NEET PG 2026 counselling begins: check previous year cut-offs for deemed universities

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is scheduled to begin the NEET PG 2026 counselling process in the third week of October 2026. This process will support admissions to MD/MS courses in deemed universities across India, following the declaration of NEET PG 2026 results and qualifying cutoffs by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on September 24, 2026.

For the 2026-27 academic session, the total number of postgraduate medical seats has increased by 12.1%, from 52,173 last year to 58,466. The MCC added 6,294 new postgraduate medical seats this year, with the number of medical colleges also rising from 603 to 638.

NEET PG 2026 Qualifying Cutoffs and Exam Details

The NEET PG 2026 examination was conducted on August 30, 2026, with a re-exam held on September 5, 2026, for candidates affected by a power outage at two centres in Jaipur. A total of 2,65,980 candidates appeared for the exam out of 2,73,096 registered candidates, across 1,111 centres in 339 cities.

The exam duration was 3 hours 30 minutes (210 minutes), comprising 180 questions for a total of 720 marks. The marking scheme allocated +4 marks for each correct answer, -1 mark for each incorrect answer, and 0 marks for unanswered questions. The official answer key for NEET PG 2026 is expected to be released on or after October 1, 2026. The qualifying cutoffs for NEET PG 2026 are detailed below:

Previous Year Cut-Offs and Closing Ranks for Deemed Universities

Candidates can refer to the NEET PG 2025 cut-offs and closing ranks to estimate admission possibilities for the current counselling cycle, as the qualifying percentile remains consistent despite a change in the total marks scale from 800 (200 questions) in 2025 to 720 (180 questions) in 2026. For NEET PG 2025, the General/EWS cutoff was 276 marks (out of 800) at the 50th percentile. The General PwBD cutoff was 255 marks (out of 800) at the 45th percentile, and for SC/ST/OBC (including PwBD of SC/ST/OBC), it was 235 marks (out of 800) at the 40th percentile.

In NEET PG 2025 counselling, the highest closing rank for neurosurgery at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, was 16449. For general medicine, Vels Medical College and Hospital, Tiruvallur, had a highest closing rank of 117507, while for dermatology, it was 122032 at the same institution. Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research closed its admission for the Pharmacology programme at a rank of 224406. Closing ranks vary by speciality, with competitive branches typically having tighter cutoffs. A summary of NEET PG 2025 closing ranks for various deemed medical institutions is provided below:

Counselling Process and Next Steps for Candidates

The MCC conducts NEET PG counselling for 50% of All India Quota (AIQ) seats in government medical colleges and 100% of seats in deemed universities, AIIMS, ESIC hospitals, and DNB institutes. The remaining 50% of government college seats are filled through state-level counselling by individual state authorities. Candidates are eligible for both AIQ and state-quota counselling but must register separately for each.

To participate in the counselling, candidates must register on the official MCC portal, mcc.nic.in, and pay a counselling fee, typically ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000. Following registration, candidates are required to fill in their choice of colleges and specialities in order of preference and then lock their choices. After seat allotment, candidates must report to the assigned college within the stipulated time to confirm their admission.

Further reading

• NEET PG 2026 Jharkhand provisional merit list released: submit corrected documents by November 1
• Kerala NEET PG provisional merit list released, submit complaints by October 29
• NEET PG cutoff: previous closing ranks and marks Next step
• AIIMS INI CET November 2026 admit cards released: download now
• FMGE October 2026: Download admit card by October 27; exam on October 31
• NEET UG 2026: Apply for private MBBS seats now; fees slashed up to 40% Applications open

Written by Nishit Kumar

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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