Guwahati, July 18: The National Testing Agency (NTA) data for NEET (UG) 2026 shows that the number of candidates qualifying from most Northeastern states has declined compared to last year, although Mizoram and Nagaland registered an improvement.

Assam, the region’s largest contributor, saw 18,435 candidates qualify in NEET 2026, down from 19,809 in 2025. The state had 43,187 registrations, with 36,283 candidates appearing for the examination.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the number of qualified candidates dropped from 2,645 in 2025 to 2,179 this year. The state recorded 4,891 registrations and 3,940 candidates appeared.

Manipur also witnessed a decline, with 5,070 candidates qualifying, compared to 6,116 last year. A total of 9,657 candidates registered and 8,321 appeared.
Meghalaya’s qualified candidates dipped marginally from 1,681 in 2025 to 1,658 in 2026. The state had 4,183 registrations and 3,425 candidates appeared.

Among the positive performers, Mizoram improved from 1,243 qualifiers in 2025 to 1,353 this year, while Nagaland increased from 1,813 to 1,946 qualifiers.

Tripura recorded 1,807 qualifiers, down from 2,265 last year, while Sikkim saw the number fall from 643 to 579.

Nationally, 11,21,185 candidates qualified out of 19,99,895 who appeared for NEET (UG) 2026. The examination saw 22,79,743 registrations across the country.

The figures indicate that while the Northeast continues to produce a significant pool of medical aspirants, most states experienced a year-on-year decline in the number of students clearing the country’s premier medical entrance examination, with Mizoram and Nagaland emerging as the only exceptions in the region.