NEET coaching: 50 Assam aspirants to get free residential coaching, test on October 11

In short

Fifty medical aspirants from Sonitpur, Darrang, Biswanath, and Udalguri districts will receive fully funded residential NEET coaching.
An entrance test for selection is scheduled for October 11, 2026, starting at 11 am.
The coaching is open to Class 12 students and those who previously did not secure NEET seats.
More than 1,000 aspirants are expected to appear for the test, which will be conducted by Sai Vikash Foundation.
Five examination centres have been established across the four districts for the selection process.

Assam Health Minister Ashok Singhal announced on Tuesday, September 30, 2026, a new initiative to provide fully funded residential NEET coaching to 50 medical aspirants from four districts in the state. The programme aims to offer educational opportunities to underprivileged students and allow aspiring medical students to prepare for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) without financial burden.

The selection process for these 50 students will involve an entrance test scheduled for October 11, 2026. This initiative comes against the backdrop of nationwide outrage over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, which led to widespread student protests and renewed attention on the pressures faced by medical aspirants.

Free Residential Coaching for 50 Aspirants

Health Minister Ashok Singhal confirmed that 50 medical aspirants will be selected for the fully funded residential NEET coaching programme. The initiative specifically targets Class 12 students and those who were unable to secure seats after previous NEET attempts. The programme is designed to alleviate financial pressure on students pursuing medical education.

The initiative will initially cover aspirants from Sonitpur, Darrang, Biswanath, and Udalguri districts. “We are going to conduct an entrance test providing 100% free residential NEET coaching to Class 12 students and students who could not secure seats after NEET on October 11,” Minister Singhal stated.

Entrance Test Details and Centres

The selection test for the free residential NEET coaching is scheduled for October 11, 2026, and will commence at 11 am. More than 1,000 aspirants are expected to appear for this entrance examination. The Sai Vikash Foundation will be responsible for conducting the test and overseeing the entire examination process.

Five examination centres have been established across the four districts to support the test. These centres are located in Dhekiajuli, Tezpur, Mangaldai, Biswanath Chariali, and Udalguri. The specific colleges designated as examination centres are detailed below:

College Name	Location
LOKD College	Dhekiajuli
Darrang College	Tezpur
Mangaldai College	Mangaldai
Biswanath College	Biswanath Chariali
Udalguri College	Udalguri

Future Expansion and Context of the Initiative

Health Minister Ashok Singhal stated that the new residential NEET coaching initiative is being undertaken on an initial basis. He indicated that the program would be continued if it yields positive results, with the government exploring the possibility of expanding it to other parts of Assam in the future. Minister Singhal clarified the initiative’s purpose, stating, “It is not to compete with anyone but to attempt at providing good education to underprivileged students. If starting the initiative serves as a competition, that’s fine with me.”

This initiative is launched amidst significant controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2026 examination. The May 3, 2026, paper was cancelled due to an alleged paper leak, which prompted a CBI probe. A nationwide re-test for NEET-UG 2026 was later conducted on June 21, 2026, with over 20 lakh candidates appearing. The crisis led to weeks of student protests, sit-ins, and a hunger strike, with protesters demanding accountability and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25, 2026.

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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