NEET Cutoff — Category-wise Qualifying Percentile (2022–2026)
The NEET qualifying percentile each category needs, for General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD — every year from 2022–2026. Your percentile itself is the same across categories; only the bar you must clear differs.
Qualifying percentile by category — 2022–2026
The minimum percentile each category needs to qualify NEET. (PwD shown in the table below.)
Do you clear the 2026 cutoff?
NEET qualifying percentile — category × year
| Category | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
| EWS | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
| OBC-NCL | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 |
| SC | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 |
| ST | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 |
| General-PwD | 45.00 | 45.00 | 45.00 | 45.00 | 45.00 |
NEET qualifying percentile. Official NEET (UG) qualifying percentiles. These are set per category and have been stable: General/EWS 50th, OBC-NCL/SC/ST 40th, General-PwD 45th. Verified against the published NEET 2025 result (General 50th percentile = 144 marks; OBC/SC/ST 40th = 113). Note the PERCENTILE is fixed year to year while the qualifying MARKS move with paper difficulty - 162 in 2024, 144 in 2025.
How the NEET cutoff works
Every candidate's marks are converted into a percentile — the share of candidates who scored at or below them — and a minimum qualifying percentile is set per category. General has the highest bar; EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST have progressively lower bars under reservation. Because NEET is a single paper sat by everyone at the same time, there is no shift-wise normalisation: your percentile simply reflects your position in the whole cohort. This qualifying cutoff is not the same as a college cutoff — MBBS/BDS seats are allotted later by MCC and State counselling on closing ranks, which sit far above the qualifying percentile.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NEET cutoff for the General category in 2026?
The NEET 2026 qualifying percentile for the General (UR) category is 50.00. This is the minimum percentile needed to qualify NEET. The percentile bar is fixed year to year; the qualifying MARKS behind it move with paper difficulty - they were 162 in 2024 and 144 in 2025.
What are the OBC, SC and ST cutoffs for NEET?
For 2026, the qualifying percentiles are approximately OBC-NCL 40.00, SC 40.00 and ST 40.00. Reserved categories have lower qualifying bars than General.
Is the percentile different for each category?
No. Your NEET percentile is a single figure derived from where your marks place you among every candidate who sat the paper, so it is the same regardless of category. What differs by category is the qualifying cutoff (the bar you must clear) and your category rank.
Does clearing the NEET cutoff guarantee a college seat?
No. The qualifying cutoff only makes you eligible for counselling. Actual MBBS/BDS seats are decided later by MCC (All-India Quota) and State counselling based on closing ranks, which are much higher than the qualifying percentile.
Also useful: marks calculator · all free NEET tools.