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No NEET score can ensure NRI MBBS admission in all India. First a student must crack NEET, and then he will have to see whether he qualifies for an MBBS seat considering his All India Rank, NRI eligibility, preference of college and available NRI seats.
According to the official cut-off scores, the minimum marks needed to qualify for NEET 2026 are 213 for UR/EWS category candidates and 177 for OBC, SC, and ST category candidates based on the specified percentile criteria. But these are just NEET qualifying marks.
Has the student qualified NEET?
What is the student's AIR?
Which NRI seats actually exist?
What closed in the relevant counselling round?
Being an NRI, OCI, or being an overseas candidate does not qualify one to be in a different qualifying percentile. The student needs to meet the qualifying criteria for his/her respective NEET category.
| Category | Qualifying Criteria | NEET 2026 Marks Range |
|---|---|---|
| UR / EWS | 50th percentile and above | 715-213 |
| OBC | 40th to below 50th percentile | 212-177 |
| SC | 40th to below 50th percentile | 212-177 |
| ST | 40th to below 50th percentile | 212-177 |
| UR / EWS & PwBD | 45th to below 50th percentile | 212-194 |
| OBC & PwBD | 40th to below 45th percentile | 193-177 |
| SC & PwBD | 40th to below 45th percentile | 193-177 |
| ST & PwBD | 40th to below 45th percentile | 191-177 |
Keep the NRI cutoff resource handy while comparing NEET score, AIR, college options, fees and counselling rounds.
After qualifying NEET, the question changes. Parents should stop asking only, "Did my child qualify?" and start asking, "Which colleges were actually allotted near my child's AIR?"
For NRI students, the admission route usually falls into three broad groups: selected state-notified government NRI seats, deemed universities through MCC, and private non-deemed medical colleges through state counselling.
Limited and state-specific. There is no universal government NRI quota across India.
NRI seats are visible through MCC where included in the seat matrix.
NRI routes depend on the rules of the respective state counselling authority.
Government medical colleges do not have any NRI quota which is common to all of India. NRI quota is provided only by those states/institutes who have declared it through the present year’s seat matrix.
Rather than keeping the cutoff scores as "college specific," the following table presents some published 2026 closing AIR examples. Treat them as college level references, not one statewide cutoff score.
| State / Government Medical College | Round 1 NRI Closing AIR |
Round 2 NRI Closing AIR |
Round 3 NRI Closing AIR |
What Parents Should Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan - Government Medical College, Kota | 736,993 | 751,413 | 810,672 | Rajasthan has selected government NRI seats. The cutoff must be read college by college because newer government colleges can close very differently. |
| Punjab - Government Medical College, Patiala NRI-II / sponsored example |
583,811 | 1,094,655 | No Round 3 closing AIR shown in the reported dataset | Punjab separates NRI-I and NRI-II routes. The same college can therefore show different closing AIRs depending on the NRI subcategory. |
| Haryana - Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak NRI-2 example |
226,654 | 646,611 | 775,965 | Haryana uses tiered NRI subcategories. Compare the exact NRI tier before using any closing AIR. |
| Himachal Pradesh - IGMC, Shimla | 75,777 | 147,632 | 142,298 | IGMC Shimla remained one of the more competitive government NRI options in the reported 2026 data. |
| Andhra Pradesh - Government Medical College, Rajamahendravaram | 405,027 | 405,027 | 432,837 | Andhra Pradesh government NRI / management-linked seats must be checked under the exact state category used in counselling. |
| Karnataka - Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences | No Round 1 closing AIR shown in the reported dataset | 1,025,216 | 515,174 | Round movement can be large. A later round is not automatically easier or harder than the previous round. |
| Puducherry - Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute | 309,228 | 973,755 | 1,173,675 | This is IGMC&RI Puducherry, not JIPMER. Do not use older JIPMER NRI-seat tables for current planning. |
AIIMS should not be treated as a separate paid NRI MBBS quota route.
Do not use older tables showing a separate five-seat NRI / OCI MBBS route at JIPMER.
