NEST Cut Off 2026: NISER has released the NEST 2026 cutoff in the form of SMAS and MAP on June 24. The UM DAE CEBS will release their NEST cutoff 2026 on July 17, July 21, July 24, July 29 and August 1 for Round 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. The NISER Bhubaneswar has released their NEST cutoff 2026 on June 24.
Latest: NISER Bhubaneswar NEST Cutoff 2026
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The NEST 2026 cutoff is the minimum marks required to be eligible for admission to the integrated MSc courses offered by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. The section-wise and total cutoff marks that a candidate received in the NEST exam 2026 are included in the cut-off marks. Know more details about NEST 2026 cut off such as previous year cut off, merit list, merit list preparation through this article.
Aspirants can check the NEST previous year cutoff to get an idea about the cutoff marks. Below candidates can check the NEST cut off marks 2026.
| Subject Category | UR/UR-Divyang | OBC/OBC-Divyang | SC/ST/Divyang |
| Biology | 8.83/8.39 | 7.95/7.50 | 4.41/3.97 |
| Chemistry | 11.26/10.70 | 10.14/9.57 | 5.63/5.07 |
| Mathematics | 9.63/9.15 | 8.67/8.19 | 4.82/4.33 |
| Physics | 9.44/8.97 | 8.49/8.02 | 4.72/4.25 |
Category | Percentile |
UR/EWS/OBC ~ Divyang | >=80 ~ 40 |
SC/ST ~ Divyang | >=75 ~ 40 |
It is highly advised to all the candidates to check for all the important dates related to NEST 2026 cut off and counselling:
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| Release of NISER Merit list | June 24 |
| Emails sent regarding Expression of Interest (EoL) | June 25 |
| Last date of submitting EoL | July 6 |
| Creation of admission queue | July 10 |
| First round admission at NISER | July 28 |
| Release of waitlisted candidates list | July 29 |
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| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| Collection of Expression of Interests (EoI) starts | July 1 |
| Collection of Expression of Interests (EoI) closes | July 8 |
| Declaration of admissions queue on CEBS website | July 10 |
| 1st round of admissions | July 17 to 20 |
| Declaration of 1st Merit list (online) | July 17 |
| Payment window for 1st Merit list closes | July 20 |
| 2nd round of admissions | July 21 to 23 |
| Declaration of 2nd Merit list (online) | July 21 |
| Payment window for 2nd Merit list closes | July 23 |
| 3rd round of admissions | July 24 to 28 |
| Declaration of 3rd Merit list (online) | July 24 |
| Payment window for 3rd Merit list closes | July 28 |
| 4th round of admissions | July 29 to 31 |
| Declaration of 4th Merit list (online) | July 29 |
| Payment window for 4th Merit list closes | July 31 |
| 5th round of admissions | August 1 to 4 |
| Declaration of 5th Merit list (online) | August 1 |
| Payment window for 5th Merit list closes | August 4 |
| Last date for reporting on campus* | August 10 |
| Declaration of available seat matrix for final round of admission | August 11 |
| Final round of admission (offline) | August 18 |
Given below are the factors on which the cutoff of NEST 2026 will depend upon -
Difficulty level of exam
Previous year cut-off trends
Total number of seats
Minimum marks secured
Number of applicants
In order to be eligible for next admission rounds, students have to achieve marks that are equal to or higher than the NEST cut-off 2026. The following methods are used to generate the NEST exam cutoff scores:
A candidate's final score for NEST 2026 will be simply the sum of their top three subject-specific scores and their overall score in the general part.
Twenty percent of the average of the top 100 scores in each section is the Section Wise Minimum Admissible Score or Section Wise NISER cutoff points.
For instance, the SMAS for the Physics part would be 40*0.20 = 8 marks if the average of the top 100 scores in the subject was 40 out of 50.
The NEST 2026 cut-off marks vary depending on the numerical value.
Candidates have to achieve three out of five subject section scores and equal or greater SMAS in the general portion. These sections will then be counted for NEST 2026 merit list calculation.
Minimum Admissible Score for SC/ ST candidates in NEST 2026 cut-off will be 50% of the general category, while SC/ST candidates' SMAS will be 50% of the general category.
In addition to the Section-wise minimum admissible score, candidates must score at least as high as the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP).
Merit rank will not be awarded to candidates with similar or higher MAS scores who do not receive SMAS in the general section or in at least three sections.
Applicants who have taken the National Entrance Screening Test can review the NEST previous year cutoffs. It will help the candidate to determine the minimum score required to be considered for NEST cut off.
| Subject Category | Gen/EWS/JK | OBC | SC/ST/PwD |
| Biology | 8.652 | 7.7868 | 4.326 |
| Chemistry | 9.646 | 8.6814 | 4.832 |
| Mathematics | 9.83794 | 8.854146 | 4.91897 |
| Physics | 9.81 | 8.829 | 4.905 |
Category | Percentile |
General / General-EWS | >=95 |
OBC-NCL | >=90 |
SC/ST/PwD | >=75 |
Students can check the minimum marks required for individual subjects in the NEST exam for the counselling process of for various categories.
