NEET UG 2026 Registered & Appeared Students: State-Wise Analysis

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2026), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 3rd, 2026, saw similar candidate appearances as in 2025. This shows that the competition for the existing 1,28,976 MBBS and 27,695 BDS seats is expected to be of similar intensity to that of 2025. The query how many students appeared for NEET 2026 has become one of the most searched topics among medical aspirants after the exam. Many students are also trying to understand the total students appeared in NEET 2026 to estimate the competition level.

 

Candidates must ensure they follow all the required procedures in the upcoming counselling process within the specified dates and deadlines so that they have a chance of pursuing medical education in 2026. All the latest news, notifications, and dates & deadlines will be posted on the Medical Counselling Committee’s and respective state counselling authority’s official websites. This article provides an overview of NEET UG 2026, state-wise registered and appeared candidates for NEET 2026, registration and appearance trends over the years, and other vital information. Knowing how many students appeared for NEET 2026 helps candidates estimate expected cutoffs and counselling trends. The total students appeared in NEET 2026 will directly affect the counselling cutoff trends.

 

Overview of NEET UG 2026 Exam

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) was conducted by the NTA on May 3rd, 2026. The exam was conducted offline (pen-and-paper mode) from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (3 hours).

 

Candidates could obtain a maximum of 720 marks from 180 questions in the NEET UG 2026 exam. Of the 180 questions, 45 were from Physics, 45 from Chemistry, and 90 from Biology. As for the marking system, +4 marks will be granted for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong answer. No marks will be added or reduced for unattempted questions. The NTA will soon release the NEET 2026 answer key PDF download link on its official website. Several coaching institutes are also analysing how many students appeared for NEET 2026 to predict the qualifying percentile.

 

Every year, nearly half of the appearing candidates qualify the NEET UG exam and become eligible for the counselling process based on the percentile ranking system. 12,36,531 candidates qualified the NEET UG 2025 exam out of the 22,76,069 candidates who appeared for the same. Over 12 lakh candidates are expected to qualify the NEET UG 2026 exam, based on previous years’ trends. This figure also displays the intense competition for the available 1,28,976 total MBBS seats and 27,695 BDS seats in India. The statistics related to how many students appeared for NEET 2026 clearly indicate the growing demand for medical seats in India. The total students appeared in NEET 2026 figure also reflects the increasing popularity of medical education among students.

 

Also Read How many students registered for NEET 2026?

 

State-wise Registered and Appeared Candidate Figures for NEET 2026

As per the report published by the Times of India, 41% of the total NEET 2026 registered students, i.e., 9.4 lakh candidates, were from four states. The four states that contributed to 41% of NEET 2026 registered students include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Bihar. Students across the country are eager to know how many students appeared for NEET 2026 compared to previous years.

 

Even the participation or appearance for the NEET UG 2026 exam was high, with 22 lakh candidates, which further translates to 96.9% turnout rate. Only 69,976 NEET 2026 registered students (3%) had not appeared for the exam. Here’s a table showing the states with the highest NEET UG 2026 participation figures: