NEET 2026 AIR Prediction BDS: Expected Marks, Ranks and Government Cutoffs
Early trends after NEET UG 2026 show a slightly easier paper, and the NEET 2026 AIR Prediction BDS indicates General category candidates may need about 497–560+ marks for government BDS seats. This shift could push cutoffs higher compared with NEET 2025 AIQ figures.
NEET 2026 AIR Prediction BDS — Key numbers
There are 27,868 BDS seats across India. Early estimates place a safe General rank near AIR 55,000–60,000 for government BDS seats. Experts expect the AIQ safe score for General/EWS to move toward 510–550+ marks in 2026.
Top government dental colleges typically require higher scores. Institutions such as MAIDS (Delhi), KGMU (Lucknow) and Government Dental College Mumbai generally need 550–600+ marks . The NEET 2025 AIQ reference closed near 497 marks (AIR ~55,800) for General, which informs these 2026 projections.
The official authority, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), will publish NEET 2026 BDS cutoffs after counselling rounds at mcc.nic.in . Final seat allocation depends on AIQ and state quota counselling and category reservations.
NEET 2026 AIR Prediction BDS: Marks vs Expected AIR (Estimated)
| Marks (out of 720) | Expected AIR (General) – NEET 2026 | Admission possibility |
|---|---|---|
| 600+ | Within AIR 22,000 | Top govt BDS; MBBS eligibility |
| 570–599 | 22,000–40,000 | Strong AIQ chances for top govt BDS |
| 550–569 | 40,000–55,000 | Good govt BDS (AIQ + state quota) |
| 510–549 | 55,000–90,000 | Govt BDS likely via state quota; AIQ borderline |
| 480–509 | 90,000–1,20,000 | Private BDS and some state quota govt seats |
| 450–479 | 1,20,000–1,60,000 | Mostly private BDS (management/state quota) |
| Below 450 | 1,60,000+ | Lower-ranked private BDS or other courses |
NEET 2026 AIR Prediction BDS: Category-wise safe scores
- General/EWS (AIQ): 510–550+ marks ; expected AIQ closing AIR 50,000–58,000 .
- OBC: 450–490 marks competitive; expected AIQ closing AIR 58,000–75,000 .
- SC: estimated 380–420+ marks ; expected AIQ closing AIR 1,50,000–2,00,000 .
- ST: estimated 330–370+ marks ; expected AIQ closing AIR 2,00,000–2,50,000 .
All category projections use NEET 2025 MCC AIQ closing data as a baseline and are subject to change once MCC releases official NEET 2026 cutoffs after counselling.
What students should note now
MCC will declare NEET 2026 BDS cutoffs at mcc.nic.in after each counselling round. AIQ and state quota outcomes, plus category reservation, will determine final admission. Candidates should track MCC counselling schedules and official cutoffs to confirm admission chances against these estimates.