NEET 2026 Results Show Increased Cut-Off Marks Amid Rising Competition
Updated – July 17, 2026 03:13 pm IST – CHENNAI
This year’s NEET results indicate an increase in cut-off marks by approximately 30 to 35 points compared to last year. The National Testing Authority (NTA) released the results for the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) 2026 late on July 16, 2026. The examination, originally held on May 3, was canceled on May 12 due to an alleged paper leak, prompting a re-examination on June 21.
Twelve students from Tamil Nadu scored above 690 marks in the re-test. Venkatapathi Velayutham V.A. achieved a percentile of 99.99915, placing 12th in the all-India rankings and topping the charts among Tamil Nadu candidates. Other notable candidates include:
- Srinika V. – All-India rank 27
- Sudar A.M. – Rank 45
- Vanisha Satish – Rank 51
- Sabaree G.N. – Rank 59
- R. Jaikrishna – Rank 75
- Samvitha P. – Rank 82
- Navithana V. – Rank 88
- Nikhil Sivananthan S. – Rank 92
- Janani Swethaa D.R. – Rank 112
- Rohith Mathew Rabindrarajan E. – Rank 115
- J. Jayakrishna – Rank 134
Four of these students belong to the Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) category.
Of the total 142,494 candidates registered for NEET (UG) from Tamil Nadu this year, 108,601 appeared for the exam, with 61,306 qualifying. Last year, 140,158 candidates registered, 135,715 appeared, and 76,181 qualified. The percentage of candidates qualifying from Tamil Nadu remained relatively stable at 56.45% this year, compared to 56.13% last year.
Nationwide, 138 candidates scored above 690 marks out of 720, with over 93% appearing for NEET-UG for the first time and 99% aged between 17 and 19 years, according to the National Testing Agency.
The increase in cut-off marks this year is attributed to a higher number of students achieving better scores. Career counselor Ashwin Ramaswamy noted that in 2025, only 73 candidates scored above 650 marks, while this year, 1,390 students reached that benchmark. He remarked, “This would mean that there would be more competition for seats this year.”
Furthermore, the proportion of students scoring above 600 marks has seen a significant increase. In 2025, 1,332 students scored above 600 marks, whereas this year, the number rose to 9,815. Mr. Ashwin predicted that Tamil Nadu should see around 76 students scoring above 650 and over 800 students scoring above 600 marks based on these trends.
According to the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) seat matrix released on July 13, Tamil Nadu will have an additional 950 MBBS seats for the 2026-27 academic year, bringing the total number of MBBS seats in the state’s 78 colleges to 13,999.
While the Tamil Nadu Medical Selection authorities have yet to announce the counseling schedule, applications for admission to MBBS/BDS courses can be submitted on the portal www.tnmedicalselection.net.