How to use this table: these are selected 2026 college-level closing AIR examples. They are more useful than one broad "government NRI cutoff" because each state, college and NRI subcategory can close differently.
Use this guide to understand NEET preparation, NRI eligibility, documents, counselling and MBBS admission planning from abroad.
For deemed universities, released 2026 MCC allotment results allow families to compare actual NRI-category AIR instead of relying only on estimated marks.
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| Deemed University | Round 1 NRI Closing AIR | Round 2 NRI Closing AIR | Round 3 NRI Closing AIR | What Parents Should Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasturba Medical College, Manipal | 598,830 | 511,934 | 627,182 | The closing AIR did not move in one straight direction across rounds. |
| JSS Medical College, Mysuru | 949,610 | 949,610 | 987,426 | NRI closing rank was substantially different from the self-financed merit-seat cutoff. |
| Amrita School of Medicine, Kochi | 969,765 | 748,263 | 736,334 | Later-round competition tightened in this particular 2026 example. |
| Amrita School of Medicine, Faridabad | 973,592 | 457,248 | 916,676 | Large movement between rounds shows why one round cannot be treated as the universal cutoff. |
| Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Pimpri, Pune | 907,478 | Check Round 2 allotment | 896,366 | Use the exact college name because multiple D. Y. Patil institutions appear in MCC counselling. |
*AIR = All India Rank. These are selected released 2026 counselling examples, not a promise that the same cutoff will repeat in another round or year.
Private non-deemed medical colleges are usually offered by the concerned state counselling body. The closing AIR for NRIs can differ greatly from college to college and round to round.
In the table, college examples from 2026 have been chosen so that columns such as “Round 1,” “Round 2,” and “Round 3” become relevant instead of being labeled “college-specific.” When data for any round is missing in the dataset, it is indicated accordingly.
| State / Representative NRI College | Round 1 NRI Closing AIR |
Round 2 NRI Closing AIR |
Round 3 NRI Closing AIR |
What Parents Should Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karnataka - SSIMS & RC, Davangere Private NRI example |
628,262 | 628,262 | No Round 3 closing AIR shown in the reported dataset | Karnataka has a large private NRI pool, but one college's closing AIR should not be used as the cutoff for the whole state. |
| Tamil Nadu - PSG Institute of Medical Sciences, Coimbatore | 247,039 | 295,858 | 295,858 | Keep Tamil Nadu state private NRI seats separate from deemed universities such as SRIHER, SRM and Saveetha, which are handled through MCC. |
| Kerala - Jubilee Mission Medical College, Thrissur | 116,256 | 169,657 | 169,657 | Kerala private NRI cutoffs vary significantly across colleges, so compare the exact institution and round together with the annual NRI fee. |
| Andhra Pradesh - Dr. P.S.I. Medical College, Chinoutpalli Category C (NRI) example |
703,308 | 703,308 | 703,308 | Use the exact Category C / NRI classification shown in the Andhra Pradesh counselling record. |
| Telangana - Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Hyderabad NRI-GEN example |
409,015 | 409,015 | 409,015 | Telangana private NRI seats sit within Category C / applicable NRI subcategories. Do not apply this cutoff to government colleges. |
| Punjab - CMC Ludhiana NRI-II private example |
548,605 | 945,567 | No Round 3 closing AIR shown in the reported dataset | Punjab has NRI-I and NRI-II routes. Confirm the applicable subcategory before comparing closing AIRs. |
| Haryana - Adesh Medical College, Shahabad NRI-2 example |
864,829 | No Round 2 closing AIR shown for this NRI tier | 568,756 | Haryana uses multiple NRI tiers, so the tier is part of the cutoff context. |
| Himachal Pradesh - MMU, Solan | 1,066,849 | No Round 2 closing AIR shown in the reported dataset | No Round 3 closing AIR shown in the reported dataset | Himachal's private NRI pool is much smaller than states such as Karnataka, Kerala or Tamil Nadu. |
| Uttar Pradesh - Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad Deemed NRI example |
1,119,695 | 1,101,947 | 1,101,947 | This is a deemed NRI example. It should not be confused with UP private open-state counselling seats. |
| Maharashtra - NRI route | No single statewide private NRI closing AIR | Use institution / deemed route | Use institution / deemed route | Keep Maharashtra state private colleges separate from MCC deemed-university NRI seats. Do not label BJMC Pune, KEM Mumbai or Grant Medical College as private NRI colleges. |
| Rajasthan - private NRI route | Use the exact private college allotment | Use the exact private college allotment | Use the exact private college allotment | Rajasthan also has selected government NRI seats. Keep government and private NRI cutoffs in separate lists. |
How to use the numbers: Each line represents a representative college for 2026, not the state cutoffs. Before making the choice final, you should compare your AIR with the actual college, NRI sub-category, and counselling round.
