NEET Result 2026: What Next for a Kerala Student, Score Band by Score Band
NEET-UG 2026 was held twice. The 3 May paper was cancelled, the re-exam took place on 21 June and the result came on 16 July, with 11.21 lakh qualified and a cut-off of 213 out of 720 for general candidates. Here are the official numbers, then an honest table of what each score band can reach: a Kerala government seat, a self-financing seat, the all-India quota, a deemed university, or MBBS abroad.
In short: the NEET-UG 2026 result (re-exam of 21 June) was declared on 16 July 2026. About 19.99 lakh candidates appeared and 11.21 lakh qualified. The qualifying mark was 213 out of 720 for general and EWS candidates and 177 for SC, ST and OBC. Only 10,160 candidates scored 600 or more, so for most Kerala students the choice is between a Kerala self-financing seat, a deemed university at a high fee, a repeat year, or MBBS abroad. Any qualifying score is enough to go abroad, and the NEET result stays valid for three years.
NEET result 2026: the official numbers
| Item | NEET-UG 2026 |
|---|---|
| Original exam | 3 May 2026, cancelled on 12 May after allegations of a paper leak; the CBI registered a case |
| Re-exam | 21 June 2026, 5,440 centres, 551 cities in India and 14 abroad, 13 languages |
| Registered | 22,79,743 |
| Appeared in the re-exam | 19,99,895 (2,79,848 absent, the highest absentee count recorded) |
| Result declared | 16 July 2026 |
| Qualified | 11.21 lakh |
| Top score | 715 out of 720, shared by two candidates |
| Scored 700 or more | 19 candidates |
| Scored 650 or more | 1,492 candidates |
| Scored 600 or more | 10,160 candidates |
| Scored 500 or more | 90,780 candidates |
In 2025, 22.09 lakh appeared and 12.37 lakh qualified, with the general cut-off at 144. The 2026 cut-off is 69 marks higher, and fewer candidates sat the re-exam than the original paper: 19.99 lakh against 22.05 lakh on 3 May.
Did you qualify? The 2026 cut-offs
| Category | Percentile | Score range of the qualifying band |
|---|---|---|
| General and EWS | 50th | 715 down to 213 |
| General and EWS, PwBD | 45th | 212 to 194 |
| SC, ST and OBC | 40th | 212 to 177 |
| OBC, SC and ST, PwBD | 40th | 193 to 177 (ST PwBD from 191) |
Qualifying makes you eligible for counselling; it does not give a seat. It is also the only exam condition for MBBS abroad that the NMC sets for an Indian citizen: the NEET qualification serves as the eligibility certificate for a foreign medical course, as explained on our NMC rules page.
What each score band can reach
Marks alone do not decide a Kerala seat, because Kerala ranks only students who register with the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE). In 2026 the provisional Kerala medical rank list had 35,455 candidates. Use your Kerala state rank for the Kerala columns and your marks for the all-India column. The table is a guide built from the 2026 closing figures further down this page, not a prediction for any one student.
| Your NEET 2026 score | Kerala government seat | Kerala self-financing seat | All-India quota (MCC) | Deemed or private elsewhere | Abroad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 650 and above (about 1,500 candidates) | Realistic if your state rank is within the first few hundred | Yes, at about ₹8 lakh a year | Government seats of choice | Not needed | Not needed |
| 600 to 649 | Possible only at state ranks up to about 720 in open merit; reserved categories close at higher ranks | Possible; depends on rank and category (check the CEE allotment). About ₹8 lakh a year if allotted | Government MBBS likely | Not needed | Not needed |
| 566 to 599 | Unlikely in open merit; reserved categories may | Depends on state rank: seats closed at 9,716 in Phase 1 | General cut-off in Round 2 was 566 | Possible | Option |
| 500 to 565 | Open merit: no. SC/ST/EWS: check ranks | Depends on state rank: seats closed at 9,716 in Phase 1 | General and OBC: no. EWS from 560. SC and ST: yes | Available at high fees | Realistic option |
| Qualified, but below 500 | No | Unlikely | SC and ST at 471 or above only | High fees; seats usually available | Realistic option |
| Below the qualifying score | No MBBS in India or abroad. Options: repeat NEET, or courses that do not need NEET (see medical courses without NEET) | ||||
Three honest points about that table. Ranks, not marks, decide a Kerala seat, so a student with 580 and a state rank of 3,000 is in a very different position from one with 580 and a rank of 12,000. A closing rank in a past round says nothing sure about the next one. And a seat that a student could take is not always one the family can afford.
