NEET MDS 2026 cutoff lowered: revised results and fresh counselling dates awaited

In short

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare lowered the NEET MDS 2026 qualifying cutoff by 20.576 percentile points across all categories on 13 October 2026.
The revised cutoff for General and EWS candidates is now the 29.424th percentile, down from the 50th percentile.
For SC, ST, and OBC candidates, the cutoff has been reduced to the 19.424th percentile from the 40th percentile.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has been directed to release revised NEET MDS results.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is expected to announce fresh counselling dates for the 2026–27 academic session.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on 13 October 2026 lowered the qualifying cutoff for the NEET MDS 2026 examination by 20.576 percentile points across all categories. This decision aims to help fill vacant postgraduate dental seats across India for the 2026–27 academic session.

The reduction in percentile points applies to General, EWS, OBC, SC, ST, and PwD candidates, with revised results and fresh counselling dates now awaited. The change is intended to allow more students to participate in the admission process, particularly those who narrowly missed the original cutoff scores.

Revised Qualifying Percentiles and Scores

Under the revised criteria, the qualifying percentile for General and EWS candidates has been adjusted from the 50th percentile to the 29.424th percentile. Similarly, for SC, ST, and OBC students, the cutoff has been lowered from the 40th percentile to the 19.424th percentile. The Unreserved Persons with Disabilities (UR-PwD) category has seen its cutoff reduced from the 45th percentile to the 24.424th percentile.

The NEET MDS 2026 examination was conducted on 2 May 2026, with results originally declared by NBEMS. Under the original criteria, the qualifying score for General and EWS candidates was 308 out of 960, for UR-PwD candidates it was 289 out of 960, and for SC, ST, and OBC candidates (including PwD in these categories) it was 271 out of 960.

NEET MDS 2026 Revised Cutoff: Category-Wise Percentile
Category	Previous Cutoff	Revised Cutoff	Reduction
General / EWS	50	29.424	20.576
SC / ST / OBC	40	19.424	20.576
SC / ST / OBC – PwD	40	19.424	20.576
General – PwD	45	24.424	20.576

Implications for Candidates and Counselling

The MoHFW has directed the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to release revised NEET MDS results based on the new qualifying criteria. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has also been instructed to announce fresh counselling dates to accommodate the newly eligible candidates. This revised timeline is expected to support participation in the remaining counselling rounds for the 2026–27 academic session.

Qualifying under the new rules does not guarantee a college seat. Admission will continue to depend on a candidate’s NEET MDS rank, their college choices, category, and the availability of seats. Students are advised to monitor the official websites, natboard.edu.in and mcc.nic.in, for updates regarding revised results and counselling schedules.

NEET MDS Counselling 2026 Event Status
Counselling Event	Current Status
NEET MDS Qualifying Cutoff	Reduced
Revised Cutoff Percentile	Announced
Revised NEET MDS Result	Awaited
Fresh MCC Counselling Schedule	Awaited
Remaining Mop-Up Rounds	New Dates Expected

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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