Careers360 Logo
ask-icon
share
    NEET Age Limit 2026 in India for General, SC, ST and OBC Category

    NEET Age Limit 2026 in India for General, SC, ST and OBC Category

    Ujjwal KirtiUpdated on 03 Feb 2026, 11:11 AM IST

    Every year, lakhs of medical aspirants appear in the NEET exam and understanding the NEET age limit 2026 before applying is important. NMC, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) as the conducting body, sets the age limit for NEET, which is published in the official information brochure.

    This Story also Contains

    1. NEET Age Limit 2026: Highlights
    2. What Is NEET and Why Age Criteria Matter?
    3. What is the NEET Minimum Age Limit 2026?
    4. NEET Age Limit 2026: Category-wise
    5. What is the NEET Age Limit for Girls?
    6. NEET Upper Age Limit 2026
    7. NEET Attempt Age Limit 2026
    8. NEET Eligibility Age vs Academic Qualification
    NEET Age Limit 2026 in India for General, SC, ST and OBC Category
    NEET Age Limit 2026

    Candidates planning to appear in the NEET exam must go through all the details about the category-wise age limit. Over the years, NEET age limit criteria have gone through many changes, as earlier there was a strict NEET age limit for students, which was later removed by the NMC. To know all about the NEET 2026 age limit, detailed criteria and other information, read the full article below.

    Live | Jul 27, 2026 | 2:50 AM IST

    NEET Age Limit 2026: Highlights

    Medical aspirants preparing to get into their dream medical college must go through this brief overview of the NEET age limit 2026 to avoid any hassle while applying for the NEET exam 2026.

    NEET UG Age Limit 2026: Overview

    Parameter

    Details

    Exam Name

    National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG)

    Conducting Authority

    National Testing Agency (NTA)

    Academic Year

    2026

    Minimum Age Completion Date

    On or before December 31, 2026

    NEET Minimum Age Limit 2026

    17 years

    Maximum Age Limit for NEET 2026

    No upper age limit

    NEET UG Age Limit 2026

    Same for candidates from all the categories

    NEET 2026 Age Limit for Girls

    Same as male candidates

    Age for NEET exam calculation basis

    Based on date of birth mentioned in Class 10 certificate

    Courses Covered Under NEET

    MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS, BSMS

    Confused About College Admissions?

    Get expert advice on college selection, admission chances, and career path in a personalized counselling session.

    Book a Counselling Slot
    Select Date
    Pick a Slot

    What Is NEET and Why Age Criteria Matter?

    The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2026), which is a single national-level entrance examination for admission to all the undergraduate medical courses, such as MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS, BSMS, and others. The NEET 2026 age criteria has been set to ensure that the candidate applying for admission is ready for medical education after completing the required academic qualification. Candidates are advised to adhere to the NEET rules and regulations as provided by the authority.

    What is the NEET Minimum Age Limit 2026?

    As per the conducting authority, candidates who complete their age of 17 years on or before December 31, 2026, are eligible for the NEET exam. Along with the age limit, candidates need to meet the NEET criteria for 12th percentage. The NEET minimum age limit 2025 is as mentioned in the table below.

    Minimum Age Limit for NEET Exam 2026

    For Candidates of General (UR)/General-EWS

    Born on or before

    December 31, 2009

    For Candidates of SC/ST/OBCNCL/PwBD/PwD Category

    NEET Age Limit 2026: Category-wise

    Candidates must know that no relaxation is provided in the NEET 2026 age limit as per the category of the applicant. The age for the NEET exam 2026 is the same for all the candidates irrespective of their category. Check the details in the table below.

