NEST 2026 Merit List: Release Date, Steps to Download, Direct Link

The NEST 2026 will be held on April 6, 2026 for admission to Integrated 5-year MSc courses offered by NISER Bhubaneswar and DAE CEBS, University of Mumbai. The admission of the candidates to the institutes will depend on their selection in the NEST 2026 Merit List.

If you are going to appear for the National Entrance Screening Test in 2026, you must know everything about the merit list, from its release to the steps to download it. This SciAstra article provides details about the NEST 2026 Merit List release date, the steps to download it and how it is prepared. 

What is NEST Merit List?

The NEST Merit List is an official document that includes the NEST Roll Numbers of candidates selected for admission to NISER Bhubaneswar and DAE CEBS, along with their General Rank (NEST Rank), Category Rank, and PwD status. The Category Rank here refers to the NEST Rank of candidates according to their category (SC, ST, and OBC).

Candidates selected in the merit list of NEST 2026 will be eligible for admission to the institutes.

Details Mentioned in NEST Merit List

As mentioned above, the following details are provided in the NEST Merit List:

• Candidate’s NEST Roll Number

• General Rank

• Category Rank

• Person with Disability (PwD) Status (if candidates belong to the category)

NEST 2026 Merit List: Dates

The NEST Merit List 2026 is expected to be released in the third week of July 2026 on the official website of the NEST exam - nestexam.in.

Candidates can check all the important dates for NEST 2026 admission process below:

Also Read: 

• NEST 2026 Dates

• NEST 2026 Syllabus

• NEST 2026 Exam Pattern

NEST 2026 Merit List: Steps to Prepare the List

Before understanding the process of how NEST Merit List is prepared, candidates must know the three terms related to the NEST 2026 selection process, NEST Scoring System, Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) and Minium Admissible Percentile (MAP). The three terms have been explained below:

NEST 2026 Scoring System

1. In the NEST 2026 examination, there are four sections of 60 marks each with subject-specific questions from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. A candidate can attempt all sections.

2. A candidate has to attempt at least three sections to be considered in the scoring process.

3. The total marks obtained in each section will be calculated following the marking scheme of three (3) marks for a correct answer, minus one (-1) mark for a wrong answer and zero (0) marks for an unanswered question.

4. In case a question is required to be dropped from any section, the marks of all the candidates will be scaled appropriately.

Section–wise’ Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) or Section-wise Cut–off Marks for NEST

1. For each section, 20% of the average of the best 100 scores in that section will be considered as the Section–wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS).

For example, if the average of the best 100 scores in the Chemistry section is 48 out of 60, then SMAS for the Chemistry section would be 48*0.20 = 9.6 marks, similarly for other sections. 

2. SMAS for different sections can be of different numerical values. SMAS will be rounded off at the fourth place of decimal.

3. SMAS for OBC candidates would be 90% of the respective SMAS for Unreserved (UR) category candidates.

4. SMAS for SC/ST candidates would be 50% of the respective SMAS for Unreserved (UR) category candidates.

5. A relaxation of 5% in SMAS for Divyangjan candidates in their respective categories would be applicable. SMAS for Divyangjan candidates under UR, OBC and SC/ST categories would be 95%, 85% and 45% of the respective SMAS for Unreserved (UR) category candidates.

6. A candidate must secure a section score equal to or above the SMAS in at least three sections to be considered further in the scoring process. 8. Only the scores that are equal to or above the SMAS will be considered for scoring and ranking process.

Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) for NEST

In addition to SMAS, candidates are required to score equal to or above the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP). This refers to the specific category-wise percentile that candidates must achieve in order to hold a place in the NEST merit list. MAP is also known as the NEST overall cut-off.

Also Read:

• NISER 2026 Admission Fees

• NISER Bhubaneswar Courses and Admission Process

Steps to Prepare NEST 2026 Merit List

To prepare the NEST 2026 Merit List, the exam authority will consider the following criteria:

1. A candidate is required to obtain a section score that is equal to or greater than the SMAS in at least three sections. Then the candidate is said to be SMAS-qualified.

2. The candidate is also required to obtain a percentile that is equal to or above the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) to secure a position in the merit list and get a merit rank.Based on SMAS and MAP, the merit list for NEST 2026 will be prepared.

NETS 2026 Merit List: Tie-Breaking Criteria

If two or more students obtain equal percentile in NEST 2026, there will be a tie. The following criteria will be used to break the tie:

1. A tie of rank would be broken by first comparing the sum of the two best section scores.

2. If the tie of rank persists, then the best section score will be considered.

3. If the tie of rank persists, the candidates would be given the same provisional rank at the time of declaration of the results.

4. The tie would be broken during admission/counselling by first comparing the aggregate percentage of class XII followed by class X.

Steps to Check NEST 2026 Merit List

Refer to the following steps to download the NEST 2026 Merit List:

To check the result for NEST 2026, candidates can use the following steps:

1. Go to the official NEST exam website – nestexam.in.

2. Click on the “Login” option and enter the Application No./Login ID and password.

3. Enter the provided Captcha Code.

4. Click on the “Login” option below.

5. Your scorecard will appear on the screen.

Prepare for NEST 2026 with SciAstra

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Students can leverage the following features of the NEST FOCUS Test Series:

Conclusion

The NEST 2026 Merit List plays a decisive role in determining admission to the Integrated 5-year MSc programmes at NISER Bhubaneswar and DAE CEBS. It is prepared using a transparent and well-defined process based on SMAS, MAP, and section-wise performance. Candidates should clearly understand the merit list criteria, tie-breaking rules, and download steps to stay prepared for the admission and counselling process.