NEST 2027 Eligibility Criteria: Age Limit, Qualification and Number of Attempts

NEST 2027 eligibility requires students to have passed or be appearing in Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, a minimum 60% aggregate (50% for SC/ST/PwD), and a date of birth on or after August 1, 2004 for general category students.

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2027 is conducted for admission to the 5-year Integrated M.Sc. programme at NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai. Before applying, students must carefully check the eligibility conditions covering age limit, educational qualification, Class 12 year, and total permitted attempts. Meeting all these conditions is mandatory to appear for NEST 2027.

• Conducting Bodies: NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai.
• Age Limit (General/OBC-NCL): Born on or after August 1, 2004 (expected, based on 2026 trends).
• Age Limit (SC/ST/PwD): Born on or after August 1, 1999 — 5-year relaxation applies.
• Qualification: Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects.
• Minimum Marks (General/OBC-NCL): 60% aggregate in Class 12.
• Minimum Marks (SC/ST/PwD): 50% aggregate in Class 12.
• Eligible Class 12 Year: Passed in 2026 or appearing in 2027.
• Number of Attempts: Maximum 2 attempts across all NEST cycles.

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NEST 2027 Eligibility Criteria Overview

NEST is a national-level entrance exam for admission to the Integrated M.Sc. programme in sciences offered jointly by NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai. The eligibility criteria span four key areas: age limit, subject combination in Class 12, minimum marks, and total permitted attempts. Students must satisfy all four conditions to be eligible for NEST 2027.

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Age Limit for NEST 2027

NEST 2027 sets a date-of-birth-based age limit for every category. General and OBC-NCL category students must have been born on or after August 1, 2004 (expected, based on 2026 trends). Students born before this date are not eligible to appear for NEST 2027 regardless of their Class 12 marks.

Reserved category students receive a relaxation of 5 years. SC, ST, and PwD students must have been born on or after August 1, 1999 (expected, based on 2026 trends). The official dates will be confirmed in the NEST 2027 information brochure released on nestexam.in.

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Educational Qualification for NEST 2027

Students must have passed or be appearing in Class 12 from a recognized central or state board. Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics must be compulsory subjects in Class 12. Students who studied Biology instead of Mathematics alongside Physics and Chemistry are not eligible for NEST.

Only students who passed Class 12 in 2026 or are appearing in Class 12 in 2027 can apply for NEST 2027. Students who passed Class 12 in 2025 or earlier do not meet the qualification year requirement and are ineligible regardless of their marks or subject combination.

Students who appeared in Class 12 but have not yet received their results at the time of the NEST 2027 application can apply provisionally. Students already enrolled in any degree programme at any institution are not eligible to apply for NEST 2027. Admission through NEST is exclusively for students entering higher education directly after Class 12.

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Number of Attempts for NEST 2027

NEST restricts the total number of times any student can appear for the exam. Each student is permitted a maximum of 2 attempts across all NEST exam cycles. This limit works in direct combination with the Class 12 year eligibility rule, which allows only students from the 2026 and 2027 batch.

• Students who appeared for NEST 2026 can appear again for NEST 2027. This will be their second and final attempt.
• Students appearing in Class 12 in 2027 and sitting for NEST 2027 for the first time will have one more eligible attempt in NEST 2028 (subject to that year’s eligibility rules).
• Students who passed Class 12 in 2026 but did not appear for NEST 2026 can use NEST 2027 as their first attempt.
• Students who have already exhausted both attempts in previous exam cycles are not eligible for NEST 2027.

There are no exceptions to the 2-attempt rule. Submitting an application after exhausting the permitted number of attempts can result in disqualification at any stage of the process. Students must track their previous NEST appearances before applying.

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Category-wise Eligibility for NEST 2027

NEST 2027 follows the Government of India reservation policy for all categories. Students must select their correct category at the time of application. Category-based relaxations apply to age limit and minimum qualifying marks but not to the compulsory subject requirement or the 2-attempt limit.

Students claiming OBC-NCL status must produce a valid Non-Creamy Layer certificate issued by a competent authority. SC and ST certificates must conform to central government norms. Category declared in the application form cannot be changed after final submission. Students holding both PwD and SC/ST status can claim the applicable combined relaxations as per NEST rules.