NEET refund row deepens as students flag admit card glitch; NTA issues clarification

CHENNAI: The National Testing Agency's (NTA) attempt to streamline the refund process for NEET-UG 2026 candidates triggered fresh controversy on Monday after several aspirants alleged that a technical glitch linked to admit card downloads had erased previously submitted bank details and created confusion over fee refunds ahead of the June 21 re-examination.

The issue surfaced hours after the NTA activated the hall ticket download link for candidates appearing in the re-test that was scheduled following allegations of question paper leak and irregularities in the May 3 examination.

Several students alleged that while downloading the admit card, the portal redirected them to a bank account verification page and prompted them to reconfirm refund details already furnished earlier.

"NTA's NEET refund verification is a trap. If you choose not to edit your bank details just to get your admit card, it says you 'agreed not to provide details for refund'. Why create such a misleading option in the first place? NTA should stop troubling students," alleged Jyoti Bhosale, an aspirant, in a social media post.

Subrat Kumar, another candidate, alleged that the portal forced candidates to verify details again despite prior submission. "When I selected the option saying I did not want to edit my details, the system showed that I had agreed not to provide bank details for refund," he said.

Amid mounting complaints, CPM MP S Venkatesan wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, urging the Centre to delink the refund mechanism from the admit card download process.

"The procedure for obtaining the NEET re-examination admit card should not be combined with the procedure for refunding the examination fee," demanded the Madurai MP, alleging that students were being subjected to another instance of incompetence and administrative blunder by the agency.

Responding to the backlash, the NTA said all candidates would receive refunds directly in the bank accounts updated on the portal and advised students to ensure that details were accurate and up to date.

"Those who are facing issues in updating bank details or filled incorrect information, will get another chance after the examination to fill correct details," the agency said.

The NTA also cautioned students against fraudulent calls, messages and links related to refund processing, asserting that it never asks for OTPs, passwords, or payments for issuing refunds.