NEET · Exam basics

NEET eligibility: age, qualification, minimum marks and attempts

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 8 Oct 2026 · 7 min read

To be eligible for NEET-UG you must be at least 17 years old on or before 31 December of the year you seek admission, and you must have passed Class 12 (or an equivalent exam) with Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology, and English. For a medical seat you also need a minimum aggregate in Physics, Chemistry and Biology together: 50% for General candidates and 40% for SC, ST and OBC, with 45% for General candidates who have a benchmark disability. The rules below are from the 2026 cycle. NEET 2027 aspirants should check the 2027 information bulletin, which NTA has not released yet.

NEET eligibility at a glance

There are really two layers. The first decides whether you can sit the exam. The second decides whether you can take a seat after you qualify. This page covers both, and the NEET cut-off page covers the percentile you must clear.

Age limit

Minimum age. You must complete 17 years on or before 31 December of the year of admission. For the 2026 admissions that date was 31 December 2026, which means being born on or before 31 December 2009. If the same rule is used in the 2027 bulletin, the corresponding birth date would be on or before 31 December 2010. Check the bulletin to confirm this, since the date is fixed each year.

Upper age limit. NEET-UG has not applied an upper age limit in recent cycles, according to widely reported coverage of the NTA bulletins. We did not have the 2026 bulletin text open while writing this guide, so do not treat that as final. Open the 2027 information bulletin and read the "age limit" clause before you plan around it.

Older articles that quote an upper age limit may be describing rules from earlier years. If a page gives one, check whether it names the bulletin year it is quoting.

Number of attempts

NTA's bulletins in recent years have not set a cap on the number of times you may attempt NEET-UG, as widely reported. As with the upper age limit, confirm the clause in the 2027 bulletin. The practical consequence is that a repeat year is allowed, and NEET dropper strategy shows how to use one well. Each year you still have to meet that year's age rule and clear that year's percentile cut-off.

Educational qualification

To take a seat you must have passed the Class 12 examination of a recognised board, or an equivalent examination, with these subjects:

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology or Biotechnology (Biology or Biotechnology may be an additional subject)
• English

Each subject must be passed individually. These requirements come from the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (1997, as amended in 2018), which Tamil Nadu's 2026-27 prospectus quotes. In Tamil Nadu, candidates from boards other than the state boards, CBSE and CISCE need an Eligibility Certificate from the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University; see the Tamil Nadu counselling page.

Minimum marks in Physics, Chemistry and Biology

The percentage is calculated on the three subjects combined, not on your overall Class 12 percentage. Two worked examples show how this plays out:

• A General candidate scores 60, 45 and 52 out of 100 in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The total is 157 out of 300, which is 52.3%. She meets the 50% rule.
• A candidate scores 40, 45 and 55. The total is 140 out of 300, which is 46.7%. He misses the General requirement of 50%, but would meet the 40% requirement if he belongs to the SC, ST or OBC category (or the 45% requirement for General-PwBD).

Read the bulletin for how marks are to be counted if your board gives theory and practical marks separately, and for the proof required.

Candidates appearing in Class 12

Students appearing in Class 12 in the year of the exam have been allowed to apply in recent cycles. For them, the seat is conditional on passing with the required subjects and marks by the time of admission. Confirm this against the bulletin, because it affects whether you may apply while your board results are pending.

Who can apply: nationality

NEET-UG applications are open to Indian citizens, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and foreign nationals. Admission rules differ by seat type, though, and Tamil Nadu's state quota shows how:

• OCI/PIO candidates are eligible for Tamil Nadu's government-quota counselling, but only in the open category. They get no reservation. This follows a Supreme Court order of 3 February 2023, as cited in the state's 2026-27 prospectus.
• Indian-citizen candidates from other states face a nativity rule in the state quota, and that is dealt with in the Tamil Nadu counselling guide.
• NRI and foreign candidates have their own quotas and documents. Read the college or counselling authority's notice.

Category and reservation

The category you choose on your NEET application decides which qualifying percentile applies. For central seats, the reservation percentages reported for the 2026 cycle were OBC-NCL 27%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%, EWS 10% and PwBD 5% (horizontal). The OBC and EWS certificates must be in the central government format, and the OBC list used for central seats is not the same as a state's backward-class list. State counselling uses state rules: Tamil Nadu's, for example, is a 69% community reservation, laid out on the Tamil Nadu counselling page.

Keep your certificates ready well before you register, and check that the community certificate names the category you apply under. A certificate error discovered at counselling cannot always be fixed in time.

Eligible to appear versus eligible for a seat

Meeting the age and subject rules lets you sit NEET. Getting through to counselling needs three more things:

1. You must qualify on the percentile rule, which is the 50th percentile for General and the 40th for SC, ST and OBC.
2. You must meet the minimum marks in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, as in the table above.
3. You must meet the rules of the specific counselling you join. All India Quota and deemed-university seats go through MCC counselling, and state seats go through state rules.

Qualifying is only an eligibility step. A seat in a government college needs a much higher rank, and what score a government seat takes explains how to find that out from official data.

Fees

For NEET 2026, the general category application fee was reported as Rs.1,700, with other categories paying the amounts listed in the bulletin. The 2027 fee and the payment dates will be in the 2027 bulletin.

How PrepMatic fits

Eligibility is settled by documents, not practice, but your preparation year is not. PrepMatic's free assessment, about 15 multiple-choice questions with no timer, shows your weakest subjects and a projected score out of 720 before you commit a year to a plan. If you are choosing between a drop year and a first attempt, that starting picture helps. You can also set Tamil as your exam language. The Basic plan is free forever for one exam.

Frequently asked questions

What is the age limit for NEET?

The minimum is 17 years on or before 31 December of the year of admission. Recent NEET cycles have not applied an upper age limit, as widely reported, but verify this in the current bulletin because we could not check the 2026 text.

How many attempts are allowed in NEET?

Recent bulletins have not capped the number of attempts, as widely reported. Confirm the clause in the 2027 bulletin before planning a long repeat strategy.

How many marks are needed in Class 12 for NEET?

You need at least 50% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology taken together if you are General, 40% if you are SC, ST or OBC, 45% for General-PwBD and 40% for reserved-category PwBD candidates. You also need to pass English.

Can a Class 12 student appear for NEET?

Students appearing in Class 12 have been allowed to apply in recent cycles, with the seat conditional on passing with the required marks. Check the bulletin for the current rule.

Can OCI and NRI candidates write NEET?

Yes. NEET is open to Indian citizens, NRIs, OCI/PIO cardholders and foreign nationals. Admission rules and quotas differ for each group, and in Tamil Nadu OCI/PIO candidates compete in the open category only.

Is Biology compulsory for NEET eligibility?

You need Biology or Biotechnology in Class 12, and you may have taken it as an additional subject. Mathematics students who did not study Biology are not eligible on the rules quoted here.

Official sources

• NEET-UG official website (NTA): the information bulletin with the eligibility clauses.
• National Testing Agency: notices and FAQs for each year.
• Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee: the 2026-27 prospectus for Tamil Nadu government-quota admissions.
• Medical Counselling Committee: rules for All India Quota counselling.

Eligibility clauses can change between bulletins, so read the one for your exam year. For the overall exam, start from the NEET guide.

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