It is common for parents to start off with marks because marks are straightforward to interpret. Bands can be used just for research. After getting the results, proceed to use the AIR and closing ranks.
These are not official NRI cutoff bands. They are decision bands for planning the student's college search.
| NEET Score | What It Means for Planning | What the Family Should Do |
|---|---|---|
| 600+ | Strong national performance. | Compare normal merit routes and NRI routes before paying a high NRI fee. |
| 500-599 | Broad college research range. | Check AIR against MCC deemed and applicable state private NRI closing ranks. |
| 400-499 | NRI/private/deemed planning becomes more important. | Widen the college list and compare later-round vacancies carefully. |
| 300-399 | Options become more dependent on specific NRI pools and counselling movement. | Do not rely on famous colleges or old score ranges. Use released AIR data. |
| 213-299 UR/EWS | Student may be NEET-qualified, but admission position can be limited. | Check every available NRI route and avoid guaranteed-seat promises. |
| 177-299 OBC/SC/ST | Qualification and actual seat availability remain separate questions. | Use current seat matrix, AIR, category rules and round-wise data. |
The percentile criterion may remain constant but the marks corresponding to the percentile may vary greatly each year.
| Year | UR / EWS Qualifying Marks | What Parents Should Notice |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 720-138 | 50th percentile qualifying criterion. |
| 2022 | 715-117 | Lower minimum qualifying marks than 2021. |
| 2023 | 720-137 | Minimum moved back upward. |
| 2024 | 720-162 | Final revised qualifying range. |
| 2025 | 686-144 | Maximum score and lower qualifying edge both changed. |
| 2026 | 715-213 | Released 2026 cutoff. The minimum qualifying mark moved sharply upward. |
What this means: NEET cut-off marks should not be based on a fixed number such as 140 or 150. Percentile is a better standard than marks that are used to measure percentile.
This is the key difference for NRIs. The qualifying cutoff solves the question, “Am I eligible to undergo NEET counseling?” The admission cutoff solves the question, “In what rank was this particular seat allotted?”
| Point | NEET Qualifying Cutoff | NRI Admission Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Determines NEET qualification. | Shows the last rank allotted to a specific NRI seat. |
| Published by | NTA | MCC or the relevant state counselling authority. |
| Same for every college? | Category-based qualifying criterion. | No. It changes by college, quota and round. |
| Does qualifying guarantee MBBS? | No | No past cutoff guarantees a future allotment. |
| Best number to compare | Marks and percentile | All India Rank / closing rank |
Before filling choices, review the following criteria regarding NRIs: Eligibility, documents, quota, counseling and college plan.
There are separate pools for NRI category and 15 percent All India Quota. There are differences in the number of seats, requirements, fees, and competing candidates for these pools.
NRI seats are not the same seats as ordinary AIQ seats.
Candidates must satisfy the applicable NRI-document and verification requirements.
NRI tuition can materially influence demand.
Families may choose or reject colleges based on total cost and location.