Subject | General/ General-EWS | OBC-NCL | SC/ ST/ Divyangjan/ JK | |||
Shift-I | Shift-II | Shift-I | Shift-II | Shift-I | Shift-II | |
Biology | 9.2947 | 8.054 | 8.3652 | 7.2486 | 4.6473 | 4.027 |
Chemistry | 8.198 | 8.504 | 7.3782 | 7.6536 | 4.099 | 4.252 |
Mathematics | 6.358 | 6.824 | 5.7222 | 6.1416 | 3.179 | 3.412 |
Physics | 5.534 | 6.1010 | 4.9806 | 5.4909 | 2.767 | 3.0505 |
To understand the trend for the NEST cut off, it is important to check NEST Cutoff Marks 2023.
Subject | General/ General-EWS | OBC-NCL | SC/ ST/ Divyangjan/ JK | |||
Shift-I | Shift-II | Shift-I | Shift-II | Shift-I | Shift-II | |
Biology | 5.698 | 5.541 | 5.128 | 4.987 | 2.849 | 2.771 |
Chemistry | 5.215 | 6.106 | 4.694 | 5.495 | 2.608 | 3.053 |
Mathematics | 4.979 | 6 | 4.481 | 5.474 | 2.49 | 3.041 |
Physics | 5 | 5 | 4.335 | 4.613 | 2.409 | 2.563 |
Category | Percentile |
General / General-EWS | >=90 |
OBC-NCL | >=85 |
SC/ST/Divyangjan/JK | >=60 |
Category | Cut off |
General | 800 |
SC | 150 |
ST | 30 |
OBC | 280 |
PWD | 6 |
JK | 3 |
Category | Cut off |
General | 350 |
OBC | 60 |
SC | 50 |
ST | 15 |
PWD | 10 |
JK | 5 |
Category | Cutoff Rank |
General | 427 |
OBC | 322 |
SC | 154 |
ST | 62 |
The merit list of NEST 2026 UM-DAE CEBS has been will be released on July 17. NISER Bhubaneswar merit list has been released on June 24. Depending on how well the candidate ranks on the NEST 2026 merit list, candidates receive invitations to the counselling. Until the registration deadline, candidates whose rankings appear on the publicly posted NEST 2026 merit list must register. Along with the NEST merit list 2026, candidates will be able to view the scheduled date, location, and hours of the counselling process. The percentile scores from the general section and the best three subjects will be used to determine the final ranking of candidates.
To be included in the NEST merit list 2026, candidates need to achieve a NEST exam total marks that is equal to or higher than the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP).
When creating the NEST 2026 merit list, the candidates' results in the general section and the top three NEST result from the other subject sections will be taken into consideration.
To be ranked in NISER's merit list 2026, candidates must score at least as high as the SMAS in each of the four topic areas and the general section.
To be included in the NEST 2026 merit list, candidates for the UM-DAE CEBS must receive scores in the general portion or any one of the three topic sections that are equal to or more than the SMAS.
In the case that two applicants receive identical marks, the candidate with the higher general section score is ranked higher in the NEST 2026 merit list.
In the instance that a tie still exists, the applicant with the greater score in any of the subject sections receives the higher rank.
At the time of NEST counselling 2026, the candidates are ranked higher based on their Class 12 marks to break the tie that still exists.
If the tie still exists, the candidate who is younger at age is assigned a higher rank in the NEST 2026 merit list.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The NEST cut off 2026 refers to the minimum score required for candidates to be considered for admission to NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS and to be eligible for the counselling phase.
The NEST 2026 cut off has been released on June 24.
The NEST 2026 cut-off is based on the minimum allowable percentile, which varies by category, and the section-wise minimum admissible score (20% of the average of the top 100 scores in each component).
Candidates who do not meet the NEST cut off 2026 will not be eligible for the counselling process and cannot proceed with admission to the participating institutes.
Ties in the NEST 2026 merit list will be resolved based on the candidate's younger age, Class 12 grades, higher general section scores, and then subject section scores.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Dear Student,
You can check, find and access more information here:
Hello Student,
Can you please tell what your interests are and what are your career aspirations?
Hello,
CEBS has started the NEST 2026 registration process on January 5 at nestexam.in. Candidates can fill and submit the NEST 2026 application form till April 6. The last date to pay the NEST application fee 2026 is April 12.
For NEST Exam Eligibility 2026, Age Limit, Qualification, Marks Required,
Hi, the exact data for 2025 is not available. However, in 2024, over 45,000 students registered for the exam and more than 27,000 appeared. The NEST 2026 exam is scheduled to be held on June 6.
If any candidate has lost their NEST exam certificate, they can visit the official website, nestexam.in to request another copy of the certificate.
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