NEET (UG): eligibility, pattern, fees and dates
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for MBBS and other undergraduate medical courses — who can sit it, the paper, the fees, and the 2026 dates, from NTA's information bulletin.
✓ Last verified 17 September 2026
- Authority
- National Testing Agency (NTA)
- Who it applies to
- Candidates who have completed 17 years of age on or before 31 December of the year of the examination, with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English in the qualifying examination. There is no upper age limit.
- Documents
- Live photograph and scanned signature
- Left- and right-hand fingerprints (thumb impressions)
- Class X certificate and marksheet
- Identity proof
- Category certificate (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS), if applicable
- PwD/PwBD certificate or UDID, if applicable
- Proof of permanent and present address
- Documents for NRI, OCI or foreign-national candidates, if applicable
Uploads named in the 2026 bulletin's application steps. The bulletin also sets the file format and size for each.
- Fee
- 1,700 (General); 1,600 (General-EWS/OBC-NCL); 1,000 (SC/ST/PwBD/PwD/Third gender). Centre outside India: 9,500 for every category.
Processing charges and GST are payable in addition.
- Time limits
- 2026 cycle: application 8 February – 8 March 2026; examination 3 May 2026; result declared 16 July 2026.
- Official portal
- neet.nta.nic.in
The paper
NEET (UG) 2026 was a single-day, single-shift examination in pen-and-paper mode, lasting 180 minutes (2:00 pm to 5:00 pm IST).
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 45 | 180 |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
| Biology (Botany and Zoology) | 90 | 360 |
| Total | 180 | 720 |
Marking: four marks (+4) for a correct answer, minus one (−1) for an incorrect answer, and no mark (0) for a question left unanswered.
Languages: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
Who can sit it
- Age: you must have completed 17 years on or before 31 December of the year of the examination. For 2026 that meant being born on or before 31 December 2009. The bulletin states there is no upper age limit.
- Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, along with English, in the qualifying examination.
Not yet recorded here: the minimum marks required in the qualifying examination, by category. Check the eligibility chapter of the bulletin.
Fees for 2026
| Category | Centre in India | Centre outside India |
|---|---|---|
| General | ₹1,700 | ₹9,500 |
| General-EWS / OBC-NCL | ₹1,600 | ₹9,500 |
| SC / ST / PwBD / PwD / Third gender | ₹1,000 | ₹9,500 |
Processing charges and GST are extra.
The 2026 cycle
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Online application | 8 February – 8 March 2026 (until 9:00 pm) |
| Last date for fee payment | 8 March 2026 (until 11:50 pm) |
| Correction window | 10 – 12 March 2026 |
| Examination | 3 May 2026 (Sunday), 2:00 – 5:00 pm IST |
| Result | 16 July 2026 |
NTA’s press release of 16 July 2026 put the number who appeared at close to 20 lakh, of whom 11.21 lakh qualified.
After the result: two counselling systems
The bulletin separates admission into two tracks:
- All India Quota — the 15% All India Quota seats, together with the seats of the central institutions and deemed universities, are counselled by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Directorate General of Health Services. See NEET UG counselling: the All India Quota.
- State quota — seats under the control of state governments, union territory administrations and state universities are counselled by each state’s designated authority, under its own notifications.
Every dated window is also listed under Deadlines.
Changes to this page
- Page published from the NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin
Sources
- NEET (UG) – 2026 Information Bulletin Dates at a glance; Chapters 4, 6 and 7 bulletin
- Press release — NEET (UG) 2026 results press release
- NEET (UG) — official website web page
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