within four to five weeks of the result. Check mcc.nic.in directly rather than relying on any estimated date, since the 2026 exam calendar was already disrupted once by the paper-leak re-exam.

Sources

• National Testing Agency, Press Release — "NTA Declares Result of NEET (UG) 2026," New Delhi, 16 July 2026, neet.nta.nic.in

• Medical Counselling Committee, mcc.nic.in