NEET Eligibility Criteria 2024: Age Limit, Educational Qualifications

Introducton: Eligibility criteria

The National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the NEET 2024 eligibility criteria for all medical aspirants in the information brochure on the official website at neet.nta.nic.in. As the year 2024 approaches, it becomes crucial for aspiring candidates to familiarize themselves with the NEET eligibility criteria to ensure they meet the necessary requirements and increase their chances of success. Check out the complete NEET eligibility criteria for 2024 on this page below.

Aspirants planning to appear for medical entrance tests should know each and every detail of the NTA NEET 2024 eligibility criteria. Aspirants failing to fulfil any of the NEET eligibility criteria will not be allowed to appear for the entrance test. The details on NEET's age limit, maximum attempt, and other important details are comprised under the NEET eligibility criteria.

NEET eligibility criteria 2024 specify the mandatory educational qualifications, age limits, nationality requirements, and other key factors that determine eligibility for NEET. Any latest update on NEET 2024 eligibility criteria will be updated here after release. Aspirants must go through the NEET eligibility criteria before filling out the application form for the same. It is to be noted that no aspirant will be allowed to fill out the NEET application form in 2024 if they fail to meet the prescribed legitimate criteria.

NEET Eligibility Criteria By NTA - Qualifying Exam Requirements

NEET eligibility criteria 2024 for NRI/Foreign students:

1. Applicants who have finished their postsecondary education overseas must meet the requirements for NEET eligibility. For NRIs or foreign candidates, the prior exam they must pass should be comparable to the 12 standard qualifications in their home country. The qualifying examination required passing grades in English, chemistry, physics, and biology, as well as passing the theory and practical exams in each of these subjects.

2. Under the guidelines established by state and federal governments and organizations, non-resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), and foreign nationals are eligible for admission to medical universities.

3. To verify their eligibility as these candidates, candidates from other nations must upload a certificate from the relevant Indian Diplomatic Mission in their home country with their online NEET 2024 application form.

4.  Candidates who are NRIs and wish to apply for NEET 2024 should submit an online NEET application form along with documentary identification proof attesting to their ethnicity.

NEET eligibility criteria 2024 for BSc Nursing admission:

Candidates can check the latest eligibility standards for learners who want to take nursing admission via NEET scores.

1. Qualifying Examination: Students must complete Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English as mandatory subjects. Candidates studying biology after passing Class 12 are also eligible for this examination.

2. Minimum age: Candidates must be above 17 years old as of December 31, 2024.

3. Minimum aggregate marks: general category candidates must have passed the qualifying examination with 55% marks, while for backward classes such as SC/ST/OBC the minimum marks should be 40%.

4. Reservation policy: There will be 3% of the reservation provided to the Person with Disability (PwD) students.

NEET Eligibility 2024 - What is the Upper age limit?

Many of the previous limitations on the NEET 2024 age limit, subject requirements, and school type have been eliminated in accordance with the updated NEET eligibility criteria for 2024. The health ministry has announced that there will be no upper age limit for the NEET exam in 2024. The eligibility criteria for NEET 2024 no longer include an upper age limit.

The age restriction for NEET eligibility requirements was eliminated, per the official announcement made public by the NMC on March 9, 2022. Thus, those who are older than 17 years old are eligible to apply for the NEET exam. Previous NEET exam age limits were 25 for candidates from the general category and 30 for candidates from the special category.

How much percentage is required in 12th for NEET?

Class 12th marks are required for NEET. To be eligible for NEET 2024, aspirants must have secured the minimum required pass percentage in 12th grade to appear for NEET. The conducting authority has set 50% for the unreserved category, 40% for the OBC, SC/ST and PWD categories in physics, chemistry, and biology together in the NEET eligibility marks for 12th grade. The minimum pass percentage is set by the NTA. A candidate must have attained the age of 17 as of December 31, 2024.

NEET Eligibility Criteria 2024 - Know the qualifying examination codes

The 12th pass percentage required for NEET is 50% for candidates belonging to the general category. 40% marks are required for reserved categories. While filling out the application form, aspirants have to select the NEET 2024 qualification codes for the qualifying examination. Aspirants should be aware of the NEET qualification codes by going through the table below.

NEET Qualifying Examination Codes 2024:

Details of Qualifying Examination Codes for NTA NEET 2024

• Code 01: Candidates who will be appearing for their Class 12 board exam in 2024 and waiting for their board’s result have to choose this code. However, until the time of admission, such candidates must have qualified for class 12 as per the specified criteria, failing which they will become ineligible.
  
  
• Code 02: Aspirants who are studying for the higher/senior secondary examination, or Indian School Certificate Examination (ISCE), which is equivalent to the Class 12 examination and comes after a period of 12 years of study, have to choose this code. As per the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), the last two years of this study must comprise science subjects, namely physics, chemistry, biology/biotechnology, mathematics, or any other elective subjects with English as a core subject. It should also be noted that the qualifying examination code for NEET 2024 for droppers will also be the same. For instance, if a candidate has passed the qualifying examination from CBSE/ICSE or any state board in the year 2020, but wishes to appear for NEET 2024, he/she can apply for the exam with Code 2.
  
  
• Code 03: Aspirants who have completed their Intermediate/Pre-degree Examination in Science of an Indian University, Board, or other recognized body with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and also English as a compulsory subject have to choose this code. The course should have a practical test in science subjects. Candidates whose class 12 or its equivalent qualifying examination is completed by a state board must also choose this code.
  
  
• Code 04: Aspirants who have completed a pre-professional or pre-medical examination after passing either the higher secondary examination or the pre-university examination or an equivalent examination with physics, chemistry, biology/biotechnology, & English must choose this code while applying. The pre-professional/pre-medical examination shall include practical tests in these subjects and also English as a compulsory subject.
  
  
• Code 05: With Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology as mandatory subjects, candidates who are pursuing the three-year degree course from a recognized university and have qualified for the first year, including practical tests in each of the aforementioned subjects, have to choose this code. Candidates must note that the qualifying exam here must be a university examination, and candidates should have passed the earlier qualifying examination, namely 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English as a core course.
  
  
• Code 06: With not less than two of the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany, Zoology)/Bio-technology, candidates who have qualified for the BSc Examination from an Indian recognized University must choose this code during the filling process of application. Further, they must have passed the earlier qualifying examination (10+2) with English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
  
  
• Code 07: Aspirants who have qualified for any other examination in scope and standard (Last two years of 10+2 Study comprising of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology; which shall include practical tests in these subjects) is found to be equivalent to the Intermediate Science Examination of an Indian University/Board, have to choose this code. Aspirants who have completed the qualifying examination from a foreign country are also required to fill in this code.

NEET Eligibility Criteria 2024 - Minimum Age Limit

The main concern of every aspirant regarding the NEET eligibility criteria for 2024 is the age limit for appearing for the medical entrance test. Candidates must have completed 17 years of age either at the time of admission or else on or before December 31, 2024, as per the NEET 2024 eligibility criteria.

Category-wise age criteria for NEET 2024

What are the Qualifying Marks for NEET 2024?

1. Candidates have to be qualified in Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English individually in the qualifying examination, which is 10+2 or equivalent, as per NEET 2024 eligibility criteria.

2. Candidates belonging to the unreserved category must have scored a minimum required percentage of 50% marks in physics, chemistry, and biology/biotechnology in their Class 12 or HSC examination.

3. Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates should have scored 40% of passing marks in Class 12 in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology in aggregate in the qualifying examination.

4. Medical aspirants with locomotor disability of the lower limbs must have secured a minimum of 45% marks for General-PH and 40% marks for SC-PH/ST-PH/OBC-PH in aggregate in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology.

NEET Eligibility Criteria - Minimum Required Percentage

The category-wise eligibility marks in 12th for NEET 2024 are described below.

NEET Eligibility Criteria 2024 – Number of Attempts

There are no 75% criteria in NEET. The minimum pass percentage in Class 12th must be 50% marks, while 40% marks are required for reserved candidates. With amendments in 2018 to the NEET UG eligibility criteria, the restrictions on the number of attempts for NEET were removed. Therefore, there is no restriction on the number of attempts for NEET 2024. So, as per the NEET 2024 eligibility criteria, candidates will be allowed to appear for the entrance exam as often as they would like to only if they are eligible.

NEET Eligibility Criteria 2024: 15% All India Quota seats/Deemed Universities/Central Universities/ESIC and AFMC Colleges

1. Aspirants who qualify for NEET UG 2024 exam can apply for the 15% All India Quota seats, 100% of the seats in Deemed universities, as well as Central Universities, ESIC, and AFMC as well. This counselling for NEET will be conducted at an all-India level by MCI.

2. J&K candidates are not eligible for 15% All India Quota seats unless they have filled out a self-declaration form to be submitted along with the NEET application form in 2024. The self-declaration for the NEET 2024 application form denotes that the candidate wishes to participate in the counselling for 15% All India Quota seats and would forgo the home state counselling in return. As per the NEET eligibility criteria, such candidates will be eligible for the seats of Deemed Universities, ESIC, and AFMC colleges.

3. The allotment for 85% seats of DU will be open to candidates who have completed Class 10 and 12 from Delhi while the Institutional Quota seats of AMU will be exclusively for AMU students only.

NEET Eligibility Criteria 2024 - 85% State Quota seats

1. The 85% state quota seats mean seats in all government colleges of the states/union territories, respectively. Counseling for such seats will be conducted by the respective state authorities. To apply for state quota seats, candidates must fulfill the NEET 2024 eligibility criteria laid down by each state or union territory authority and include domicile conditions too.

2. Admission to private medical and dental colleges through NEET will also be subject to the policies of the state or union territory.