NEET UG 2026 ST Category Expected Cutoff: Qualifying Marks

NEET UG 2026 expected qualifying cutoff for ST category is 110–130 marks out of 720, corresponding to the 40th percentile, based on trends from 2020 to 2025.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the official NEET UG cutoff alongside the result on neet.nta.nic.in. ST students must clear the 40th percentile to be declared qualified and eligible for MBBS, BDS, and BAMS admissions. For government medical college admission through the All India Quota (AIQ), closing marks for ST seats are determined during MCC counselling and are typically lower than the general AIQ cutoff at the same college.

• ST qualifying percentile: 40th percentile (same as SC and OBC).
• Expected NEET UG 2026 qualifying marks for ST: 110–130 marks out of 720.
• NEET UG total marks: 720 (Physics: 180, Chemistry: 180, Biology: 360).
• AIQ ST reservation: 7.5% of the 15% AIQ seats at government medical colleges are reserved for ST students.
• Official cutoff: Will be published on neet.nta.nic.in after the NEET UG 2026 result.

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NEET UG 2026 Expected ST Category Qualifying Cutoff

The NEET UG qualifying cutoff for ST students is set at the 40th percentile each year. Students who score marks at or above this percentile are declared qualified. The SC and OBC categories follow the same 40th percentile requirement, while General category students must reach the 50th percentile.

Based on qualifying cutoff trends from 2020 to 2025, the expected NEET UG 2026 qualifying cutoff for ST category is 110–130 marks out of 720. All figures in the table below are expected and based on previous year data.

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Previous Year NEET UG ST Category Cutoff Trends

The table below shows NEET UG qualifying cutoff marks for SC/ST/OBC students from 2020 to 2025. The 40th percentile threshold has stayed constant across all years, but the corresponding marks change based on exam difficulty and the performance distribution of students who appear.

ST category qualifying marks ranged from 93 marks in 2022 to 127 marks in 2024 over this six-year period. The 2022 dip came from a tougher paper, while 2024 saw an unusually high cutoff following a grace marks revision by NTA. For NEET UG 2026, a range of 110–130 marks is a realistic estimate based on these trends.

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NEET UG 2026 Expected ST Cutoff for Government Medical Colleges (AIQ)

Under the All India Quota, 15% of MBBS seats at government medical colleges are allocated through MCC counselling. Of these, 7.5% of AIQ seats are reserved for ST students. Since ST students compete only among themselves for these reserved seats, the AIQ ST closing marks at any college are lower than that college’s general AIQ cutoff. The expected AIQ ST closing marks for 2026 by college tier, based on 2024 and 2025 trends, are given below.

These are expected ranges based on previous year AIQ ST cutoff patterns. Official AIQ ST closing marks for all colleges will be published on mcc.nic.in after each counselling round is completed.

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Factors Affecting NEET UG 2026 ST Category Cutoff

The NEET UG cutoff for ST students shifts each year based on several factors:

• Exam difficulty level: A tougher paper reduces the marks corresponding to the 40th percentile. The 2022 qualifying cutoff of 93 marks illustrates how sharply it can fall in a difficult year.
• Number of qualified ST students: A larger pool of ST students clearing the qualifying marks raises competition for AIQ ST seats and can push college-level closing marks higher.
• Total MBBS seats under ST quota: Any increase in government medical college seats reserved for ST students through AIQ or state quotas can lower closing marks for admissions.
• Marking scheme: NEET UG awards +4 for a correct answer and deducts 1 mark for a wrong answer, out of a total of 720. The raw score directly determines rank and percentile standing.
• Grace marks and score revisions: In years when NTA revises scores due to paper issues (as in 2024), the qualifying cutoff can spike above the usual trend, as seen with the 127-mark ST cutoff that year.