The following table provides a more rapid view at the state level. In the "cutoff" column, the examples of AIR 2026 or the note of the counselling route for that year is used.
| State | 2026 NRI Cutoff Snapshot | NRI Seats / Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Karnataka | Private NRI examples reported from AIR 628,262 onward; government NRI examples also appear in selected institutions. | Large private NRI pool. 23 private NRI colleges were reported in the 2026 dataset; selected government NRI seats also exist. |
| Maharashtra | No single statewide private NRI closing AIR. Use the exact institution or MCC deemed-university NRI result. | Institution-specific NRI / deemed routes. Do not treat all Maharashtra private seats as an NRI pool. |
| Tamil Nadu | PSG Coimbatore example: 247,039 → 295,858 → 295,858 across Rounds 1-3. | 22 private NRI colleges were reported in the 2026 dataset. Deemed universities follow MCC separately. |
| Kerala | Jubilee Mission example: 116,256 → 169,657 → 169,657. | 29 private NRI colleges were reported in the 2026 dataset. Government colleges do not use the same private NRI route. |
| Rajasthan | GMC Kota government NRI example: 736,993 → 751,413 → 810,672. | Selected government NRI seats are available; 16 government colleges were reported with the NRI route in the 2026 dataset. Private cutoffs must be checked separately. |
| Punjab | GMC Patiala NRI-II example: 583,811 → 1,094,655; CMC Ludhiana NRI-II example: 548,605 → 945,567. | Government and private NRI routes exist. Punjab uses NRI-I and NRI-II subcategories. |
| Haryana | Pt. B.D. Sharma Rohtak NRI-2 example: 226,654 → 646,611 → 775,965. | Government and private NRI routes are available under tiered NRI subcategories. 21 private NRI college entries were reported in the 2026 dataset. |
| Himachal Pradesh | IGMC Shimla government NRI example: 75,777 → 147,632 → 142,298. | Six government colleges were reported with NRI seats; the private NRI route is much smaller, with MMU Solan as a reported example. |
| Andhra Pradesh | Private Category C example at Dr. P.S.I.: 703,308 in all three reported rounds. Government Rajamahendravaram example: 405,027 → 405,027 → 432,837. | Private Category C (NRI) seats plus selected government / management-linked NRI routes. 19 private NRI colleges were reported. |
| Telangana | Apollo IMSR Hyderabad NRI-GEN example: 409,015 in all three reported rounds. | Private Category C / NRI route. 27 private NRI colleges were reported. Government colleges do not use the same NRI route. |
| Uttar Pradesh | Santosh Medical College deemed NRI example: 1,119,695 → 1,101,947 → 1,101,947. | NRI availability is institution-specific. Keep deemed NRI seats separate from ordinary UP private open-state seats. |
| Puducherry | IGMC&RI example: 309,228 → 973,755 → 1,173,675. | Use IGMC&RI for the current government NRI route. Do not assume JIPMER has a separate five-seat NRI quota. |
There can be more than one NRI colleges, more than one NRI categories and more than one closing AIR in each round within one state. Thus, the most accurate 2026 comparison would be made based on exact college level AIR.
The first round is often referred to as the "2026 cutoff," but this is an erroneous practice because even the official 2026 results of MCC indicate that there can be a lot of changes in the NRI closing ranks.
| Round | What Changes | How Parents Should Read It |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | First important allocation among available options. | It should be used just for comparison and not the actual cut-off point. |
| Round 2 | Upgrading, resigning, and vacancies affect the pool. | Check the exact NRI seat location. |
| Round 3 | The leftover seat composition may be totally different from previous ballots. | Round 3 is not always supposed to be lower or have a higher AIR. |
| Later Vacancy Stage | Only few vacancies would be left. | To be used as a backup, rather than the main application process. |
Review reporting, upgrade and allotment decisions before acting on the seat.
NEET scores are helpful in analyzing exam performance. When counseling starts, it becomes important to use AIR because the list for allotment is based on ranks.
| Measure | Best Used For | Main Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| NEET Score | Preparation analysis and understanding overall performance. | The same marks can correspond to a different AIR in another year. |
| All India Rank | Comparing the student with actual counselling allotments. | Demand and seat availability can still change between rounds. |
| Closing AIR | Understanding the last allotted candidate for a particular seat pool. | Past closing rank is not a guarantee of future admission. |
This is an illustrative example designed to show the decision process. It is not presented as a real student testimonial.
