The NEST 2026 exam was conducted on June 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
Latest Update:
NEST 2026 Cutoffs (Expected)
Based on the candidates' responses and analysis previous years' cutoff trends of NEST, the Team SciAstra has predicted the NEST 2026 cutoffs. Check out the details below:
NEST 2026 Safe Score | ||
Category | 2026 Expected Cutoff | Expected Change |
General | 95+ | +2 to +5 |
OBC-NCL | 88+ | +2 to +8 |
EWS | 86+ | +3 to +6 |
SC | 68+ | +5 to +10 |
ST | 65+ | +5 to +8 |
J&K | 70+ | +5 to +10 |
Note: The details mentioned above are NEST 2026 expected cutoffs. The actual cutoffs are yet to be released.
NEST 2026 Question Paper Solution
Check out the solution to the NEST 2026 question paper on YouTube:
NEST 2025 Cutoffs
Check out the NEST 2025 cutoffs for different categories below:
NEST 2025 Cutoff | ||
Category | Marks Band / Marks Range | Rank Information |
General | 150+ | AIR 1–15 |
General | 135+ | AIR 16–50 |
General | 120+ | AIR 51–110 |
General | 107+ | AIR 111–350 |
General | 93+ | AIR 351–510 |
General | 80–90 | AIR 511–950 |
General | < 80 | AIR > 950 |
OBC-NCL | 82+ to 129.5 | Category Rank 5–225 |
EWS | 83+ to 121 | Category Rank 5–30 |
SC | 74+ to 133 | Category Rank 5–25 |
ST | 68+ to 91 | Category Rank 5–20 |
J&K | 81.5 | Category Rank 3 |
NEST 2024 Cutoffs
Check out below the NEST 2024 category-wise cutoffs:
NEST 2024 Cutoff | ||
Category | Marks Band / Marks Range | Rank Information |
General | 120+ | AIR 1–15 |
General | 109+ | AIR 16–45 |
General | 98+ | AIR 46–84 |
General | 89+ | AIR 85–200 |
General | 80+ | AIR 201–290 |
General | < 80 | AIR > 290 |
OBC-NCL | 98+ | AIR 38–53 | Category Rank 6–8 |
OBC-NCL | 88+ | AIR 140–218 | Category Rank 30–50 |
OBC-NCL | 80+ | AIR 218–296 | Category Rank 50–65 |
OBC-NCL | < 77 | Category Rank 65+ |
EWS | 70–99.7 | Category Rank 4–114+ |
SC | 60–100.2 | Category Rank 1–45+ |
ST | 50–64.5 | Category Rank 3–50+ |
J&K | 89.9 | Category Rank 1 |
PWD | Not Available | Category Rank 6 |
Also Read:
NEST 2026 Cutoffs (Detailed)
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:
Fill out the NEST 2026 application form.
Download the NEST 2026 admit card.
Appear for NEST 2026.
Download the NEST 2026 merit list and check whether you get selected in it or not.
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.
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.
Visit the institute, get your documents verified, and pay the NISER 2026 admission fees to secure admission.
