NEET PG 2026 Low Score: Cutoff 262, MCC Rules and Your Options

Updated 16 October 2026. MCC has now published the 2026 PG schedule: Round 1 registration runs to 21 October and choice filling to 22 October, as reported by Careers360 from MCC’s notice. Figures below are from newspaper and portal reports of the NBEMS and MCC notices; NBEMS’s and MCC’s own pages were not reachable for us, so check natboard.edu.in and mcc.nic.in before you act.

What the 2026 numbers say

The exam was held on 30 August 2026, with a re-exam for 2,416 candidates at a Jaipur centre on 5 September after a power failure. The 2025 cycle looked different: the original cutoffs were 276, 255 and 235 out of 800, but NBEMS later lowered the qualifying percentiles to the 7th for General/EWS (103 marks) and the 5th for General-PwBD (90), and to the 0th for SC/ST/OBC (minus 40). That reversal shows where the real barrier sits: rank and seat availability, not the qualifying line.

MCC 2026 Round 1 is open

The 2026 fees match the 2025 amounts below: ₹1,000 and a ₹25,000 deposit for General AIQ seats, ₹500 and ₹10,000 for SC/ST/OBC, and ₹5,000 and ₹2,00,000 for deemed universities. To see which clinical branches went deepest on 2025 ranks, read our least competitive clinical branches list.

How MCC PG counselling works, from MCC’s 2025 bulletin

• Four rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and a stray vacancy round.
• Fees and deposits: All India Quota — registration ₹1,000 and deposit ₹25,000 (unreserved), ₹500 and ₹10,000 (reserved); deemed universities — ₹5,000 registration and a ₹2,00,000 deposit.
• Free exit exists in Round 1 only: a Round 1 allottee may opt out and go straight to Round 2.
• Join or forfeit: the deposit is forfeited if you are allotted a seat in Round 2 or later and do not join. In Round 3, not joining also eliminates you from further MCC rounds, and a joined Round 3 seat cannot be resigned or upgraded.
• The stray round needs a fresh registration and fresh choice filling.
• Service bonds and stipends vary by state and institute, and MCC has no role in them — ask each college in writing.

These are 2025 rules. MCC issues a new bulletin each cycle, so treat every amount here as the amount to look for, not the amount to assume.

What a low score can realistically do

Two facts are worth more than any branch list. Seats do go vacant: in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on 17 March 2026, the government said 1,140 PG seats remained vacant after the 2025 stray round, and MCC’s stray round that year had 2,980 clear vacancies, of which 2,799 were filled. Reports attribute vacancies to high fees, stipends and lack of interest in non-clinical specialities. But which clinical branches close last is not published in any official source we could find, so we do not name branches as “easy”: any list that does is guessing, and MCC’s round-wise closing ranks, published after each round, are the only reliable guide.

How to shortlist without guessing

1. Wait for your rank from the scorecard (from 1 October) and for MCC’s schedule and seat matrix.
2. Use last year’s and this year’s closing ranks for the branch and college pairs you want, from MCC’s round-result documents — not from a coaching site’s prediction.
3. Check that the seat is recognised, not merely permitted. A newly sanctioned seat carries risk a recognised one does not; check the college’s status in NMC’s published PG seat information before you lock it.
4. Get the fee, the bond and the stipend in writing. MCC does not fix college fees, and private and deemed fees vary enormously by branch and college.
5. Compare DNB honestly. DNB admission is run separately by NBEMS, not by MCC; the “rank under 25,000 gets DNB” lists you may see are reference tables built on last year’s data, not an official rule.
6. Plan for the stray round and keep the deposit rules in mind before you lock a seat you may not join.

What to ignore

Any offer of a “direct clinical seat”, a “guaranteed branch” or a “management seat without counselling” is not a shortcut. MCC and the state authorities allot every seat by rank, and a payment outside that process buys nothing you can enforce. The same warning we give for MBBS applies here: verify the college and the allotment before you pay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NEET PG 2026 cutoff?

The qualifying cutoff is 262 for General/EWS, 244 for General-PwBD and 226 for SC/ST/OBC, reported out of 720. NBEMS declared the result on 24 September 2026, with scorecards available from 1 October.

Can I get MD or MS with a low NEET PG score?

Seats are allotted by rank in MCC counselling, so a low rank generally means later rounds and deemed or private seats, with fees you must check. Seats have gone vacant in recent cycles, but no official source publishes which clinical branches close last, so avoid lists that name them.

Is there free exit in MCC PG counselling?

Under MCC’s 2025 bulletin, a Round 1 allottee can opt out and go straight to Round 2. In Round 2 and later, not joining an allotted seat forfeits the security deposit, and in Round 3 it also eliminates you from further rounds.

What is the security deposit in MCC PG counselling?

Under the 2025 bulletin: ₹25,000 (unreserved) or ₹10,000 (reserved) for All India Quota seats, and ₹2,00,000 for deemed universities, plus a registration fee. MCC issues a new bulletin each cycle, so confirm the 2026 amounts.

Is a direct clinical seat without counselling possible?

No. MD/MS seats are allotted through MCC or state counselling on NEET PG rank. Offers of guaranteed or direct clinical seats are not enforceable and are the pattern of admission fraud.

Sources

• Careers360 — NEET PG counselling 2026 live (schedule and fees, 14 October)
• NBEMS — NEET PG
• MCC — PG counselling
• MCC PG information bulletin 2025 (PDF)
• Deccan Chronicle — NEET PG 2026 results declared, General cut-off 262
• The Tribune — NEET PG 2026 general cut-off 262, scorecards from Oct 1
• Careers360 — NEET PG 2025 cut-offs lowered
• Medical Dialogues — 1,140 PG seats vacant after the 2025 stray round

Sources and how to verify this page

Cutoffs and fees on this page are compiled estimates for the 2026 cycle, not official figures. Every claim about eligibility, counselling process and legality can be checked against the primary sources below, and you should check them before acting.

• National Medical Commission — recognised colleges and seat matrix
• Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) — deemed and all-India quota
• National Testing Agency — NEET-UG results and percentiles
• UP DGME — Uttar Pradesh private MBBS counselling
• BCECEB — Bihar private MBBS counselling

Found something wrong? Report a correction — we publish what changed and when.