Kerala government and self-financing seats: last ranks in 2026
CEE Kerala allots MBBS and BDS seats in phases on the state rank. These were the last state ranks in open State Merit at the Phase 1 final allotment of 27 August 2026:
| Government medical college | State Merit | SC | ST | EWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kozhikode | 144 | 4,910 | 9,816 | 742 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 290 | 5,617 | 13,941 | 1,111 |
| Thrissur | 457 | 7,215 | 14,282 | 1,616 |
| Kottayam | 485 | 6,773 | 13,600 | 1,530 |
| Alappuzha | 625 | 7,916 | 14,389 | 1,764 |
| Kollam (Parippally) | 716 | 8,644 | 14,908 | 2,097 |
| Kannur | 717 | 8,521 | 15,738 | 2,001 |
| Ernakulam | 720 | 8,474 | 14,556 | 1,866 |
| Malappuram (Manjeri) | 721 | 8,730 | 15,279 | 2,090 |
In the same allotment the last open-merit rank was 1,753 at Jubilee Mission and 2,147 at Amala in Thrissur, and 9,716 at Palakkad Institute of Medical Sciences, the widest of the self-financing colleges listed. So a state rank beyond about 10,000 had no MBBS seat in Kerala in Phase 1 in open merit. The fee side is on the Kerala versus Russia fee comparison: about ₹23,150 a year in a government college and a provisional ₹8,10,175 a year at one self-financing college in 2025-26, with the 2026-27 fee still unfixed when we checked. The full 2026 allotment process, with phases and deadlines, is explained in the KEAM allotment guide.
All-India quota (MCC): closing marks in Round 2
The Medical Counselling Committee fills 15% of government medical seats in every state, and also deemed universities, AIIMS and JIPMER. In MCC's Round 2 for 2026, the last MBBS seat in the all-India quota was allotted at these ranks:
| Category | Closing rank | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General | 25,655 | 566 |
| OBC | 25,768 | 566 |
| EWS | 29,743 | 560 |
| SC | 1,20,870 | 478 |
| ST | 1,31,976 | 471 |
The figure that matters to a general-category student is 566 marks. Below it, the all-India quota in a government college was out of reach in 2026 unless the student belongs to a reserved category.
Deemed and private universities: the fee side
Almost any qualifying score can be turned into an MBBS seat in a deemed university in India, but at a price. Careers360's 2026-27 fee analysis of deemed-university medical colleges found the total MBBS cost above ₹1 crore at 46 of 62 colleges. The dearest, Sri Ramachandra in Chennai, costs ₹1.58 crore. The lowest-fee colleges in its tables began at ₹54.2 lakh (Symbiosis Medical College for Women, Pune). Amounts quoted are the colleges' own fees; hostel and mess are extra. For a Kerala family the comparison is simple. First-year tuition at the Russian state universities we cover runs from ₹2.4 lakh to ₹14.1 lakh a year, and outside Moscow six years of tuition come to about ₹14–33 lakh (the first-year price times six, before any fee rise), well below the cheapest deemed college in that list. What you pay in Russia is a longer road to a licence: FMGE and a year of internship in India. See the FMGE pass rates before you decide.
MBBS abroad after NEET 2026
- The score needed. Only the qualifying score, 213 for general candidates and 177 for SC, ST and OBC, plus Class 12 PCB at 50% (40% reserved) and age 17 by 31 December. There is no rank cut-off.
- Validity. A NEET result is valid for three years, so the 2026 score can still be used for admission in 2027 and 2028.
