NEST 2026 Qualified Candidates: Category and Subject-Wise Stats

NEST 2026 results are expected on June 24, 2026 — students who clear the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) and the Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) in the required subject sections will qualify for admission to NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai.

The National Entrance Screening Test 2026 was conducted on June 6, 2026. With 257 combined seats across NISER (200 seats) and UM-DAE CEBS (57 seats), NEST remains one of the most competitive science entrance exams in India. Qualification depends on two parallel criteria — a category-wise percentile threshold and a subject-wise minimum score — both of which must be satisfied at the same time. Based on NEST 2025 data, Physics and Mathematics sections have historically had the lowest SMAS values, making them the relatively more accessible sections for clearing the subject floor.

• NEST 2026 was conducted on June 6, 2026; the result and merit list are expected on June 24, 2026 at nestexam.in.
• Total seats: 200 at NISER Bhubaneswar and 57 at UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai, totalling 257 across both institutions.
• Qualification requires meeting the category-wise MAP and scoring at or above the SMAS in the subject sections that count toward merit.
• The merit list uses scores from the best 3 out of 4 subject sections (each worth 60 marks; maximum merit score is 180).
• Based on 2025 trends, Physics had the lowest SMAS at approximately 5.53 out of 60 for General category students.

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NEST 2026 Qualification Criteria Explained

To be counted as a qualified student in NEST 2026, you must satisfy two independent conditions simultaneously:

1. Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP): Your overall merit percentile — computed from the sum of your best 3 section scores — must be at or above the MAP threshold for your reservation category.
2. Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS): Your raw marks in each of the subject sections that count toward your merit total must be at or above the SMAS for your category.

Meeting only one of these conditions is not enough. A student who scores at the 98th percentile overall but falls below the SMAS in any of their counted sections will not appear in the merit list. The SMAS is computed as 20% of the average score of the top 100 performers in that subject section and is declared only after results are released. For OBC-NCL students the SMAS is 90% of the General SMAS; for SC, ST, and PwD students it is 50% of the General SMAS.

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Expected Category-Wise MAP for NEST 2026

The MAP thresholds have remained stable across recent NEST cycles. Based on NEST 2025 and prior year trends, the expected category-wise MAP for NEST 2026 is as follows:

For General category students, finishing in the top 5% of all test-takers is the minimum percentile bar. OBC-NCL students need the top 10%, and SC, ST, and PwD students need the top 25%. The actual MAP values for NEST 2026 will be published alongside the official result on nestexam.in on June 24, 2026.

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Expected Subject-Wise SMAS for NEST 2026

The SMAS creates a subject-level qualification floor. Even a very high overall percentile cannot compensate for a sub-SMAS score in a section that is counted in your merit total. The table below shows the actual declared SMAS values from NEST 2025 alongside the derived category-wise thresholds. These figures are based on 2025 data and are provided as a reference trend for NEST 2026. The actual NEST 2026 SMAS values will be declared with the June 24 result.

Physics consistently records the lowest SMAS, reflecting the relative difficulty of scoring high in Physics compared to other sections. Biology has the highest SMAS because more students achieve strong scores in that section, pushing the top-100 average — and therefore the SMAS floor — upward. Subject-wise, students who clear the SMAS in a given section are considered to have qualified in that subject. Since the merit list uses the best 3 out of 4 sections, many students qualify in all four subjects but are ranked on their top-3 combined score of up to 180 marks.

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How the NEST 2026 Merit List is Prepared

NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai each release a separate merit list. The process works as follows:

1. Your merit score is the sum of your best 3 out of 4 section scores, out of a maximum of 180 marks.
2. Your percentile rank is calculated from this merit score across all students who appeared in NEST 2026.
3. Students whose percentile meets or exceeds the MAP for their category and whose individual counted section scores each meet or exceed the SMAS are placed in the merit list.
4. The merit list is category-wise — separate ranks are assigned within General, OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, ST, and PwD sub-lists.
5. Qualified students appear on both the NISER merit list and the CEBS merit list, allowing them to participate in counselling for seats at either institution.

The NEST 2026 merit list and individual scorecards are expected to be available on June 24, 2026, on the official website nestexam.in. Scorecards will display section-wise raw marks, total merit score, percentile, and the qualifying status for each subject section.

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NEST Participation Trend Over the Years

The number of students appearing for NEST has grown steadily as awareness of the NISER and UM-DAE CEBS integrated MSc programmes has increased. The table below shows approximate participation figures based on available data:

With approximately 257 total seats and an expected pool of 32,000 to 34,000 students for NEST 2026, the seat-to-applicant ratio is roughly 1 in 125. The qualified merit list typically includes significantly more students than the number of available seats to ensure adequate participation across all counselling rounds. The exact number of students who qualify in NEST 2026 — category-wise and subject-wise — will be confirmed when the official result is declared on June 24, 2026.