SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded one of its strongest performances in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2026, with two candidates from the Union Territory breaking into India’s top 125 ranks and joining the country’s highest-scoring group.
Hadiya Nisar emerged as the highest-ranked candidate from Jammu and Kashmir, securing All India Rank (AIR) 99 with a 99.9931 percentile, while Zaidan Wani followed closely at AIR 124, also with a 99.9931 percentile. Both candidates scored 690 marks or above, placing them among only 138 students across India to achieve that benchmark in this year’s highly competitive medical entrance examination.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which declared the results on Thursday, has also identified Hadiya Nisar and Zaidan Wani as the top two performers from Jammu and Kashmir in its official state-wise toppers list, reaffirming the Union Territory’s improved showing in one of India’s toughest entrance examinations.
The achievement assumes significance because NEET UG remains the single gateway for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other undergraduate medical programmes across India. This year, more than 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for the counselling process, making a place among the country’s top 138 scorers an exceptional accomplishment.
Nationally, Aryan Gupta of Punjab secured AIR 1 with a 99.9999 percentile, followed by Panshul Bansal of Haryana at AIR 2 and Uplakshya Goyal of Rajasthan at AIR 3. Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and Tamil Nadu dominated the list of highest scorers, with multiple candidates figuring among the top 138.
Against this backdrop, Jammu and Kashmir’s appearance with two candidates in the country’s elite group stands out. Among all states and Union Territories, only a handful managed to place more than one candidate in the list of students scoring 690 marks and above, underlining the growing competitiveness of students from the region.
The state-wise topper list released by the NTA also reflects the uneven distribution of high performers across India. While several larger states produced multiple top-ranked candidates, many smaller states and Union Territories had only one representative. Jammu and Kashmir’s top-ranked pair placed well ahead of many state toppers from across the country.
For Jammu and Kashmir, the performance also signals a broader shift in medical entrance outcomes. Over the past decade, the Union Territory has witnessed increasing participation in national-level competitive examinations, aided by the expansion of coaching facilities, greater access to digital learning platforms and rising awareness among students pursuing medical education. The presence of two candidates within the top 125 nationally is likely to encourage more aspirants from the region to compete for seats in premier medical institutions.
The rankings also place Hadiya Nisar and Zaidan Wani in a position to secure admission to some of India’s most sought-after government medical colleges during the forthcoming counselling process, depending on their preferences and seat availability.
With two candidates entering the national top 125 and both featuring among the country’s 138 highest scorers, NEET UG 2026 marks one of Jammu and Kashmir’s most notable performances in recent years, reinforcing the Union Territory’s growing presence in India’s highly competitive medical education landscape.