- Choose the university, not the country. Use FMGE results, English-medium status and the fee, in that order. The fees of every university we cover are on the fees page.
- Time. Russian universities begin the academic year in September and each sets its own last date for new foreign students. Ask in writing before you plan on a late admission this year.
Our NEET cut-off for MBBS in Russia article covers the eligibility rules in more detail.
Tell us your NEET 2026 score and Kerala rank
We list your realistic Kerala, all-India and abroad options with the fees for each.
Should you repeat NEET?
A repeat year is worth considering when the score is within reach of a rank that would bring a government seat, and when the student can stay motivated. It is a poor choice if the family is only waiting for the cut-off to fall. The NEET-UG 2027 dates were not announced in anything we could find, so a repeat year also means a long wait without fixed dates. Ask yourself three questions: how many marks would the student need to gain, how many marks did the same preparation add in the last year, and what happens to the family's budget if the second attempt does not produce a seat. If the answers are weak, a seat abroad this year, with the same NEET score, may be the better plan.
What to do this week
Download the scorecard and find your Kerala state rank
Get both from the NTA and the CEE Kerala candidate portal. Write down your marks, all-India rank and state rank.
Check what is still open in Kerala
CEE Kerala's Phase 3 joining closed on 14 October, and no stray vacancy schedule was published when we checked. MCC rounds beyond Round 2 are on mcc.nic.in.
Price each path for the whole course
Government, self-financing, deemed and Russia: the full-course totals, plus the hostel, flights and a reserve of 10–20%.
Ask Russian universities for their last admission date this year
Get the date and the documents in writing, and the refund terms of any advance payment, before you pay.
Start the documents that take weeks
NORKA attestation and apostille for the certificates take several weeks; see the NORKA guide and the admission steps.
NEET Result 2026: Frequently Asked Questions
When was the NEET UG 2026 result declared?
The NTA declared the NEET-UG 2026 result on 16 July 2026, after a re-exam on 21 June. The original 3 May exam had been cancelled on 12 May after paper-leak allegations. Check your scorecard on neet.nta.nic.in.
What are the NEET 2026 qualifying marks?
The qualifying band for general and EWS candidates starts at 213 out of 720, the 50th percentile. For SC, ST and OBC it starts at 177, the 40th percentile, and for general PwBD at 194, the 45th percentile.
How many candidates qualified NEET 2026?
About 11.21 lakh qualified out of 19.99 lakh who appeared in the re-exam. 10,160 candidates scored 600 or more, and 90,780 scored 500 or more.
What can I do with a low NEET score in Kerala?
If you qualified but your state rank is beyond about 10,000, Kerala MBBS seats were not available in Phase 1. Options are a deemed university at a high fee, MBBS abroad with the same score, a repeat attempt, or a course that does not need NEET.
Is NEET 2026 enough for MBBS in Russia?
Yes, a qualifying score is the only exam condition. The NEET result is valid for three years for study abroad. Choose the university by FMGE results and fees, and plan for FMGE and the internship in India afterwards.
Can I take a Kerala seat and still go abroad?
You can apply to both, but joining a Kerala seat and leaving it can cost you the higher options and the fee under CEE's rules. Read the prospectus conditions before you join, and ask a Russian university about refund terms before you pay an advance.
Sources: NTA NEET-UG 2026 result and cut-off figures as reported by Business Today, Medical Dialogues, Careers360 and Vedantu (16–17 July 2026); registration and attendance figures as reported by Deccan Herald, ALLEN and The Pioneer; CEE Kerala Phase 1 allotment 2026 as tabulated by neet2seat.com; Careers360 Kerala NEET rank list report (14 August 2026) and 2026 schedule; MCC Round 2 2026 closing ranks as reported by ETV Bharat (10 September 2026); Careers360 and Medical Dialogues analysis of deemed-university MBBS fees 2026-27; NMC public notices on NEET for study abroad; NEET-UG 2025 figures from NTA as reported by Careers360. Checked October 2026; third-party reports are not substitutes for the NTA, CEE and MCC notices.