    Category-wise NEET Exam Age Limit 2026

    Category

    NEET Minimum Age Limit

    Maximum Age

    NEET 2026 age limit for General

    17 years

    No limit

    NEET age limit for OBC 2026

    17 years

    No limit

    NEET age limit for SC

    17 years

    No limit

    NEET age limit 2026 for ST

    17 years

    No limit

    NEET age limit for EWS

    17 years

    No limit

    NEET 2026 age limit for PwD

    17 years

    No limit

    Also Read: Do’s and Don’ts of the NEET exam

    NEET Syllabus: Subjects & Chapters
    Select your preferred subject to view the chapters

    What is the NEET Age Limit for Girls?

    The NEET 2026 age limit for girls is the same as that of male applicants, which is 17 years. The authority does not provide any gender-based NEET age limit relaxation. There is no maximum NEET age criteria 2026 for female candidates either.

    NEET Upper Age Limit 2026

    NEET does not have any upper age limit restrictions. Earlier, an upper age limit was introduced for NEET along with the maximum NEET attempt limit in 2017, which was removed later by NMC on March 9, 2022.

    NEET Attempt Age Limit 2026

    There is no restriction on the number of NEET attempts. Candidates can appear in the NEET UG exam as many times as they want. Earlier, there were 3 attempts for NEET exam, which were later scrapped by the authority.

    NEET Eligibility Age vs Academic Qualification

    Along with the NEET age limit 2026, candidates have to meet the NEET eligibility marks in class 12th too. According to the NEET eligibility criteria, candidates who have passed or are appearing in class 12th with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology from a recognised board. The minimum marks vary by category.

    Articles
    |
    Upcoming Medicine Exams
    Ongoing Dates
    SVNIRTAR CET Score Card Date

    9 Jul'26 - 30 Dec'26 (Online)

    Ongoing Dates
    Jharkhand GNM Exam Application Date

    16 Jul'26 - 9 Aug'26 (Online)

    Ongoing Dates
    Jharkhand ANM Exam Application Date

    16 Jul'26 - 9 Aug'26 (Online)

    Certifications By Top Providers
    Management of Medical Emergencies in Dental Practice
    Via Tagore Dental College and Hospital, Chennai
    Online M.Sc Psychology
    Via Centre for Distance and Online Education, Andhra University
    School Counseling
    Via Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore
    Digital Forensic
    Via Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar
    Counseling Psychology
    Via Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
    Explore Top Universities Across Globe
    University College London, London
    Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT
    University of Essex, Colchester
    Wivenhoe Park Colchester CO4 3SQ
    University of Nottingham, Nottingham
    University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
    329 Union South 1308 W. Dayton Street Madison, WI 53715-1149
    University of Alberta, Edmonton
    116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R3
    Keele University, Newcastle
    Staffordshire, UK, ST5 5BG

    Questions related to NEET

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to NEET ?

    Hello Dear Student,
    The NEET 2025 qualifying cutoff score for the ST category was 143–113 marks (40th percentile), while admission to government MBBS colleges typically required a safe score range of 425 to 550+ marks or ranks stretching up to 1,68,000+ depending on the quota and round.

    You can check,

    Hello Student,

    Yes, MCC counselling offers admission to MBBS, BDS, and several allied health science courses under the 15% All India quota, Central University, AIIMS, jipmer, and other participating Institute. However, whether you can get a seat depends on your NEET score, rank, Category, and cut off for preferred course.

    Hello, with a NEET 2026 score of 336, AIR 4 lakh, OBC rank 2 lakh, and UP domicile, you can apply for allied health science courses that accept NEET scores. Admission depends on the course, college, eligibility criteria, counselling process, and seat availability.

    You can check the list of allied

    Hello Dear Student,
    Unfortunately, with a score of 378 and an AIR of (3,31,598), you will not be able to secure a government medical seat anywhere in India, including Maharashtra, under both the All India Quota (AIQ) and State Quota.

    You can check, find and access more information here:

    Hello,

    Hello,

    Admission depends on the counselling process, category, rank, seat availability, and the cutoff for the current session. Please participate in the respective counselling rounds and check the official counselling schedule and previous year's cutoff before filling your choices.

    Thank you.