NEET 2026 age limit is one of eligibility criteria that candidates must fulfill to apply for the exam. The minimum NEET age limit is 17 years and there is no upper age limit in the exam. Also, there is no limit on the number of attempts a student can take the NEET UG 2026 exam. Check here NEET age limit for OBC, General, SC, ST and PwD category.
NEET Age Limit 2026 for General & Reserved Categories
The NEET UG 2026 registration is ongoing on the official website- neet.nta.nic.in. Candidates who fulfill the NEET eligibility criteria 2026 in terms of nationality, age limit and educational qualification can apply for the exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has notified the NEET 2026 age limit for general and reserved category candidates, based on the regulations of the National Medical Commission (NMC) and Dental Council of India (DCI). The age criteria plays important role in the exam. Students need to attain the minimum age limit before the completion date. Check below the NEET age limit 2026 for General, OBC, SC, ST and PwD categories. Also, know the details regarding the NEET age limit date of birth, upper age limit, limit on number of attempts, age criteria for girls and foreign nationals, etc.
The NEET notification 2026 clearly states that the NTA reserves the right to withdraw permission to a candidate who is not eligible to appear in the exam even though his/her admit card is issued. Hence, candidates must abide by the age limit guidelines and then fill the NEET application form 2026.
Also Read: NEET Registration 2026 LIVE @neet.nta.nic.in
- NEET 2026 Age Limit in India: Highlights
- NEET Minimum Age Limit 2026
- Category-Wise NEET Age Limit 2026: General, OBC, SC, ST & PwD
- What is the Maximum Age Limit for NEET 2026 Exam?
- NEET Age Limit for Girls
- NEET UG 2026 Limit on Number of Attempts
NEET 2026 Age Limit in India: Highlights
Candidates planning to appear for the NEET UG 2026 exam to get admission to MBBS, BDS, Dental, BAMS, BSMS, BUMS and BHMS courses should go through the highlights of the NEET age limit 2026 in India below-
| Feature |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name |
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) |
| Conducting Body |
National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Age Criteria By |
NMC & DCI |
| Minimum Age Limit |
17 years |
| Maximum Age Limit |
No upper age limit |
| Minimum Age Completion Date |
On or before 31-Dec-2026 |
| Date of Birth Eligibility |
Born on or before 31-Dec-2009 |
| Age Criteria for OBC, SC, ST, PwD |
Same as for General category |
| Age Limit for Girls |
Same as for boys or male candidates |
Also Read: NEET UG APAAR ID 2026: How to Make it for Registration?
Commonly asked questions
The NEET 2026 cutoff will be released along with the results. The NTA will release the NEET UG cutoff marks based on the difficulty level. Till then, take a look at the NEET 2025 cutoff for reference.
Category | NEET 2025 Cutoff percentile | NEET 2025 Cutoff score |
|---|---|---|
UR/EWS | 50th | 686-144 |
OBC, SC, ST | 40th | 143-113 |
UR/EWS-PwD | 45th | 143-127 |
OBC/SC/St-PwD | 40th | 126-113 |
The NEET cut off score generally changes every year, based on the exam difficulty level. The NEET 2025 cut off score was reduced from that of 2024. Have a look at the cut off scores of NEET 2025 exam below-
Category | NEET 2025 Cutoff percentile | NEET 2025 Cutoff score |
|---|---|---|
UR/EWS | 50th | 686-144 |
OBC, SC, ST | 40th | 143-113 |
UR/EWS-PwD | 45th | 143-127 |
OBC/SC/St-PwD | 40th | 126-113 |
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 need to obtain the NEET exam pass marks to clear the exam. The minimum NEET cutoff percentile that candidates must obtain is shared below-
Category | NEET Cut off percentile |
|---|---|
UR/EWS | 50th |
OBC, SC, ST | 40th |
UR/EWS-PwD | 45th |
OBC/SC/St-PwD | 40th |
NEET Minimum Age Limit 2026
The NTA has notified the NEET age limit 2026 in terms of minimum age and upper age limit. The minimum age limit for NEET is 17 years. Candidates who are born on or before December 21, 2009, are eligible for NEET 2026. However, Candidates need to make sure that they complete their age of 17 years before December 31, 2026. Have a look at the details regarding NEET date of birth eligibility and age limit completion date below-
| NEET 2026 Age Eligibility Criteria |
Date |
|---|---|
| Date of birth |
Born on or before December 31, 2009 |
| Age completion date |
on or before December 31, 2016 |
Category-Wise NEET Age Limit 2026: General, OBC, SC, ST & PwD
The age criteria for all the categories remains the same in NEET 2026 exam. There is no NEET age limit relaxation for reserved category candidates. To have a better understanding, have a look at the NEET UG 2026 age limit for General, OBC, SC, ST and PwD categories below-
| Category |
Minimum Age Limit |
Upper Age Limit |
|---|---|---|
| General |
17 years |
No limit |
| OBC |
17 years |
No limit |
| SC |
17 years |
No limit |
| ST |
17 years |
No limit |
| EWS |
17 years |
No limit |
| PwD |
17 years |
No limit |
Commonly asked questions
According to the reports, this year saw the highest number of NEET applications and appearance for the exam. A total of 24,06,079 candidates applied for the exam, out of which 23,33,297 candidates appeared. The exam was originally conducted on May 5, 2024, in 571 cities across India and abroad. A re-test for 1,563 candidates who were awarded grace marks on May 5, was conducted on June 23, 2024. In this exam, 813 candidates had appeared.
