by Umaima Reshi
SRINAGAR: A total of 24,015 candidates from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have qualified the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2025, according to the results declared by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday. The exam was held on May 4 across 5,468 centres in 552 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, and Singapore. From J&K, 50,957 candidates had registered for this year’s examination, of whom 49,326 appeared. The qualification rate stands at 48.7 per cent, which is slightly lower than last year’s figure.
In 2024, 48,545 candidates had registered for NEET from the Union Territory, with 47,228 appearing and 24,565 qualifying. The pass percentage then was approximately 52 per cent. Thus, despite an increase in total registrations and candidates appearing this year, there is a slight decline in the number of students qualifying the exam. However, the participation rate—96.8 per cent in 2025—remains robust and consistent with previous years.
The state topper this year is Aftab Iqbal, who secured 423rd rank at the national level with a percentile score of 99.9808085.
The NEET-UG serves as the qualifying examination for a wide range of undergraduate medical and allied courses, including MBBS, BDS, B.Sc. (H) Nursing, and BVSc & AH. It is also the basis for admissions to AYUSH disciplines—BAMS, BUMS, BSMS, and BHMS—under central counselling conducted by the All-India Ayush Central Counselling Committee (AACCC). The NTA is responsible for conducting the exam and declaring the results, while state and central authorities draw up their own merit lists based on All India Ranks and reservation norms.
The trend in Jammu and Kashmir over the past six years shows a dramatic increase in both the number of students registering for NEET and those qualifying it. In 2019, a total of 26,595 candidates had registered for the examination. This number rose sharply to 33,357 in 2020, and to 34,615 in 2021. By 2022, the count reached 38,140, and in 2023 it stood at 37,276. However, 2024 witnessed a leap, with 48,545 registrations, which further increased to 50,957 in 2025.
The number of candidates qualifying for the exam has also increased, though with some fluctuations. In 2021, 14,743 out of 31,479 who appeared had qualified, giving a success rate of 46.8 per cent. In 2022, 20,005 out of 36,374 cleared the exam, with a success rate of roughly 55 per cent. In 2023, 20,564 candidates qualified from 36,431 who appeared, pushing the qualification rate to 56.4 per cent—the highest in recent years. The following year, 2024, saw 24,565 qualifiers out of 47,228, registering a 52 per cent success rate. In 2025, the number of qualifiers dipped slightly to 24,015, while the number of students appearing rose to 49,326, leading to a qualification rate of 48.7 per cent.
Despite this marginal drop in success rate, the rising number of candidates taking the exam each year reflects a growing medical education aspiration across the Union Territory. The figures suggest a doubling of interest and participation in just six years, underlining both improved awareness and access to preparatory resources across districts in Jammu and Kashmir.
