The NEST 2026 exam will be conducted on April 6, 2026, for admission to the Integrated 5-year MSc courses offered by NISER Bhubaneswar and the University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (DAE CEBS).

To get admission to the Integrated 5-year MSc courses at NISER and CEBS, candidates will have to qualify in the NEST 2026 selection process and obtain marks greater than or equal to the NEST 2026 cutoff. If you appear for NEST 2026, check out the expected NEST 2026 cutoffs on this SciAstra exam page.

What is NEST Cutoff?

NEST cutoffs refer to the minimum marks that candidates need to score in the NEST exam to get selected for admission to NISER Bhubaneswar and DAE CEBS. The cutoffs for each category are different and depend on the following factors:

  • Difficulty level of the test

  • Number of candidates appearing for the test in a particular year

  • Availability of seats

  • Reservation criteria

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NEST 2026 Cutoffs (Expected)

As per the details obtained by SciAstra from NEST aspirants and test takers who appeared for the exam in the previous year, the expected cutoffs for NEST 2026 have been provided below:

College Name

General

OBC

SC

ST

JK

NISER

Above 95

84+

58+

48+

85+

CEBS

100+

90

65+

55+

95+

NEST 2026 Admisssion Process

Once you score more than or equal to the NEST 2026 cutoff, you will be eligible for admission. Check out the steps to get admission to the integrated MSc course 2026:

  1. Fill out the NEST 2026 application form.

  2. Download the NEST 2026 admit card.

  3. Appear for NEST 2026.

  4. Download the NEST 2026 merit list and check whether you get selected in it or not.

  5. NISER Bhubaneswar or CEBS Mumbai will send an email to the selected candidates on the merit list to collect their Expression of Interest (EoI) for joining the 5-year Integrated Programme at NISER or CEBS. Reply to this email.

  6. NISER will release an admission queue list based on EoI and NEST 2026 merit list. The queue lists will be released until all the seats are filled.

  7. Visit the institute, get your documents verified, and pay the NISER 2026 admission fees to secure admission.