NEET MDS 2026 Round 1 Cutoff vs 2025: Category-Wise Expected Changes

NEET MDS 2026 Round 1 Cutoff is expected to be released on July 23, 2026, with UR category closing marks for top specialties likely ranging between 650–750 out of 960, based on 2025 AIQ counselling trends.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) conducts NEET MDS, and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) manages the All India Quota (AIQ) counselling rounds. The Round 1 cutoff reflects the lowest score at which seats were filled for each specialty and category in the first counselling round. Comparing 2025 closing marks with expected 2026 figures helps students gauge their position before the allotment is published. NEET MDS carries a total of 960 marks (240 questions × 4 marks each).

• NEET MDS 2026 Round 1 Cutoff release: expected July 23, 2026 on natboard.edu.in.
• Qualifying percentile for UR: 50th percentile; for OBC, SC, and ST: 40th percentile.
• Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery are expected to retain the highest closing marks in 2026.
• OBC closing marks are typically 50–65 marks lower than UR for the same specialty and seat type.
• Expected 2026 closing marks are marginally higher than 2025 due to increased qualified applicants.

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NEET MDS 2026 Round 1 Cutoff Overview

The Round 1 cutoff for NEET MDS is not a fixed threshold set by the exam authority — it is determined by the actual competition for each specialty seat during AIQ counselling. The qualifying percentile cutoffs below are set by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and remain constant across years, but the counselling closing marks shift annually based on applicant volume and seat availability.

Expected figures are based on 2025 NEET MDS qualifying score trends and are indicative only.

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Category-Wise Expected Cutoff Comparison: 2025 vs 2026

The table below compares 2025 Round 1 AIQ closing marks with 2026 expected closing marks across major categories. These figures represent the range across all specialties — high-demand branches sit at the upper end and low-demand ones at the lower end of each range.

OBC students can expect closing marks to be approximately 50–60 marks lower than UR closing marks for most specialties in 2026 Round 1, a gap consistent with 2025 patterns. SC and ST category students benefit from a slightly wider gap, making mid-demand specialties more accessible.

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Specialty-Wise Expected Closing Marks: NEET MDS 2026 Round 1

Specialty preference is the single biggest driver of where Round 1 closing marks land. Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery attract the highest scorers consistently, while Oral Pathology and Public Health Dentistry see lower competition. The figures below are for UR category, government AIQ seats, and are expected based on 2025 data.

Closing marks vary by state and institution type. Private dental colleges included under AIQ typically see slightly lower closing marks than government dental colleges for equivalent specialties.

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Factors Affecting NEET MDS 2026 Round 1 Cutoff

Understanding what drives closing marks each year helps you set realistic expectations before the official figures arrive:

• Applicant pool size: A larger number of qualified students directly competes for the same AIQ seats, pushing closing marks upward. Registrations for NEET MDS 2026 showed an upward trend versus 2025.
• Total AIQ seat count: Any increase in approved MDS seats or newly recognised dental colleges can ease the cutoff marginally. Seat intake changes are announced by the Dental Council of India before each academic year.
• Exam difficulty level: A harder paper depresses raw scores across the board, which can soften closing marks. A moderate paper — as seen in 2025 — tends to sustain higher closing marks.
• Specialty demand shifts: Growing awareness of high-earning specialties like Orthodontics keeps their cutoffs elevated. Less-preferred specialties such as Oral Pathology see more stable or even slightly declining closing marks.
• Choice-filling strategy: Students who fill fewer choices or leave high-demand specialties unfilled create vacancies that lower the effective closing rank in mop-up rounds, not Round 1.

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What to Anticipate After Round 1 Cutoff

Once MCC releases the NEET MDS 2026 Round 1 Cutoff and seat allotment result, the counselling process moves through well-defined steps:

1. Seat allotment letter: Students who registered, exercised choices, and meet the closing marks receive a Round 1 seat allotment letter from MCC on the official portal.
2. Reporting deadline: Allotted students must report to their designated dental college within the MCC-specified window. Missing this deadline forfeits the seat.
3. Round 2 counselling: Seats vacated or unfilled after Round 1 flow into Round 2. Closing marks in Round 2 are typically 20–50 marks lower than Round 1 for most specialties.
4. Mop-up or stray vacancy round: Remaining seats after Round 2 are filled through a stray vacancy round, which usually sees the lowest closing marks of the entire counselling cycle.
5. State quota counselling: Seats outside the 50% AIQ are filled by individual state dental counselling bodies under their own timelines and cutoffs, which are independent of MCC rounds.

Students who miss Round 1 by a small margin should remain in the counselling process. Round 2 and mop-up rounds frequently open access to mid-demand specialties at lower closing marks than Round 1.