NEET 2025 Reservation Policy

The NEET 2025 Reservation Policy is determined by the National Testing Agency (NTA), in compliance with the rules and regulations set by the government. It came into effect to ensure all aspiring medical students, regardless of their caste category, are offered equal opportunities at admission. Students who belong to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes, and other minority categories are eligible to seek admission based on the reservation policy. According to the NEET Reservation Policy, there is a 15% seat reservation for SC, 7.5% for ST, and 27% for OBC students.

Reservation in NEET for medical seats is usually categorized into two types- 15% of All India Quota seats and 85% of State Quota seats. If you’re wondering, how many seats are reserved for the general category in NEET? The answer is, there is no fixed reservation criterion for the general category. However, students with a low family income of below INR 8 LPA are eligible to apply for admission under the 10% EWS quota. Based on the category-wise NEET Reservation Policy, a total of 100,388 MBBS, 27,868 BDS, 52,720 AYUSH, and 603 BVSc & AH seats will be filled.

Also Read: NEET 2025 Exam

NEET 2025 Reservation Policy for 15% AIQ

The NEET 2025 Reservation Policy for AIQ seats refers to 15% of the total seats reserved for various student categories across government colleges for admission. The category-wise NEET Reservation Policy has been done keeping in view the caste, economic status, and special categories like persons with disabilities.

Reservation in NEET 2025 for 85% State Quota

The domicile-based reservation NEET for State Quota seats is offered to students who wish to seek admission to particular colleges under the state authorities. This is usually applicable to domicile-based admissions only. A total of 85% of the seats are reserved in NEET for various categories of students seeking admission into the state-specific colleges.

Also Read: NEET 2025 Marks vs Rank

NEET UG Reservation Policy 2025 for Economically Weaker Section (EWS)

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Quota in NEET-UG admissions in 2019. This initiative, managed by the National Testing Agency (NTA), reserves 10% of the total seats in government medical colleges for candidates with financial constraints. The specific criteria for identifying candidates eligible for the EWS category in the NEET 2025 reservation are outlined below. Failure to comply with any of the following conditions renders a candidate ineligible to avail this reservation policy:

1. Annual Family Income : The candidate's family income should not exceed INR 8 lakhs per annum.
2. Land Ownership : a. Owning 5 acres of agricultural land and above. b. Owning a residential flat of 1000 sq ft. and above. c. Owning a residential plot of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities. d. Owning a residential plot of 200 sq yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities.

Candidates who do not meet the stipulated criteria under any of these points will not be eligible to avail themselves of the EWS reservation policy during NEET-UG admissions in 2025.

NEET 2025 PwD Reservation Policy

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has formulated the NEET UG reservation policy, which extends to candidates eligible for the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category. The PwD category is allocated a 5% reservation in medical college seats, subject to certain eligibility criteria and compliance with NTA regulations. The guidelines specified for the PwD reservation quota are outlined below:

1. Eligibility Criteria: Candidates must have a minimum degree of disability of 40% or more to qualify for the PwD reservation quota.

2. Documentation Requirements: Candidates must possess a "Certificate of Disability" issued by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules 2017.

3. Assessment of Disability Degree: The degree of "specified disability" should be assessed in line with the Guidelines to assess the extent of specified disability outlined in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (49 of 2016).

4. Designated Centers for Certificate Issuance: The "Certificate of Disability" must be obtained from one of the 12 designated centres, following the format specified by NTA for NEET PwD Reservation, to avail the 5% PwD reservation.

5. Verification Process: Candidates wishing to benefit from the PwD reservation quota must undergo an examination at any Government Hospital, Government Medical College, or District Hospital. The Disability Certificate issued based on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules 2017 will serve as a verification measure for eligibility under the PwD category.

6. Note on Disability Certificate and Admission: The Disability Certificate does not grant automatic admission but serves as a verification tool for determining eligibility under the PwD quota. Candidates must adhere to the regulations and guidelines defined by NTA.

7. Presentation of Disability Certificate: Candidates selected under the PwD category during the NEET-UG admission processes must present a Disability Certificate issued by the Disability Assessment Board. This certificate reflects the assessment criteria specified in the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 (amended on 14th May 2019).

Candidates are advised to thoroughly understand and comply with the regulations outlined by the National Testing Agency to ensure a smooth admission process under the PwD category for NEET-UG.

OBC Reservation in NEET 2025

The National Testing Agency (NTA) offers a 27% seat reservation to the OBC-NCL student category across the top government colleges accepting NEET scores. This is to ensure a fair chance at medical course admissions for students who belong to this category. The guidelines specified for the Other Backward Classes Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) reservation quota are outlined below:

• Eligibility Criteria: Students who meet the Non-Creamy Layer criteria and whose family income does not exceed the limit of INR 8 LPA, including all sources of income, are eligible to grab seats under this category.
• Verification Process: Students must meet the list of criteria mentioned in the Central List of Other Backward Classes maintained by the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). However, please note that the state-specific OBC lists may not be the same as the central list, and therefore, do not guarantee eligibility under the central OBC-NCL category.

Documents Required for Reservation in NEET 2025

There are certain documents that category-wise students must produce as proof to claim their reservation in NEET 2025 seats. These documents have been listed below for all interested students to refer to:

• Proof of Source of Income for all reserved categories.
• Income and Asset Certificate issued by an authorized Central/State government facility for the EWS Category.
• A Certificate of Disability validated by one of the designated NTA authorized centers for the PwD Category.
• A valid Certificate of Non-Creamy Layer validated by an authorized Central/State government facility for the OBC Category.
• A valid government identification proof, such as an Aadhar Card/Voter’s Card.

Also Read: NEET 2025 MBBS Seats in Govt Medical Colleges

To conclude, the NEET 2025 Reservation Policy will be followed during the application and counselling processes to offer admission to the eligible students. The NTA will release the cutoff for the NEET exam separately for the above-mentioned student categories. Moreover, the admission process at various medical colleges will be conducted in compliance with the category-wise reservation in NEET and cutoff criteria.

For more information on the upcoming NEET exam, stay tuned to CollegeDekho!