High salary career options in Medical other than MBBS are Dental, Ayush, Unani and others. Medical aspirants who are unable to crack NEET for admissions to MBBS course can build their career in other medical courses. In this article of Shiksha, we bring to you the list of best medical courses other than MBBS.
- Is MBBS tough for Medical Aspirants?
- Medical Courses Other than MBBS
- Allied & Healthcare Courses
- Veterinary Sciences
- Hospital and Healthcare Management
- Other Medical Sciences Programmes
- Biomedical Engineering
Is MBBS tough for Medical Aspirants?
Candidates need to be very hardworking and passionate to be able to make career in this field. However, even after good preparations and hardwork, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to secure an MBBS seat. Also, even after cracking NEET and getting admissions, the MBBS course itself is exhaustive and needs long hours of study. The MBBS course curriculum is vast, including clinical work, laboratory work, and at the end of one year of internship. It is also a 5-year-long programme. Keeping in consideration, many candidates, even after qualifying for the NEET, do not prefer to pursue MBBS.
On the other hand, sometimes NEET-qualified candidates fail to get into the college of their choice, which makes them choose courses other than MBBS. Hence, it is always a good idea to keep yourself open to courses other than MBBS and be ready to pursue career options after NEET apart from MBBS. In such a situation, the question arises, if not MBBS then what? Read further to know the answer.
Commonly asked questions
Candidates belonging to the General category should secure 50 percentile. Those belonging to the PwD General category has to secure 45 percentile. The NEET cutoff percentile for the reserved category candidates is 40. The exact qualifying marks or cutoff scores will be announced by NTA along with the scorecards. This year, General category candidates had to score minimum 137 marks to qualify for the exam.
The 80/20 rule in NEET is applible in case when candidates have limited time to study for the exam. The rule implies rather than covering the entire syllabus, candidates should focus on 20% of the high-value topics that are likely to form about 80% of the NEET question paper.
The minimum age limit to apply online for NEET exam is 17 years. However, there is no upper age limit in the exam. Candidates must be of 17 years as on or before December 31, 2026 to be eligible for NEET. Check here NEET age limit 2026 for OBC, SC, ST, General.
Medical Courses Other than MBBS
Not all NEET aspirants know that through the exam they can take admission into many other courses as well besides MBBS. It is important to note that you can still become a medical professional when you don't have the MBBS degree. Many medical courses apart from MBBS that can help you build a successful career. By going through the options, you can gauge which other than the MBBS course is best for you. That would also lead you to a high-salary career option in the medical field other than MBBS without NEET.
After MBBS, the most popular medical course option is BDS. After completing the BDS course, you will be called a registered and qualified doctor. Besides BDS, you may opt for any course under the hood of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) courses. AYUSH practitioners are also qualified doctors. These courses are now managed and regularised by the Government as well and offer full-time degree programmes.
Other than MBBS, there are many medical courses. Courses like BAMS, BHMS, BUMS and BNYS are there. All these courses have the same duration as MBBS. After completing these courses, you need to complete a compulsory internship. For admission to these courses, you will need NEET qualifying score. However, the NEET cutoff is not that high.
There are many other medical courses without NEET with high salary that you can choose from. Branches like allied medical sciences, paramedical sciences and likes are some good options aspirants with Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects in class 12 can opt for.
Allied & Healthcare Courses
Allied & Healthcard courses, earlier known as Paramedical courses, deal with the training and education to manage and handle emergency medical treatment, diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions and ailments with the help of diagnostic tools, ultrasound, X-rays and tests in clinical labs. As the population and the high number of patients in the Outpatient Department (OPD) and Inpatient departments of the hospitals, a shortage of paramedics in India is observed from every now and then. This is one of the most demanding fields of medical sciences. Here is a list of allied and healthcare courses and their duration:
| Course |
Duration |
|---|---|
| 3-5 years |
|
| 3-5 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| BSc (Radio Therapy) |
3 years |
| 4 years |
|
| 5 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| 4 years |
|
| Diploma in Physiotherapy |
2 years |
| Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology |
3 years |
| Diploma in Dialysis Technology |
2 years |
| Diploma in Medical Imaging Technology |
2 years |
| 2 years |
|
| Diploma in OT Technician |
2 years |
| Diploma in Nursing Care Assistant |
2 years |
| Diploma in Hear Language and Speech |
2 years |
| Diploma in Rural Health Care |
1 year |
| Diploma in Ophthalmic Technology |
2 years |
| Diploma in Dental Hygienist |
2 years |
| Diploma in Medical Record Technology |
2 years |
| Diploma in X-Ray Technology |
2 years |
Also Read: Paramedical Courses After 12th
Commonly asked questions
The AIIMS accepts NEET scores for admission to the MBBS. Students need to obtain the NEET cut off percentile and scores to get shortlisted for counselling in AIIMS MBBS course. The NEET 2025 cutoff scores for generally category was 686-144. So, a general category student with 550 marks cannot take admissions to AIIMS.
Candidates will be allowed to enter three choices of NEET exam cities in the order of their preference in NEET form 2026. During 2022-2024, candidates could select two cities only and till 2022, candidates could enter as many as four cities. The list of exam cities in the dropdown menu is based on the permanent and present address entered by candidates in the registration form of NEET.
