New Delhi, 10 March 2022 – The National Medical Commission (NMC) has increased the upper age eligibility limit for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) exam. From now on, there will be no fixed upper age limit for NEET-UG and all candidates who are over 25 years of age can also appear for the exam.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had earlier established the upper age limit for the NEET-UG exam as 25 years (as on the date of examination). On the other hand, the upper limit for aspirants belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and PwD categories had an age relaxation of 5 years (30 years as on the date of exam). However, in the 4th NMC meeting, it has been decided that there will not be any fixed upper age limit for students appearing for the NEET-UG examination.
The circular reads, “It has been decided that there should not be any fixed upper age limit for appearing in the NEET-UG examination. Therefore the information bulletin may be modified accordingly. The process for official notification to suitably amend the regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997, to this effect has been initiated”.
The President of the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), Dr. Manish Nigam, has applauded the decision and noted, “It is a welcome step and will give a fair opportunity to maximum candidates willing to pursue MBBS, considering the shortage of doctors in the country.”
NEET UG 2022 – No Age Limit, Candidates Can Appear Multiple Times
As the upper age limit criteria has been removed by NMC, aspirants can now appear for the NEET-UG exam as many times as they want. Plus, they can appear for the medical entrance exam even after they have taken admission in other courses.
The decision will allow more candidates to appear for the exam, as there is no fixed limit now. This will also help tackle the issue of shortage of doctors in India.
Another implication of the decision is that having no fixed upper age limit will help the students who want to take admission in foreign countries, as now they do not have to be a certain age to be eligible.
Note: Only the upper age limit criteria has been rescinded for NEET-UG candidates and the lower age limit criteria still stands as usual.
NEET UG 2022 – Eligibility Criteria
- The students must have passed Class 12 (or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English as core subjects from a recognized school board.
- Candidates must be 17 years of age on the day of the NEET-UG exam.
- Students must have the following aggregate percentage in PCB subjects:
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- General category – 50%
- OBC/SC/ST – 40%
- PWD – 45%
- Indian natives, non-resident Indians (NRIs), overseas citizens of India (OCIs), persons of Indian origin (PIOs), and foreign nationals can apply for the exam.
To read the complete notice, please visit – nmc.org.in/neet/neet-ug/
