NEET 2026 Expected Cutoff Out: Category-Wise Marks, Percentile & Govt College Cutoff

NEET 2026 Expected Qualifying Cutoff - Based on Projections

General Category: The NEET UG 2026 qualifying cutoff for a government MBBS seat (All India Quota) is expected to be around 720–165 marks (50th Percentile), while a score of 630+ marks is considered safer for top government colleges, and the minimum qualifying score for State Quota government colleges is expected to be around 590-610+ marks.

OBC/SC/ST Category: The NEET UG 2026 qualifying cutoff for a government MBBS seat is expected to be around 161–128 marks (40th Percentile), while a score of 540+ marks may offer good chances in government colleges, and the minimum qualifying score is expected to be around 480-520+ marks depending on the category and state quota.

NEET 2026 Expected Cut off Marks

The NEET 2026 cutoff is the minimum passing marks at which candidates are declared qualified and are eligible for the counselling. Based on several factors, the expected NEET 2026 cutoff marks for each category along with the 2026 NEET expected cutoff percentile are provided below. These expected cutoff marks can see some slight variation depending on the NEET 2026 difficulty level.

Expected NEET 2026 Cut off Marks

NEET 2026 Expected Cutoff Marks Percentile Category Wise

Expected Cutoff Of NEET 2026 For Government Colleges

The NEET 2026 expected cutoff for government colleges is expected to be on a higher side. Based on previous year trends and admission cutoff for admission to government colleges, the NEET UG 2026 expected cut off for government colleges is provided below.

NEET 2026 Expected Cut off Marks For Government Colleges

Factors Affecting NEET UG 2026 Expected Cutoff

The expected cutoff of NEET UG 2026 depends on several factors. Some of the major affecting factors that can influence the expected cutoff of NEET 2026 are discussed below.

Total Students Appearing In NEET 2026

As per the NTA’s released data, a total of 22.05 lakh students appeared for NEET UG exam this year. Although this is a decrease of 4283 students from last year, it can influence the NEET cutoff. The more the number of students appearing for exams, the more is the competition, and hence a slightly high cutoff.

NEET 2026 Difficulty Level

The difficulty level of NEET 2026 also influences the cutoff. If the exam's difficulty level is tough, the cutoff remains on the lower side, on the other hand an easier exam shifts the cutoff on the higher side. The NEET 2026 difficulty level was easy, hence the cutoff will be on higher side.

Total Available Seats in NEET 2026

The total available seats in NEET 2026 directly influence the expected cutoff scores. If more seats are available, there is less competition for each seat and hence cutoff can go low. However, if there is more competition per seat, the cutoff can go high. For NEET 2026, there can be an increase of about 12000 seats, resulting in slightly lower cutoff scores, however the total NEET 2026 applicants has also increased.

Overall Performance of Students

The overall performance of students also affects the NEET 2026 cutoff. If the overall performance is good, the cutoff may rise. Similarly, if overall candidate performance is low, the cutoff is likely to reduce.

NEET UG Qualifying Cutoff Marks: Previous Year Trends

Key Observation From Last 3 Year NEET Cutoff

• The NEET 2025 exam is considered one of the toughest exams which is visible by the qualifying cutoff marks. The topper of NEET 2025 managed to score only 686 marks, which is the lowest in recent years.

• The NEET 2024 exam was one of the easiest exams and hence had a high cutoff. In NEET 2024, 17 students scored 720 marks out of 720.

Expected NEET 2026 Safe Score

Based on the experts' analysis and examining the past year trends, the expected safe score of NEET 2026 is provided below. This safe score is an estimated range of marks at which candidates have high chances of getting admission.

NEET 2026 Expected Safe Score