CHENNAI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Thursday declared the results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2026, paving the way for counselling and admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other undergraduate medical courses across the country.
Among those scored above 690, at least 12 are from Tamil Nadu with Venktapathi Velayutham V A scoring the 12th rank with 99.99915%. Others who scored above 690 from the state are: Jai Krishna, Srinika V, Samvitha P, Navithana B, Nikhil Sivananthan S, Rohit Mathew Ravindrarajan E, Sudar AM, Vanisha Sathish, Sabree G N, J Jayakrishna, and Janani Swethaa D R.
The examination, originally scheduled for May 3, was cancelled following a paper leak. A re-examination was conducted on June 21. Nearly 20 lakh candidates appeared for the test, which was held at 5,440 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.
According to the NTA, 11.21 lakh candidates have qualified for admission to undergraduate medical and allied health courses. The agency said the results were announced on schedule to ensure that the national counselling process begins without delay.
Candidates can download their scorecards from the official NEET website.
More than 58 per cent of the qualified candidates are women. The examination was conducted in 13 languages, including English, Hindi and Tamil.
Aryan Gupta of Punjab and Panshul Bansal of Haryana secured the highest score of 715 out of 720, jointly topping the examination. A total of 19 candidates scored above 700 marks, while 138 candidates secured more than 690 marks.
Of those scoring above 690, over 93 per cent were first-time test takers.
The NTA said 1,492 candidates scored 650 marks and above, more than 10,000 secured at least 600 marks, and over 90,000 candidates scored 500 or more.
Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of qualified candidates, with more than 1.7 lakh students clearing the examination. State toppers scored above 700 marks in 17 States, while candidates from 26 States and Union Territories secured top scores above 690.
Among the qualified candidates, around 5.12 lakh belong to the OBC-NCL category, followed by 2.91 lakh from the General category, 1.59 lakh from the Scheduled Castes, 95,026 from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and 63,716 from the Scheduled Tribes.
The NTA said the examination process was streamlined this year, with the provisional answer key released on June 25, followed by scanned OMR sheets. The final answer key and results were published on July 16.
The agency clarified that its role is limited to conducting the examination, declaring the results and issuing the All India Rank. Counselling for the 15 per cent All India Quota seats will be conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee, while State authorities will oversee admissions under their respective quota seats.
The NTA also advised candidates to rely only on official counselling portals and cautioned them against fraudulent calls, messages and websites claiming to secure admissions or improve scores in exchange for money.
Candidates qualified: 11.21 lakh
Candidates appeared: Nearly 20 lakh
Exam centres: 5,440
Cities in India: 551
Overseas cities: 14
Women among qualified candidates: Over 58%
Languages offered: 13
Highest score: 715/720
Candidates scoring above 700: 19
Candidates scoring above 690: 138
TN candidates scoring above 690: 12
Candidates scoring 650 and above: 1,492
Candidates scoring 600 and above: 10,000+
Candidates scoring 500 and above: 90,000+
UP qualified candidates: 1.7 lakh+
OBC-NCL qualifiers: 5.12 lakh
General category qualifiers: 2.91 lakh
SC qualifiers: 1.59 lakh
EWS qualifiers: 95,026
ST qualifiers: 63,716
Tamil Nadu highlight:
Highest-ranked TN candidate: Venktapathi Velayutham V A
All India Rank: 12
Percentile: 99.99915