Joint Toppers Shine in NEET-UG 2026 Results with Record Scores
NEET-UG 2026 Results Announced
Representative Image (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi, July 17: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the results for India's largest medical entrance exam, with Punjab's Aryan Gupta and Haryana's Panshul Bansal achieving the top rank in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026, both scoring 715 out of a possible 720 marks.
This year, 11.21 lakh candidates successfully qualified, with women making up over 58% of this group.
Despite a decrease in the total number of qualifiers from 12.36 lakh in 2025, the qualification rate remained stable at approximately 56%, as the number of candidates taking the exam dropped from 22.09 lakh to nearly 20 lakh.
According to the NTA, over 93% of the 138 candidates who scored above 690 marks were first-time test takers. Additionally, 1,492 candidates achieved scores of 650 or higher, while 10,160 candidates scored 600 or more.
The results were announced following a tumultuous examination cycle that included a re-test due to a paper leak controversy. The NEET-UG exam, initially held on May 9, was canceled on May 12, leading to a CBI investigation, and was subsequently re-administered on June 21.
This year's top scores surpassed last year's highest of 686, as 19 candidates scored 700 or more, with 138 candidates achieving 690 marks or higher.
To address concerns regarding potential delays in the admission process, the NTA confirmed that results were released on schedule, ensuring that medical admissions and counseling proceed as planned.
"The results were declared on time through a re-engineered process, allowing stages to run concurrently rather than sequentially, and separating the OMR sheet challenge from the answer key release. Each stage was completed fully and made available for candidates to view," the agency stated.
These results come two years after the 2024 NEET controversy, where 17 candidates initially received perfect scores of 720, leading to criticism over the awarding of grace marks. Following Supreme Court-directed revisions, the number of candidates retaining the top score was reduced.
Uttar Pradesh produced the highest number of successful candidates, with over 1.7 lakh qualifiers, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Conversely, Lakshadweep had only 43 qualifiers.
The top 17 candidates, all scoring above 705 marks, came from eight states: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Seventeen state toppers scored 700 or more, while 26 candidates surpassed the 690-mark.
Among Union Territories, Ladakh's Jigmet Yangchan Lamo topped with 530 marks, Dhruv Tripathi led the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with 606 marks, and Fahmida Anees topped Lakshadweep with 573 marks. The NTA noted that every northeastern state was represented in the state-topper list.
In terms of categories, 5.12 lakh OBC-NCL candidates qualified, followed by 2.91 lakh from the general category, 1.59 lakh Scheduled Caste candidates, 95,026 from the Economically Weaker Sections, and 63,716 Scheduled Tribe candidates. The successful candidates also included 3,666 individuals with benchmark disabilities and 303 persons with disabilities.
NEET-UG, conducted in 13 languages, serves as the gateway to undergraduate medical education in India, facilitating admissions to MBBS, BDS, Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha courses.
Approximately 1.08 lakh MBBS seats are available nationwide, including around 56,000 in government medical colleges and about 52,000 in private institutions.
In light of the paper leak controversy and allegations of irregularities, the Centre has announced that future NEET-UG exams will transition to a computer-based format instead of the traditional pen-and-paper method.