NTA Declares NEET UG 2026 Result: 11.21 Lakh Candidates Qualify; Check Toppers, Cut-Off, and State-Wise Performance

The National Testing Agency (NTA) officially announced the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET UG 2026, on Thursday. The timely release ensures that the upcoming medical admission and counselling calendar remains strictly on track for hundreds of thousands of aspiring professionals.

Out of the massive pool of test-takers, 11.21 lakh candidates have successfully qualified for admissions to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH, and allied programmes. Candidates can now immediately access and download their scorecards on the official website, `neet.nta.nic.in`. Alongside individual scores, the NTA has published comprehensive merit lists, including the All India Rank (AIR) holders, state-wise and category-wise toppers, cut-off marks, and language-wise participation data.

Close to 20 Lakh Aspirants Appeared Globally

The high-stakes medical entrance examination, which took place on June 21, 2026, saw an immense turnout. Close to 20 lakh candidates appeared for the test across a vast network of 5,440 exam centres spanning 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. To accommodate regional diversity, the examination was administered in 13 different languages: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

A standout demographic trend in this year's results is the prominent success of female candidates. More than 58 per cent of the qualified pool are women. Furthermore, female aspirants achieved a higher qualification rate than their male counterparts, with 56.8 per cent of appearing women qualifying, compared to 55.1 per cent of men.

Aryan Gupta and Panshul Bansal Secure Joint Top Ranks

Achieving near-perfection, the highest score of 715 out of 720 was jointly secured by Aryan Gupta from Punjab and Panshul Bansal from Haryana.

The overall score distribution revealed highly competitive performances at the top tier. According to the data released by the NTA:

• 19 candidates scored above 700 marks
• 138 candidates scored above 690 marks
• 1,492 candidates scored 650 marks and above
• 10,160 candidates scored 600 marks and above
• 90,780 candidates scored 500 marks and above

An analysis of the 138 top-performing candidates who crossed the 690-mark threshold highlights a wave of young talent. Over 93 per cent of these high achievers were first-time NEET aspirants, and 99 per cent fell between the ages of 17 and 19. These top 138 rankers are spread across 66 cities nationwide, while the top 17 candidates, all scoring above 705 marks, hail from eight states: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

Toppers Emerge Across All 36 States and UTs

The footprint of success spans the entire country, with qualified candidates emerging from every single one of the 36 States and Union Territories. Total qualifiers ranged from over 1.7 lakh in Uttar Pradesh to 43 in Lakshadweep.

Notable toppers from diverse geographical regions include:

• Jigmet Yangchan Lamo (Ladakh) – 530 marks
• Dhruv Tripathi (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) – 606 marks
• Fahmida Anees (Lakshadweep) – 573 marks

The NTA data further revealed that 17 state toppers scored 700 or above, while 26 secured more than 690 marks, with successful toppers representing every North-Eastern state.

Category-Wise Breakdown of Qualified Candidates

The NTA has published the full distribution of registered, appeared, and qualified candidates alongside category-wise cut-off marks and percentiles. The total number of qualified candidates across various categories is as follows:
 

Re-Engineered Valuation Process and Timeline

The swift declaration of the results was made possible through a strategic re-engineering of the NTA's operational process. By designing administrative stages to run in parallel rather than sequentially, and by completely de-linking the OMR sheet challenge from the initial answer key release, the agency optimized its timeline. Each stage was fully completed and made visible to candidates sequentially:

• June 25, 2026: Provisional answer key published; challenge window open until June 28.
  July 13–15, 2026: Scanned OMR answer sheets and recorded responses displayed to candidates.
  July 16, 2026: Final answer key published and official results declared.

The NTA conducts the NEET UG exam under the statutory framework of Section 14 of the NMC Act, 2019, Section 14 of the NCISM Act, 2020, and for BHMS under the NCH, acting on directions from the Hon’ble Supreme Court and with the approval of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Education. The result data is also utilized for admissions to B.Sc. (H) Nursing, as well as BVSc and AH under the 15% VCI quota.

Counselling to Begin: Crucial Advisory for Candidates

Regarding the next steps, the NTA explicitly clarified its administrative boundaries. According to the agency:

"NTA’s mandate is to conduct the examination, declare the result on eligibility criteria provided by NMC, and issue the All-India Rank. Merit lists, category lists, domicile determination and counselling are the remit of the admitting/State authorities. NTA has no role in these."

Counselling for the All India Quota (AIQ) seats in MBBS and BDS will be managed by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). Meanwhile, state quotas will be handled entirely by their respective state authorities, and the AACCC will serve as the counselling authority for the All-India Quota in BAMS, BUMS, BSMS, and BHMS.

Candidates are strongly advised to rely only on official portals—such as `neet.nta.nic.in`, `mcc.nic.in`, and designated state counselling websites—for all future updates. The NTA has issued a warning urging students and parents to remain cautious against fraudulent calls, text messages, or unofficial websites offering direct admissions, seat blocking, or score improvements. The agency reiterated that it never contacts candidates to request money or personal credentials. Any suspicious communication can be reported directly via email at `neetug2026@nta.ac.in` or by calling `011-40759000`.