NEET PG 2026 Eligibility Criteria - Check Age Limit, Marks Required, No of Attempts, Important Factor

About NEET PG Eligibility Criteria 2026

NEET PG eligibility criteria 2026 require students to pass MBBS from a recognised college accredited by the Indian Medical Council Act 1956. Students' MBBS degrees must be issued by the MCI SMC or the Medical Council of India. The National Board of Examinations for Medical Sciences (NBEMS) publishes the NEET PG 2026 Eligibility Criteria every year. Students must meet the NEET PG 2026 eligibility criteria for admission to PG programs in the colleges accepting NEET PG scores in India. The NBE authorities will issue the NEET PG admit card only to the eligible students, and they must register themselves online.

The NEET PG 2026 Eligibility Criteria describes the requirements to be fulfilled by the students, including the age limit, minimum educational qualification required, caste category reservation, registration requirements, etc. Students must at least score 55% marks in aggregate in their MBBS degree to be eligible for NEET PG registration 2026. However, the NBEMS is responsible for deciding the age criteria of aspiring students seeking admission into postgraduate medical courses through NEET PG 2026 Exam qualifications. On this page, know in detail about the NEET PG eligibility requirements, age limits, and more.

NEET PG Eligibility Criteria 2026 Highlights

Before discussing more about the topic, let us take a look at the important highlights of NEET PG 2026 Eligibility Criteria for the convenience of the aspirants.

NEET PG 2026 Eligibility Criteria

There are certain eligibility parameters that students must meet to appear for the NEET PG examinations. Students can find the eligibility criteria for the NEET PG examination given below.

• Academic Qualifications:

Students must have passed their MBBS degree from a university recognised by the MCI authorities. The certificate is recognised as per the NMC Act of 2019 and the Postgraduate Medical Regulations 2023. Their degree must be issued by the MCI or State Medical Council of India

• Internship Requirement:

To fulfill the NEET PG eligibility criteria for 2026, applicants must provide an original 1-year internship certificate, specifying the dates of commencement and conclusion of the Compulsory Rotating Resident Internship program. The internship must be completed on or before August 15, 2026.

• Age Criteria:

There is no specific upper or lower age limit for NEET PG 2026. Candidates need to hold an MBBS degree and complete the mandatory internship to qualify for the examination.

• Domicile Considerations:

According to the NEET PG 2026 eligibility criteria, candidates with an MBBS degree from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Jammu & Kashmir are ineligible for seats under the All India Quota. However, candidates from Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir who secure admission to government medical colleges remain eligible for the All India 50% Quota.

Applicants from these states must submit a signed affidavit confirming centralized counselling admission along with the NEET PG Application Form submission acknowledgement. This declaration should be sent to the Deputy Director (Examinations) at the specified address.

NEET PG Eligibility Criteria 2026 - For Foreign Medical Graduates

The NEET PG 2026 Eligibility Criteria for Indian Citizens and Overseas Citizens are listed below. The eligibility criteria for NEET PG 2026 for Indian Citizens and Overseas Citizens have been outlined by the National Board of Examinations. Here's a breakdown of the key requirements:

• Nationality: Aspirants must be either an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) or an Indian citizen to be eligible for NEET PG 2026.
• FMGE Pass Certificate: Candidates who completed their Primary Medical Qualifications from medical colleges outside India need to qualify for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in India. Upon successfully clearing the FMGE screening test conducted by the Medical Council of India (MCI), candidates will receive a Pass Certificate. This certificate is a prerequisite and must be presented to the official authorities on the NEET PG 2026 exam day.
• Internship: All foreign medical graduates must fulfil their internship requirements on or before July 31, 2026, to be considered eligible for the NEET PG exam. Candidates must have completed their internship by this date for their candidature to be deemed valid for NEET PG 2026.

NEET PG Eligibility Criteria 2026: Foreign Medical Nationals

NEET PG eligibility criteria 2026 for foreign medical students is quite different. Students can find the NEET PG 2026 eligibility criteria for foreign medical nationals given below.

• Students applying from a foreign country must have a degree and appear for the FMGE entrance examination.
• Foreign students must be registered with MCI & SMC authorities. 
• Students must have completed their internship from a recognised group and the duration of the internship must be 1 year at least. 
• On the NEET PG 2026 exam date, students must bring their FMGE entry pass from the NBE authorities. 

NEET PG Eligibility Criteria 2026 for AIQ 50% Quota

Students can find the NEET PG eligibility criteria 2026 for the AIQ 50% quota given below.

• Students belonging to the Jammu & Kashmir state are not eligible to apply for NEET AIQ 50% seats.
• Only students from Jammu & Kashmir nominated by the government of India under the central pool seats are eligible for applications in the AIQ 50% quota seat. Selected students will have to submit an affidavit that states that they have been nominated by the government for applying under the AIQ 50% quota.

NEET PG Eligibility Criteria 2026 for State Quota

The state quota eligibility criteria for 2026 for 50% seats are mentioned below.

• Students will have a provisional MBBS degree from a recognized university.
• Students must have secured the NEET PG cutoff for that year to qualify for the NEET PG counselling process
• Students must have completed a year of rotary internship with the dates set by the NBE authorities to qualify for applications.
• Students must have their residency proof of the state they are from to qualify for NEET PG applications.

NEET PG 2026 Reservation Criteria

The NEET PG 2026 Reservation Criteria as specified by the National Board of Examinations for Medical Sciences (NBEMS) and the Indian Medical Council are mentioned below for reference:

• According to the NEET PG 2026 eligibility criteria, a total of 50% of the seats are allocated to the students applying for the entrance exam under the All India Quota (AIQ). All students are eligible to apply under this quota.
• The remaining 50% of the seats are reserved for students appearing in the entrance exam under the 50% State Quota Seats. This is applicable only for students who are domiciled in the respective state.
• Each of the Armed Forces Medical Services, Deemed Universities, Central Universities, and ESIC Colleges has its own reservation policies and criteria when it comes to the admissions through NEET PG 2026 Exam.
• Students belonging to the state of Jammu and Kashmir are ineligible to assert the 50% AIQ seats as per the NEET PG eligibility standards. However, Jammu and Kashmir candidates nominated by the Government of India under the center pool seats are an exception.
• As per the NEET PG 2026 eligibility criteria requirements, the seat reservation percentage for SC (Scheduled Castes) is 15%, for ST (Scheduled Tribes) is 7.50%, for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) is 27%, for EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) is 10%, and for PwD (Persons with Disabilities) is 5%.

NEET PG Eligibility Criteria: Attempt Limits

There are no attempt limits in the NEET PG exam 2026. The exam authorities have not restricted the number of attempts rather students can appear for the exam as many times as they want. The students can appear innumerable times until they are convinced with their last performance to get admission in postgraduate medical courses in India. Students will just be required to fill out the NEET PG application form along with the application fees for appearing in the examinations. As there are no attempt restrictions, students can prepare for the exam effortlessly with the help of a realistic study plan and a strategy.