The NEET-UG, originally held on May 3, was cancelled on May 12 after allegations of a question paper leak. File photo
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
A total of 11.21 lakh candidates qualified in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 re-examination held earlier this year, as the National Testing Agency (NTA) declared the results on Thursday. Nearly 20 lakh candidates had appeared for the re-examination held on June 21 following cancellation of the earlier exam due to an alleged paper leak.
These successful candidates are now eligible for admission into undergraduate medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), AYUSH, and allied courses nationwide.
Two candidates, Aryan Gupta from Punjab and Panshul Bansal from Haryana, secured the highest score of 715 (out of 720 marks) in the re-examination. Women aspirants registered a stellar performance, accounting for over 58% of the qualified candidates pool. They also outshone men in the overall qualification rate – 56.8% of the women who appeared cleared the exam compared to 55.1% of men.
Of the top 138 candidates (scores above 690), 93% cracked the exam on their first attempt, with 99% of them aged between 17 and 19 years. Nineteen candidates crossed the 700-mark threshold.
The examination was administered in 13 languages, including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, and Bengali.
State-wise results
Uttar Pradesh generated the highest number of successful candidates with over 1.7 lakh qualifiers while Lakshadweep recorded 43.
The top 17 ranks (above 705 marks) were distributed across eight States – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
Regional toppers included Jigmet Yangchan Lamo (Ladakh, 530 marks), Dhruv Tripathi (Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 606), and Fahmida Anees (Lakshadweep, 573).
Among the candidates who qualified, 5.12 lakh belonged to the Other Backward Classes-Non Creamy Layer category, followed by 2.91 lakh from General category; 1.59 lakh from Scheduled Caste category; 95,026 from General-Economically Weaker Sections; 63,716 from Scheduled Tribes; and 3,666 and 303 candidates respectively from Persons with Benchmark Disabilities and Persons with Disabilities categories.
Verification and queries
The initial provisional answer keys were published and a public challenge window was opened for candidates to submit queries from June 25 to June 28. Scanned copies of original OMR answer sheets and recorded candidate responses were hosted transparently online for direct verification from July 13 to July 15.
The final verified answer key was released on Thursday, followed immediately by the final compilation and release of all-India scorecards.
The NTA reminded candidates that its statutory mandate under the National Medical Commission (NMC) and NCISM Acts was strictly limited to conducting the exam and issuing all-India ranks. “Actual merit lists, domicile verification, and counselling seat allocations fall under the purview of respective State Authorities and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC),” Ministry of Education has stated in it’s official release.
“The NTA explicitly warns against fraudulent phone calls, texts, or websites promising seat blocking or score manipulation for money. Any suspicious activity can be reported directly to the authorities,” the release further said.
Eligible candidates can access and download their results from the official website at neet.nta.nic.in.
Published – July 16, 2026 11:04 pm IST
