The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially released the NEET UG 2025 statistics, highlighting key trends in registration, appearance, and qualification. This year, 22.7 lakh candidates registered for the examination, slightly down from last year’s 24 lakh. Experts believe this dip may reflect changing dynamics in career preferences, increasing competition, and shifts in coaching and preparation patterns.
Slight Drop in Registrations and Appearances
The total number of candidates registered for NEET UG 2025 is 22,70,609, compared to 24,06,079 in 2024. Likewise, 22,09,318 students appeared this year, with 1,23,6531 qualifying. Although the numbers remain high, the dip raises concerns over accessibility and increasing mental pressure.
Interestingly, female candidates continue to outnumber males; 13.1 lakh females registered this year compared to 9.65 lakh males. Female candidates also had a higher qualification rate.
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Category and Reservation Trends
Among all categories:
- OBC candidates accounted for the highest registrations (9.48 lakh), followed by General (6.89 lakh) and SC (3.33 lakh).
- EWS category saw a drop in registration from 1.90 lakh in 2024 to 1.54 lakh in 2025.
- PwBD category recorded 9,167 registrations, with 3,673 qualifying, down from 4,120 last year.
This data reflects a growing need to support marginalised and differently-abled students with better preparatory resources and accommodations.
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State-wise Performance
Major contributors of registered candidates include:
- Maharashtra: 2.58 lakh registrations
- Uttar Pradesh: 3.41 lakh
- Rajasthan: 1.78 lakh
- Tamil Nadu: 1.59 lakh
States like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka also showed strong participation and qualification numbers.
On the other hand, smaller states and union territories like Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli had lower turnout but relatively high qualification ratios.
Language and Operational Expansion
NEET 2025 was conducted in 566 cities (including 14 overseas) and 13 languages, showing the exam’s growing reach. English continues to dominate, with 18.22 lakh candidates opting for it, followed by Hindi (3.28 lakh) and Gujarati (53,205). However, languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam saw reduced participation compared to previous years.
Cutoffs and Performance
This year’s qualifying marks also dipped slightly:
- UR/EWS candidates needed 686-144 marks
- OBC: 143-113
- SC/ST: 143-113
- PwBD categories had lower cutoffs, starting from 126 marks
Over 11 lakh students from the UR/EWS categories cleared the exam, reflecting high competition levels.
What’s Affecting Admissions?
Experts cite several factors influencing the current NEET trends:
- Increased stress and burnout due to intense preparation environments.
- Over-dependence on coaching institutes leads to high dropout rates.
- Limited medical seats, despite increasing aspirants.
- Rising cost of private medical education, deterring rural and EWS students.
- National discussions on seat reservations and entrance reforms.
Note: Despite a small drop in numbers, NEET UG 2025 remains India’s largest medical entrance test. With over 12.3 lakh candidates qualifying, competition for a limited number of MBBS and BDS seats is expected to be fierce. The data underscores the urgent need for expanded medical infrastructure, more seats, and better support systems to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all aspirants.
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