NEET MDS Cutoff 2026: Out at natboard.edu.in, Category Wise Qualifying Marks and MCC Counselling

The NEET MDS 2026 cutoff has been officially declared by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on June 2, 2026. General and EWS candidates qualify at the 50th percentile, equal to 308 marks out of 960. SC, ST, and OBC candidates qualify at the 40th percentile, which equals 271 marks this year.

The NEET MDS 2026 qualifying cutoff was declared on June 2, 2026, alongside the official result on natboard.edu.in — candidates who meet the percentile threshold are now eligible for MCC counselling.

Here are the key highlights of the NEET MDS 2026 cutoff:

• The NEET MDS 2026 cutoff for General and EWS candidates is 308 marks (50th percentile) out of 960.
• SC, ST, and OBC candidates need 271 marks (40th percentile) to be eligible for MCC counselling.
• PwD candidates under the UR-PwBD category must score 289 marks (45th percentile) to qualify.
• MCC counselling for NEET MDS 2026 has not started yet — the schedule will appear on mcc.nic.in.
• The qualifying percentile has stayed constant: 50th for General/EWS and 40th for SC/ST/OBC since at least 2021.
• In 2023, 2024, and 2025, the Ministry of Health revised the qualifying marks downward after initial declaration to fill vacant MDS seats.

NEET MDS 2026 Cutoff: Important Dates

The table below lists all key events in the NEET MDS 2026 cycle. Upcoming events appear first, followed by events that have already taken place.

Factors Affecting NEET MDS 2026 Cutoff

Several factors decide where the qualifying marks fall each year, even when the percentile stays fixed. Here are the main ones:

• Overall candidate performance: If candidates score higher on average, the marks at the 50th percentile rise too. A tougher paper pushes the cutoff marks down even when the percentile is the same.
• Total number of candidates: A larger candidate pool changes how scores are distributed. More candidates in the mid-range shifts the 50th percentile mark.
• Exam difficulty level: A harder paper lowers the qualifying marks even when the percentile threshold is unchanged.
• Total MDS seats available: Fewer seats make the admission cutoff (closing rank) tighter during counselling. More seats reduce competition for each rank band.
• Ministry of Health directives: The Ministry has revised qualifying marks downward in three of the last four years. This increases the pool of candidates eligible for counselling and helps fill vacant MDS seats.
• Answer-key objections: NBEMS resolves objections before finalising scores. This can shift qualifying marks by a few points in either direction.
• Category-wise reservation: Changes to reservation policies alter how seats are distributed among categories and affect how many candidates from each group qualify.

NEET MDS 2026 Category-Wise Cutoff

NBEMS declared the NEET MDS 2026 category-wise qualifying cutoff on June 2, 2026. The qualifying percentile is set by regulation. The actual marks at each percentile vary based on the exam and candidate pool.

Source: NBEMS NEET MDS 2026 Result and Cutoff Notification

Scoring at or above the qualifying cutoff makes you eligible for MCC counselling. It does not guarantee an MDS seat. You still need a competitive rank to secure admission to your preferred speciality and college.

Qualifying Marks vs Admission Cutoff

Many students confuse the qualifying cutoff with the admission cutoff. These are two separate thresholds, and both matter for your MDS admission.

• Qualifying cutoff (NBEMS): This is the minimum marks to be declared qualified. For 2026, it is 308 marks for General/EWS and 271 marks for SC/ST/OBC. You must clear this to register for MCC counselling.
• Admission cutoff (MCC counselling): This is the closing rank at which the last MDS seat is filled in a given speciality at a specific college. It changes every round of counselling and every year.

You must clear the qualifying cutoff first. Then your rank among all qualified candidates decides whether you get a seat and in which college.

Popular MDS specialities like Orthodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Prosthodontics at top government dental colleges have much tighter admission cutoffs. You may qualify at 308 marks but still not secure a preferred speciality if higher-ranked candidates fill those seats first.

The MCC admission cutoff for 2026 will be known only after counselling begins. Check mcc.nic.in once the schedule is announced.

NEET MDS Previous Year Cutoff Trends

The table below tracks the original qualifying marks declared by NBEMS over five years. This helps you see how the 50th and 40th percentile marks have moved from year to year.

For General/EWS candidates, qualifying marks rose from 259 in 2021 to 272 in 2023. They dipped to 263 in 2024, then climbed sharply to 308 in 2026. The rise of 45 marks from 2024 to 2026 is the steepest single-cycle shift in this period. This reflects stronger overall candidate performance in 2026.

For SC/ST/OBC candidates, qualifying marks rose from 227 in 2021 to 238 in 2023, then reached 271 in 2026. That is a gain of 44 marks over five years. The gap between General/EWS and SC/ST/OBC qualifying marks has held around 37 marks in both 2023 and 2026.

A key pattern: the Ministry of Health has revised qualifying marks downward in three consecutive years — 2023, 2024, and 2025. This revision adds more candidates to the counselling-eligible pool. Whether a revision happens in 2026 is not confirmed yet.

NEET MDS 2026 Counselling Process

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) runs the NEET MDS counselling for government and deemed university MDS seats across India. You must register separately on mcc.nic.in even after qualifying for NEET MDS on natboard.edu.in.

Counselling for NEET MDS 2026 has not started yet as of June 8, 2026. The MCC schedule will be published on mcc.nic.in once announced. Here is how the process works:

• Step 1 – Registration and fee payment: Visit mcc.nic.in and register using your NEET MDS 2026 roll number. Pay the counselling registration fee online.
• Step 2 – Choice filling: Choose your preferred MDS specialities and colleges in order of preference. You can rearrange or change choices before locking them in.
• Step 3 – Seat allotment: MCC allots seats based on your rank, category, and choices. Results are published on the MCC website for each round.
• Step 4 – Document verification and reporting: If you are allotted a seat, report to the allotted college within the deadline with original documents.
• Step 5 – Further rounds: Candidates not allotted in Round 1 can participate in Round 2 and the Stray Vacancy Round for remaining seats.

The admission cutoff — the closing rank at which each seat fills — is published after every round of counselling on mcc.nic.in. This data will be available for 2026 only after counselling begins.

How to Check NEET MDS Cutoff 2026

Follow these steps to check the official NEET MDS 2026 qualifying cutoff:

• Go to the official NBEMS website at natboard.edu.in.
• Look for the NEET MDS Result or Cutoff notification link on the homepage or exam-specific page.
• Open the result notification PDF. The qualifying marks for all categories appear in the document.
• Check your category row to confirm the marks you need to qualify.
• For counselling cutoffs (closing ranks), visit mcc.nic.in after counselling begins and check round-wise seat allotment results.