The NEET safe score for OBC category candidates can be anything between 400 to 600, or more. The total marks of NEET exam is 720. According to the NEET 2024 cutoff for OBC category is 127 to 161, which is the 40th percentile. While this is the qualifying score or marks as decided by NTA, in terms of admission, a score range of 400 to 600 is considered safe for admission to MBBS courses and for admission to BDS, BSc Nursing, BAMS, BUMS or BHMS courses, a NEET score of 300 or above would be good enough.
Explore colleges based on NEET
Veterinary Sciences
Bachelor in Veterinary Sciences (BVSc) is a 5.5-year course in which aspirant learns and get trained in the veterinary or animal sciences and can practice as a veterinary or animal doctor. Graduates from this course can work as pet care professionals, veterinary pharmacists, and animal behaviour management specialists in military forces.
Job opportunities in veterinary sciences have extended towards the private sector immensely from the government sector over time. Opportunities in animal health and nutrition, animal care product management, animal grooming and various animal farms have been created these days. Hence, it is one of those high-salary career options other than MBBS in India.
Hospital and Healthcare Management
A programme like BSc Nursing, which is a four-year course, is the best example of career in the field of Medicine. The rest are the programmes one can pursue after completion of their graduation. Courses such as Masters in Hospital Management or MBA in Healthcare are some of the most demanded courses nowadays. Graduates from these courses do not contribute to the treatment but are actively associated with supervising and managing the healthcare process in large medical organisations and hospitals. They usually ensure better coordination and efficiency in communications across various departments in hospitals.
Other Medical Sciences Programmes
A four-year BPharma or Bachelor in Pharmacy degree is meant for those who want to get into research and development of drugs and medicines to treat and cure diseases. It is one of the evergreen and booming industries at the moment. One can carve out a lucrative career out of it. BPharm graduates can pursue MPharm (Master's in Pharmacy) to have a specialised postgraduate degree. Also, a six-year PharmD course is now offered and is recognised as a professional course.
Biomedical Engineering
Besides these courses, one can also opt for a four-year degree in medical electronics or Biomedical Engineering. The course is based on the concepts of designing tools for biological and medical healthcare purposes for diagnosis and therapy, with the implementation and application of engineering techniques.
Candidates interested in pursuing the traditional BA, MA, BSc and MSc programmes can opt for Psychology as the major subject in their graduation or in master's. By qualifying, a two-year MPhil in Clinical Psychology can become a qualified Clinical Psychologist as well.
As the demand for health and wellness related is progressing each day, there are plenty of courses other than MBBS and career options after NEET other than MBBS you can choose from. Healthcare being a necessity in the corporate sector, schools and institutes these days, options like lifestyle management, sports management, geriatric care, and child and wellbeing management in schools are some excellent career options.
The development of treatment and drugs, research, and new and proven medical techniques to achieve healthcare goals are the most interesting and rewarding challenge for allied healthcare professionals. Hence, aspirants who are not keen or do not qualify to pursue MBBS have several options to choose from, which have been listed in detail. With proper guidance and dedication, a medical professional can excel in any field.
Read More:

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Student Forum
Answered 6 hours ago
No, the NEET-UG 2026 registrations have been closed at this point. The last date to register for the aforementioned entrance exam was March 11th 2026. However, candidates can still try to apply for Silver Oak College of Pharmacy BPharm admissions as the institute does not mention NEET-UG as a mandat
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 hours ago
Silver Oak College of Pharmacy has not mentioned NEET-UG as a madatory entrance exam for BPharm admissions. Generally, BPharm admissions do not require candidates to appear for the NEET-UG exam to qualify for admissions.
Candidates should connect with the admission desk of Silver Oak College of Pharm
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Candidates must fulfill the Odisha NEET eligibility 2026 to appear for the counselling. To be eligible for NEET Odisha Counselling, candidates must fulfill these criteria-
- Must be at least 17 years old
- Must have passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English (50% aggregate for General,
P
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
The NEET eligibility criteria states that students who have passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology / Biotechnology along with English even as additional subjects from recognised boards and Mathematics/ other elective subject with English at a level not less than the core course for English
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
The NEET 2026 exam will be held on May 3, 2026. The NTA will conduct the NEET UG 2026 exam offline in pen and pape mode from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
Candidates can use the NEET correction window using the process shared below-
Visit neet.nta.nic.in.
Log in with the NEET login details.
Click on 'Correction in Application Form'. link.
- Enter the OTP for verification.
Make the necessary changes.
Save and download the updated Application Confirmation form.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
The NTA has announced the NEET application correction dates 2026. The NEET correction window is available from March 12 to 14, 2026. Candidates can make changes during the these three days.
P
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
Admissions to the BAMS course at BHU is based on the AYUSH counselling process. The lowest NEET score accepted for the BAMS course for admission at BHU was 30748 for the General AI category.
Note: Other categories will have different cutoffs accordingly.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Shakuntla School of Nursing accepts NEET scores for admission to BSc Nursing course. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also get admission in BSc Nursing based on their GGSIPU CET scores.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 days ago
BHU NEET cutoff 2025 was published for admission to various AI categories for courses, like MBBS, BDS, and BSc in Nursing. Whether a 470 is a good NEET score would depend entirely on the category you belong to.
For the General AI category, the overall cutoff varied between 1165 and 82615. Hence, stu
N
Contributor-Level 10
Exam On - 3 May '26
With MA in English, Rupali has more than 15 years of editorial experience. At Shiksha.com, a subsidiary of Info Edge (India) Limited, she creates content and make prep guides for students preparing for competitive e
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