NEET Cut Off 2026 (Expected) – Category Wise MBBS Government College Cut Off Marks
Millions of students appear for NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) every year for admission into MBBS and BDS courses in India. NEET Cut off 2026 is the minimum score that the student needs to obtain in order to be eligible for counselling.
NEET has two types of cut off marks. The first is a qualifying cut off, the minimum score required for only passing the exam. The second is the admission cut off which is the score that is required to secure a seat in a government medical college. These two are very different from each other.
The neet expected cut off for 2026 will be determined by the number of students appeared in the exam, difficulty level of the paper and the number of seats available. The official cut off is released by the NTA after the declaration of the results.
NEET Expected Cut Off 2026 – Category Wise
The table below shows the neet expected cut off 2026 for different categories. These are trend and expert estimates from previous years. The exact cut off could be slightly different.
|
Category |
Min. Marks (out of 720) |
Expected Percentile |
Approx. Rank |
|
General (UR) |
680–710 |
99.9+ |
1 – 500 |
|
General – EWS |
650–680 |
99.5+ |
500 – 4,000 |
|
OBC (NCL) |
600–650 |
98+ |
4,000 – 15,000 |
|
SC |
500–560 |
90+ |
45,000 – 70,000 |
|
ST |
450–510 |
82+ |
80,000 – 1,10,000 |
|
PwBD |
400–450 |
45+ |
1,20,000+ |
Note: These are projected numbers. The official cut off will be released by NTA after the results.
You have to score a very high score to get a government seat if you are from the General category. The cut-off marks are lower for students from SC, ST and OBC category, thus providing them with more opportunities.
Read More - NEET Re-Exam Preparation Strategy: How to Revise in 30 Days
NEET Government College Cut Off 2026
Every student who has appeared in the NEETs exam is dreaming to get admission in a government medical college. The fees are very low in government colleges as compared to private colleges. The fee in a government college is around Rs. 10,000 to Rs. Private colleges charge Rs. 50,000 per annum. 10 lakh or more per year.
Total number of seats in government medical colleges is approximately 55,000+ MBBS seats in India. The seats are filled in AIQ (All India Quota) and State Quota counselling. The neet government college cut off for AIQ is decided using your all India rank.
The average score to secure a government MBBS seat in the General category through AIQ is approximately 650 marks. The cut off is typically slightly lower for state quota seats, and varies by state of origin.
NEET Previous Year Cut Off (2021–2024)
By examining the neet previous year cut off, students can get an idea of the trend. Qualifying marks for each category are listed in the table below from 2021 to 2024.
|
Year |
General |
EWS |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
|
2024 |
720–137 |
720–108 |
720–107 |
720–107 |
720–107 |
|
2023 |
720–137 |
720–107 |
720–107 |
720–107 |
720–107 |
|
2022 |
715–117 |
715–93 |
715–93 |
715–93 |
715–93 |
|
2021 |
720–138 |
720–108 |
720–108 |
720–108 |
720–108 |
Note: The marks range shown is from the topper's score down to the last qualifying candidate's score for each category.
As you can see from the table, the qualifying marks for General category have stayed around 137 in recent years. This is only the minimum cut off. You have to perform much better to be elected to a government seat.
NEET Marks vs Rank 2026
Many students are interested in how their marks will be converted into a rank. The neet marks vs rank relationship varies each year depending on the level of difficulty of the paper and the number of candidates. Here's an approximate guess of the numbers for 2026.
|
NEET Marks Range |
Expected Rank |
Chance of Govt. MBBS |
|
680 and above |
1 – 1,000 |
Very High |
|
620 – 679 |
1,000 – 10,000 |
High |
|
550 – 619 |
10,000 – 40,000 |
Moderate |
|
450 – 549 |
40,000 – 1,00,000 |
Low (SC/ST may qualify) |
|
Below 450 |
Above 1,00,000 |
Very Low |
Note: These are approximate numbers. Only use them as a guide.
Those who get more than 620 marks have a fair chance of getting a seat in government MBBS. Students with scores in the range of 550-620 can be seated based on category and home state. Students from the SC and ST are in better position even with lower marks.
Factors That Affect NEET Cut Off 2026
NEET cut off is not a fixed number. It is revised annually for the following reasons:
More the number of students, more the competition and higher the cut off.
Paper difficulty: The difficulty of the paper will affect the scores obtained and hence the cut off.
Total number of seats: If there are more seats available, the cut off will be reduced.
Reservation on the basis of category: Reservation is done on the basis of different categories as per government rules.
Around 22-24 lakh students will appear for NEET in 2026. This will make it difficult to get a seat in a government college, as there will be a lot of competition.
Conclusion
NEET 2026 is going to be very competitive. In order to get an MBBS seat in government college, you need to score at least 600+ marks. Lower marks will be better for students from reserved categories such as SC, ST, OBC etc. owing to reservation.
Regularly visit the official NTA website (nta.ac.in) for the latest updates regarding NEET 2026 cut off. Work hard, concentrate and do your best.
Recommended Books | Study Materials
Practice Comprehensively with Oswaal360 Online Courses for NEET Exams
Practice Now with Free Oswaal360 Online Mock Test for NEET Exams
Are You a Teacher? Apply for FREE NEET Specimen Books For Teachers from our end.
FAQ
The expected qualifying cut off for General category is expected to be in the range of 137 – 145 marks. However, to secure an MBBS seat from the government, the marks obtained should be 650 or more.
The general category students normally require 650+ marks for AIQ government seats. The cut off is slightly lower for state quota and varies from one state to another.
It depends on your category and state. In the case of SC/ST students, there may be some state quota seats available for 550 marks. For General category, 550 marks makes it difficult to get a government college seat.
The official NEET cut off 2026 will be released by NTA along with the result, which is likely to be released in June-July 2026.
The qualifying percentile for OBC (NCL) category is 40th percentile. The OBC student must obtain a minimum score in the 40th percentile to be considered. But they must achieve a much higher percentile if they are to get a seat in the government.
