NEET PG 2026: Will candidates with zero or negative marks get counselling again? Question resurfaces
With 258 candidates scoring zero or below, the debate over the NEET PG qualifying percentile has returned after the results.
The NEET PG 2026 result is out, and the qualifying percentile has once again become a subject of debate. According to the result released by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), 2,63,535 candidates have qualified this time.
Among those who sat the examination, 258 candidates scored zero or less. The lowest score is reported to be -59, with a percentile of zero. The question being asked is whether, as in the past few years, candidates with a 0 percentile or negative marks will be allowed to take part in counselling this time too.
The qualifying percentile for NEET PG was cut to 0 for the first time in 2023, after Covid-19. This made candidates with very low and negative marks eligible for the counselling process. The cutoff was again sharply reduced in 2025. A major reason was that PG seats were going vacant. NBEMS had told the court that more than 18,000 PG medical seats were vacant across the country and that the eligibility rules were changed to fill them.
A section of the medical community has questioned the decision to lower the qualifying percentile. In February 2026, the Supreme Court heard a petition on the issue and sought replies from the government and NBEMS. The petitioners had objected to the lowering of the cutoff and linked it to Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India. The UDFA also opposed the 0 percentile decision. The organisation argued that if candidates with very low or negative marks gained admission to postgraduate medical training, questions could arise over the standard of medical education and, later, patient safety.
The matter against the zero percentile also reached the Delhi High Court in January 2026. The court declined to interfere with the decision to lower the eligibility criteria. Arguments about public health risks and a fall in medical standards were also placed before the court, but it found no flaw in the process that would justify interfering with the counselling under way. The NMC had also said that candidates with higher ranks are given priority in counselling.
On seats, according to the seat matrix released by the NMC, the country has a total of 58,000 postgraduate medical seats this year, up from 52,173 last year. For this year's examination, 2,73,096 candidates registered and 2,65,980 appeared. The seat figures include 33,088 government seats, 21,892 private seats and 8,197 university seats.