NEET UG question paper is available in 13 languages. Apart from Hindi and English candidates can choose from Tamil, Urdu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Telugu. Candidates have to enter their language preferences in the application form and will have to choose their exam centre preference accordingly. During the exam, candidates must ensure that they have received the NEET question paper in the language they have opted for, otherwise, they should report the same to the invigilators. During preparation, candidates must prepare in the particular language and solve previous year question papers and mock tests in the regional language.
Yes, AIIMS Raipur accepts NEET scores. There is no other entrance exam conducted by AIIMS Raipur or AIIMS institutes for MBBS admission. Although earlier AIIMS used to conduct its own entrance exam, but it was scrapped in 2020. The admission to AIIMS Raipur takes place through NEET counselling, conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee. AIIMS Raipur seats are a part of the 15 per cent All India Quota (AIQ) seats. Candidates must secure a NEET score above 700 in order to have a chance to get admission to the MBBS course in this coveted medical institute of India.
Yes, NTA lowered the NEET cutoff for this year. As the difficulty level of the NEET 2025 exam was higher than last year and the number of test takers was lower, the NEET 2025 cutoff has reduced than last year. NTA determines the NEET cut off based on the factors such as difficulty level of the exam, total number of test-takers, total number of seats, candidate category and programme.
The table below brings the qualifying or pass marks of NEET over the past few years.
Category | NEET 2025 Qualifying Score | NEET 2024 Qualifying Score | NEET 2023 Qualifying Score | NEET 2022 Qualifying Score
| NEET 2021 Qualifying Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General/Unreserved (UR) | 686-144 | 720-164 | 720-137 | 715-117 | 720-138 |
OBC/SC/ST | 143-113 | 163-129 | 136-107 | 116-93 | 137-108 |
PwD (General/UR) | 143-127 | 163-146 | 136-121 | 116-105 | 137-122 |
PwD (Reserved) | 126-113 | 141-129 | 120-107 | 104-93 | 121-108 |
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What is the Maximum Age Limit for NEET 2026 Exam?
The NEET UG exam does not have any upper age limit. The NEET upper age limit criteria was removed by the NMC on March 9, 2022. Thus, candidates who are 40 years old or 50 years old and fulfill all other NEET eligibility criteria 2026 can apply for the exam.
Also Read: Documents Required for NEET 2026 Application Form
NEET Age Limit for Girls
For NEET UG 2026 exam, the minimum age limit for girls or female candidates is 17 years. The NEET age limit for girls is the same as that of boys or male applicants. There is no NEET maximum age limit for females. The NTA does not provide gender-based age relaxation norms for females in NEET exam.
Commonly asked questions
A percentile refers to the comparison between the score of one candidate vis-a-vis the other test takers. It is the percentage of scores that a particular score surpassed. NTA has stated the formula to calculate the NEET percentile, which is given below:
100 multiplied by the Number of candidates with their raw score equal to/ less than the candidate divided by the Total number of candidates who appeared for NEET.
As per the NEET 2023 result data, the highest percentile obtained was 99.9999019.
The minimum qualifying percentile for NEET UG exam is shared below-
Category | NEET 2025 Cutoff percentile |
|---|---|
UR/EWS | 50th |
OBC, SC, ST | 40th |
UR/EWS-PwD | 45th |
OBC/SC/St-PwD | 40th |
The factors that determine the NEET cutoff scores are-
- Total number of appearing candidates
- Difficulty level of the examination
- Performance of the candidates
- Number of seats available:
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NEET UG 2026 Limit on Number of Attempts
The NTA has not fixed the limit on number of attempts in the NEET UG 2026 exam. Candidates can appear in the NTA NEET exam as many times as they want till they obtain the desired scores.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
NEET cutoff for admission to the MBBS course at SGT University is based on candidates' performance in the NEET UG entrance exam, followed by its counselling process. During the last round of SGT University NEET UG cutoff 2025, the closing rank for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
The NTA has released the NEET official answer key 2026 yet. The answer key PDF is available at neet.nta.nic.in.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
No, NEET is compulsory for BDS admission anywhere in India, including Bangalore. No dental college, private or government, can admit students without a valid NEET score. Some students get confused because management or NRI quota seats seem easier, but NEET qualification is still mandatory. So if you
T
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, the RE NEET 2026 was not postponed. The exam was held as scheduled on June 21.
U
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The difficulty level of the NEET UG 2026 will be known after the conduct of the exam. Generally, the exam is of moderate level.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The NEET 2026 re-exam was held on June 21. The difficulty level of the paper was moderate. Candidates found Physics as the most difficult section of NEET.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, there's no backdoor here. Candidates willing to get admitted to undergraduate dental courses need to qualify the NEET exam, which is the national entrance test for BDS admission. Whether you're applying to a government or a top private college, NEET is non-negotiable.
T
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, candidates can easily get into the BPharm programme without clearing the NEET exam. The Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) in Gujarat mainly uses the state-level entrance exam, GUJCET, to prepare the merit list. While candidates can use their NEET scores as an alternative optio
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
No, NEET is not an important requirement for BPT at Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy. You just need to score the required marks in Class 12 and in AIAHCET. However, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English are compulsory subjects. If any student who has a NEET score card, still needs to give A
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Contributor-Level 8
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Not always, and this is something most students don't realise. NEET is not mandatory for GNM admission, since it's a Diploma course handled through state nursing council exams or merit-based selection. NEET is mainly needed for BSc Nursing in many colleges, so your path depends on which course you p
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Contributor-Level 10
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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