What's next after NEET-UG?

The results of NEET-UG 2024 (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test- Undergraduate) have been announced and a majority of the candidates who have qualified would be eager to join the MBBS course. NEET-UG score is utilized for admission to MBBS, BDS and graduate-level courses in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Siddha, Unani and Veterinary Science across the country. The score is mandatory to join MBBS everywhere in India. While over 23 lakh candidates had appeared for NEET-UG, there are only around one lakh MBBS seats and nearly 28,000 BDS seats in the country.

The results of the test are available on https://neet.nta.nic.in and https://neet.ntaonline.in

As many as 23,33,297 candidates appeared for NEET-UG this year at 4,750 centres. The number of candidates who qualified nationwide is 13,16,268. In Kerala, 1,36,974 candidates appeared and 86,681 qualified.

Candidates need to score a specific percentile score to be eligible for admission.

MCC counselling
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) under the central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will conduct a common national-level counselling for admission to MBBS/BDS/BSc (Honours) Nursing at the national level. Website: www.mcc.nic.in
The MCC’s counselling will cover the 15-percent all-India quota seats in government medical/ dental colleges across the country; AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) at various locations; deemed universities; Central universities (Benares Hindu/Delhi/Aligarh); Vardhman Mahavir Delhi; A B Vajpayee Institute; Employees State Insurance Corporation colleges (IP quota); JIPMER (Puducherry, Karaikal); Jamia Milla (Dental) and BSc Honours – Nursing (Central institutes).

The first phase of the admission to AFMC (Armed Forces Medical College) will also be conducted by MCC.

Details regarding the institutions and number of seats are given in the information bulletin on MCC’s website.

Counselling for AYUSH, Veterinary
Counselling for AYUSH courses such as Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Siddha and Unani are carried out through the website https://aaccc.gov.in

Meanwhile, the website for veterinary counselling is https://vci.admissions.nic.in

The national-level selection for 12 bachelor-level courses in Agriculture is not based on NEET-UG. Instead, the process takes place through another entrance exam, CUET (ICAR-UG). Details are available at https://cuet.samarth.ac.in

Chances for selection
Even though it is not possible to predict the chances for a candidate to gain selection, a rough idea could be gained by checking the last rank for admission in each institution for every category last year. However, these ranks could be different this year because of changes in the number of seats as well as the preferences of candidates.

There are two ways to learn the last rank: Firstly, check MCC’s website https://mcc.nic.in/ug-medical-counselling, where the list of last rank-holders for MBBS/BDS/BSc (Honours) Nursing in each round in all colleges for all categories of candidates is given.  
Secondly, check the last ranks of the candidates who secure admission to colleges in Kerala. NEET-UG ranks are not utilized as such for admissions in Kerala. A separate rank list of candidates belonging to the state is prepared for the purpose. For instance, the top four rank-holders in Kerala last year had secured ranks 23, 36, 109 and 172 in NEET-UG. A table giving details of the comparison of ranks is available at the ‘Rank List’ link on the website https://cee.kerala.gov.in/keam2023. Another link ‘Last Rank’ has data on the last ranks which secured admission during each round of the allotment at the state level.

Institutions with low fees
The all-India quota enables candidates to gain admission to certain institutions across India which charge low fees. These institutions include AIIMS in Delhi and other places; Maulana Azad, Delhi; JIPMER – Puducherry/Karaikal; Lady Hardinge (Women), Delhi; University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi; Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences, Nalanda and Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal.

Admissions in Kerala
The admissions to the seats remaining after allotting the 15-per cent all-India quota in 13 programmes in Kerala take place based on a rank list prepared by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE)-Kerala from the NEET-UG ranks. Reservation norms effective in Kerala will be considered for admission to these 85-percent seats. The courses include MBBS; BDS; Ayurveda; Homoeo; Siddha; Unani; Agriculture; Veterinary; Fisheries; Forestry and BTech Biotechnology, BSc (Honours) Cooperation and Banking / Climate Change and Environmental Science at Kerala Agricultural University.