NEET Reservation Criteria 2024: EWS, PWD, SC, ST, Defence Quota etc.

The rules for special consideration (reservation) in India’s medical entrance exam are set by the government. When applying, candidates must indicate their category to be considered for NEET reservation. This article will explore the criteria used for these reservation categories in NEET.

The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), also known as NEET conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Candidates who want to study any medical courses like (MBBS/ Dental courses BDS) from government or private medical colleges in India can participate in the NEET. After qualification for the NEET exam, candidates can be admitted to MBBS, BDS, and BAMS courses.

Quick Facts

Before discussing the whole NTA NEET UG entrance exam, like the Application form, important dates, eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus, NEET 2024 cutoff, counselling etc., let’s look at a Quick fact about NEET.

Features	Specifications
Name of Examination	National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) or NEET-UG
Conducted by	National Testing Agency (NTA)
Level of NEET Examination	National-level
Category	Undergraduate
Mode of Exam	Offline Mode (Pen, Paper)
Duration of Examination	3 hours & 20 minutes
Total Number of Questions	200 Multiple Choice Questions
Languages available for the Examination	Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Urdu, Punjabi and Malayalam.

NEET 2024 Reservation Criteria

Candidates whose family total income is under INR 8 lakh are known as EWS (Economically Weaker Section). According to the Government policy of India, there were 10% of seats will be reserved for EWS candidates.

The reservation criteria of NEET, 27% seats for OBC category, 10% seats for EWS category, 15% for SC category, and 7.5% for ST category are reserved in central universities and state colleges in India, According to the government policy of India.

15% of AQI seats were only eligible for admission to National Institute or Central Institute. Candidates who belong to Union Territories should have to sign the self-declaration to get reservation benefits of NEET 2024 when filling out the form.

 Other than 15% of seats of All India Quota (AQI), in every state, 85% of seats are reserved under state quota candidates. For those who want to get admission to their state Medical Colleges, the reservation policy of desired state government shall apply. NEET 2024 reservation criteria for them are decided by the concerned state authorities.

According to NEET reservation criteria, the Central Universities and institutions seats will be reserved for GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD candidates. The percentage of seats reserved for different categories is shown in the following table:

Categories	Reservation
General Economically Weaker Section (GEN – EWS)	10%
Scheduled Caste (SC)	15%
Scheduled Tribe (ST)	7.5%
Other Backward Caste (OBC-NCL)	27%
Persons with Disabilities (PwD)	5%

Reservation Criteria for NEET 2024

1. Scheduled Castes (SC): 15% of the total seats are reserved for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes.
2. Scheduled Tribes (ST): 7.5% of the total seats are reserved for candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes.
3. Other Backward Classes (OBC): 27% of the total seats are reserved for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes.
4. Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 10% of the total seats are reserved for candidates belonging to Economically Weaker Sections.
5. Persons with Disability (PWD): 5% of the total seats are reserved for candidates belonging to Persons with Disability.

Economically Weaker Section (EWS) NEET Reservation Criteria

The EWS quota came after the 124th Amendment Bill in the Constitution of India, which was passed in the January session of the Parliament. According to this bill, 10% reservation in jobs and education shall be granted to the EWS candidates belonging to the General quota candidates. The EWS category will apply to PwD and CW category seats available at Delhi University and the medical college of RML Hospital. Following are the detailed criteria.

Sample of EWS Certificate

Those Aspirants whose families own any of the following assets will not be considered eligible for admission under the EWS quota.

• 5 acres of agricultural land and above
• Residential flat of 1000 sq ft. and above
• Residential plots of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities
• Residential plots of 200 sq yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities.

Notes: Aspirants must note that EWS reservations at all Indian levels will be offered in the central universities only.

List of Colleges- NEET reservation 2024 (EWS)

Reservation criteria for NEET 2024 at all Indian levels will be applicable only in central education institutions/universities. The Board of Governors has issued the LoPs, Medical Council of India, relevant only for UR category candidates.

S.No.	College Name
1.	University College of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
2.	VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
3.	Medical College of RML Hospital, New Delhi
4.	Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, Varanasi
5.	Lady Harding Medical College, New Delhi

Persons with disability- NEET reservation criteria

S.No.	College Name
1.	Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, Ansari
2.	Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research
3.	Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research
4.	Madras Medical College, Chennai

Who comes under the EWS category?

Persons who are not covered under the scheme of reservation are SCs, STs, and OBCs. The GEN category candidates whose family gross annual income is below Rs 8 lakh are only identified as EWS for reservation. The benefit of reservation under EWS can be availed upon producing an Income and Asset Certificate issued by a Competent Authority.

Who can’t access the EWS quota?

Those whose families own any of the following assets will not be considered eligible to avail of admission under the EWS quota.

• 5 acres of agricultural land and above
• Residential flat of 1000 sq ft. and above
• Residential plots of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities
• Residential plot of 200 sq yards and above in areas others than the notified municipalities.

For PWD Candidates

• 5% of the seats under AIQ are reserved for Physically Handicapped candidates.
• If the seats remain vacant due to the unavailability of candidates, the seats will be included in the Annual Sanctioned Seats for the respective category.
• Eligible candidates will be required to produce Disability Certificate from one of the Disability Assessment Boards prior to their scheduled date of counselling.
• Candidates may refer to the colleges mentioned below to produce the disability certificate:

1. Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, Delhi
2. All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mumbai
3. Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research, Kolkata
4. Madras Medical College, Chennai

Reservation for Seats Other than All India Quota

• A Merit List will be released by the state based on candidates’ All India Rank.
• Under the state quota, 85% of the seats are filled through state counselling conducted separately by each state/Union Territory.
• Candidates must contact their respective state counselling authority to know the dates and procedure for the same.

Documents Required to Claim Reservation

Those candidates claiming reservation of seats under various reserved categories should show the relevant documents demanded by NTA to validate their claim for seat reservation failing. They may be debarred from counselling and the seat allotment process.

The nodal authorities for issuing these documents are also clearly indicated in the certificate formats published in NEET Information Bulletin.

Category	Nodal Authority
PwD (Locomotor Disability)	Duly Constituted Medical Board at Selected Central Government Hospitals
OBC-NCL	District Magistrate/Additional District Magistrate/Collector Deputy Commissioner/ Additional Deputy Commissioner / 1st Class Stipendary Magistrate/ Sub Divisional Magistrate/ Taluka Magistrate/Executive Magistrate/Extra Assistant Commissioner OR Chief Presidency Magistrate/Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate/ Presidency Magistrate, Revenue Officer (not below the rank of Tehsildar), Sub-divisional Officer
SC/ST	District Magistrate/Additional District Magistrate/Collector Deputy Commissioner/ Additional Deputy Commissioner / 1st Class Stipendary Magistrate/ Sub Divisional Magistrate/ Taluka Magistrate/Executive Magistrate/Extra Assistant Commissioner OR Chief Presidency Magistrate/Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate/ Presidency Magistrate, Revenue Officer (not below the rank of Tehsildar), Sub-divisional Officer

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)