NTA data shows most Northeastern states recorded fewer qualified candidates than last year, with Mizoram and Nagaland emerging as the only states to post year-on-year gains
Guwahati: The National Testing Agency (NTA) data for NEET (UG) 2026 shows that most Northeastern states recorded a decline in the number of qualified candidates compared to last year, with Mizoram and Nagaland emerging as the only exceptions.
Assam remained the region’s top performer, with 18,435 candidates qualifying, although the figure was lower than the 19,809 qualifiers recorded in 2025. Of the 43,187 registered candidates, 36,283 appeared for the examination.
Arunachal Pradesh saw qualified candidates decline from 2,645 to 2,179, while Manipur’s tally fell from 6,116 to 5,070. Meghalaya also recorded a marginal drop from 1,681 to 1,658 qualifiers.
In contrast, Mizoram registered an increase from 1,243 qualifiers in 2025 to 1,353 this year, while Nagaland improved from 1,813 to 1,946 successful candidates. Tripura’s qualified candidates declined from 2,265 to 1,807, while Sikkim recorded a fall from 643 to 579.
Nationally, 22,79,743 candidates registered for NEET (UG) 2026, 19,99,895 appeared, and 11,21,185 qualified.
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