The National Testing Agency (NTA) has declared the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), NEET (UG) 2026. The highest score of 715 out of 720 was jointly achieved by two candidates — Aryan Gupta from Punjab and Panshul Bansal from Haryana.
According to the NTA, the top performers in this year's exam come from across the country. A total of 138 top rankers hail from 66 different cities. Among them, 17 candidates scored more than 705 marks. These top scorers span eight states: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
Over 11 Lakh Candidates Qualify in NEET UG 2026
This year, approximately 20 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET UG exam. The test was conducted at 5,440 centres spread across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Out of these, 11.21 lakh candidates have successfully qualified.
The qualified candidates are now eligible for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH, and allied programmes across the country.
Women Candidates Lead in Qualifying Numbers
More than 58 per cent of the qualified candidates are women. This continues a trend where female candidates have consistently outperformed or matched their male counterparts in terms of qualifying percentages in recent years.
The NTA has not yet released a detailed breakdown of category-wise or state-wise pass percentages, but the overall qualification rate stands at over 56 per cent of the total candidates who appeared.
Our Take: A Clear Picture of Merit
The NEET UG 2026 results present a straightforward picture of academic merit. The joint toppers from Punjab and Haryana scoring 715 out of 720 shows that the competition remains intense at the top. With 138 top rankers spread across 66 cities, it is clear that talent is distributed widely across the country, not concentrated in just a few metro cities.
The fact that more than 58 per cent of qualified candidates are women is a positive sign for gender parity in medical education. However, with 20 lakh candidates appearing and only 11.21 lakh qualifying, the pressure on students remains extremely high. The NTA must ensure that the examination process is transparent and fair, especially given past controversies around grace marks and retests.
For the lakhs of students who did not qualify, this result is a setback, but it should not be the end of the road. The medical field has many entry points, and alternative career paths remain open. For those who qualified, the next step is counselling and seat allocation, which will be another challenging phase.