487 alone does not tell the family which college is available.
The student's NRI-category documents must satisfy the applicable route.
Deemed universities and state private colleges should not be mixed into one cutoff list.
Use the college, NRI quota and exact counselling round.
Remove colleges the family would not actually be willing to pay for.
Keep ambitious, realistic and backup colleges.
"Can I get MBBS with 487?"
Ask:"With my AIR, NRI eligibility, budget and current seat matrix, which colleges are realistic?"
Not always. The fees could impact demand, but other factors like reputation of the college, location, hospital experience, number of seats for NRIs, and the choices of candidates could impact the cutoff as well.
Check the exact notified category fee.
These may be separate from tuition.
University, security and other fees may apply.
Plan for the complete MBBS course.
Cutoff research is incomplete if the family has not checked whether the seat is financially realistic.
Previous cut-off point will make decision-making easier. However, it should not be applied to exclude all colleges that are marginally more difficult for the student than his current one.
Colleges with better closing data than that of the student’s current ranking.
Colleges relatively near the student’s current AIR and budget.
These colleges that the student will attend if the other choices don’t pan out.
Use syllabus tracking, score analysis, college exploration and NRI admission guidance while preparing from abroad.
These student stories show how learners managed NEET preparation while attending school outside India. For NRI families checking eligibility, the practical lesson is to run the academic-document review and NEET preparation in parallel.
See how an overseas student handled NEET preparation beside a U.S. school schedule.
A practical overseas-student result story for families preparing for NEET from abroad.
Choose a NEET preparation plan based on the student's grade, current Physics-Chemistry-Biology foundation, school workload abroad and the amount of NEET syllabus still to be covered. For NRI students, the right course should fit comfortably alongside a U.S., IB, Cambridge or other international-school schedule.
Course hours and prices are planning references. Please confirm the latest course schedule, pricing and batch availability before enrollment.
These result boards show NEET outcomes from students preparing outside India. They are useful preparation references and should not be treated as proof of eligibility for every admission route.
Qualification does not guarantee an NRI MBBS seat.
Marks-to-rank relationships change every year.
The college, quota and round all matter.
MCC and state counselling are separate routes.
A strong score cannot replace required NRI verification.
Budget should shape the college list before choices are locked.
Use your NEET AIR, NRI eligibility, college fee, seat matrix and counselling round together to build a practical MBBS college list.
There is no separate nationwide NRI qualifying cutoff. UR/EWS candidates qualified in the 715-213 range, while OBC, SC and ST candidates qualified in the 212-177 range under the applicable percentile criteria.
NRI or OCI status by itself does not create a separate NEET qualifying percentile. The applicable NEET category criteria must be satisfied.
Do not judge admission chances from 500 marks alone. Compare the student's AIR with the exact NRI closing ranks for the colleges and counselling rounds being considered.
Some NRI, deemed or private routes may be worth researching, but admission cannot be promised from 400 marks alone. AIR, NRI eligibility, vacancies, fees and the counselling round all matter.
Qualifying NEET makes the student eligible to participate in the relevant admission process. It does not guarantee that a practical MBBS seat will remain available at a low score.
In the released 2026 MCC data, KMC Manipal's NRI closing AIR was 598,830 in Round 1, 511,934 in Round 2 and 627,182 in Round 3.
Yes. Upgrades, resignations, new vacancies, choice filling and the candidates participating in each round can change the final closing AIR.
There is no universal NRI quota across all government medical colleges. Selected states can notify NRI seats in particular government institutions, so the current state seat matrix must be checked.
No separate JIPMER NRI/OCI MBBS quota should be assumed from older admission information.
No. Tuition can influence demand, but reputation, location, seat availability and candidate preferences also affect the closing rank.
Use both, but AIR is generally more useful when comparing a student's position with released MCC or state counselling allotment results.
Use them to create ambitious, realistic and backup college groups. Never treat a previous closing score or rank as a guaranteed future allotment.
Compare your score, AIR, NRI eligibility, counselling routes, fees and released closing ranks before making the final MBBS choice list.
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