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PGIMER Cutoff 2026: Three Separate Admission Routes

Shristy Kandwal

Jul 22, 2026

PGIMER Cutoff 2026 cannot be reduced to a single number, since this institute fills its seats through three entirely separate examinations depending on the course chosen. PGIMER no longer conducts its own MD or MS entrance test. Those seats go through INI-CET, while DM and MCh super-specialty seats go through a separate exam called INI-SS. Only Nursing, MPH, MHA, PhD, and paramedical courses use PGIMER's own independent entrance exam, currently scheduled for later this year, with results still pending. This article covers institute-specific closing ranks within INI-CET, how INI-SS works differently for PGIMER, and the current status of PGIMER's own separate exam for its remaining courses.

PGIMER Cutoff 2026 Snapshot: Three Routes Compared

PGIMER 2026 admission status differs depending entirely on which of the three routes a candidate is following. The table below covers all three at once.

RouteCoursesCurrent 2026 Status
INI-CETMD, MS, MDSJuly 2026 session Round 2 complete; document reporting due July 16, 2026
INI-SSDM, MCh (super-specialty)January 2026 session cutoff released; next cycle exam scheduled around December 2026
PGIMER Entrance ExamMSc Nursing, MPH, MHA, PhD, paramedical and allied health coursesApplication closed June 30, 2026; exam scheduled for August 2026, result pending

Why PGIMER Cutoff 2026 Actually Means Three Different Things

Candidates searching for one PGIMER cutoff figure are usually looking for the wrong single number, since this institute stopped running its own MD or MS test years ago.

  • MD, MS, and MDS seats at PGIMER are filled entirely through INI-CET, the same national exam covering AIIMS, JIPMER, NIMHANS, and SCTIMST, conducted by AIIMS New Delhi.
  • DM and MCh super-specialty seats go through INI-SS, a related but separate exam specifically for super-specialty admission at Institutes of National Importance.
  • Nursing, public health, hospital administration, PhD, and paramedical courses remain PGIMER's own responsibility, with the institute conducting and evaluating this specific exam independently.
  • A candidate applying to more than one of these tracks, for example an MD aspirant who is also considering a PhD later, needs to track two entirely separate application, exam, and cutoff timelines.

PGIMER INI-CET Closing Rank 2026: A Sharp Swing from Last Year

PGIMER's own closing ranks within INI-CET moved dramatically this cycle, in a direction that surprised many candidates tracking previous year trends.

Course Group2024 Closing Rank2025 Closing Rank2026 Closing Rank (Round 2)
MD (overall, General AI)342123
MS (overall, all categories)Data limited16,8613,775
MD Radiodiagnosis (General)Highly competitiveUnder 2032 to 41
MD General Medicine (toughest branch)Data limitedData limited113 (OBC AI range 113 to 8,947)

The MS closing rank tightening from 16,861 in 2025 to 3,775 in 2026 is a particularly sharp swing, most likely reflecting either a stronger applicant pool this cycle or a reduction in MS seats available at PGIMER specifically, rather than a general national trend across every INI-CET institute.

  • MDS Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery was the tightest dental seat, closing at rank 2.
  • MDS Orthodontics followed closely, closing at rank 8.
  • MD Biochemistry and MD Microbiology were the least competitive MD branches this cycle, closing at 4,621 and 4,295 respectively for the General AI category.

PGIMER INI-SS Cutoff: A Different Marking Scale from Other Institutes

DM and MCh admission at PGIMER runs on a marking structure that is not identical across every participating institute.

Institute GroupINI-SS Qualifying Marks Scale
AIIMS and PGIMER ChandigarhOut of 100
JIPMER, NIMHANS, SCTIMSTOut of 80

This means a raw score comparison between a PGIMER DM applicant and a JIPMER DM applicant is not meaningful without converting to the same scale first, since the two groups of institutes are graded against different maximum marks entirely.

PGIMER's Own Entrance Exam 2026: Nursing, MPH, MHA and PhD

This is the one part of PGIMER admission where the institute genuinely sets and evaluates its own cutoff, independent of any national body.

CategoryMinimum Qualifying Marks
General / EWS55 percent
OBC50 percent
SC / ST / PwD45 to 50 percent, varies by specific course
  • MSc Nursing, MSc Anatomy, MSc Physiology, MSc Biochemistry, MSc Pharmacology, MSc Microbiology, MSc Biophysics, and MSc Biostatistics are all covered under this single institute-run exam umbrella, each with its own specific applicant pool.
  • MPH (Master of Public Health) admission follows the same PGIMER-run process, requiring a relevant bachelor's degree.
  • For the 2026 cycle, applications closed June 30, with the exam scheduled for August 2026 and results expected shortly after, meaning this track's actual cutoff for 2026 is not yet available.
  • Candidates should aim meaningfully above these minimum qualifying percentages, since clearing the floor only makes a candidate eligible, not competitive, for a limited number of seats.

Why PGIMER No Longer Runs Its Own MD and MS Entrance Test

The shift to INI-CET was not unique to PGIMER, but understanding why it happened explains why searching for an old-style PGIMER MD cutoff no longer returns a meaningful answer.

  • Before INI-CET was introduced, PGIMER, AIIMS, and other Institutes of National Importance each ran separate MD and MS entrance tests, forcing candidates to prepare for and appear in multiple overlapping exams within the same admission season.
  • INI-CET consolidated these into one common exam and one common counselling process across all participating INIs, reducing duplicate effort for both candidates and the institutes themselves.
  • PGIMER retained its own separate exam only for the courses that fell outside this consolidation, namely nursing, allied health, public health, and doctoral programmes, since these were never part of the original multi-institute overlap that INI-CET was designed to fix.

What Decides PGIMER Cutoff 2026 Across All Three Routes

Closing rank or qualifying marks at PGIMER, whichever route applies, depend on a mix of factors specific to each track.

FactorHow It Affects PGIMER Cutoff 2026
Total INI-CET applicant pool nationallySince PGIMER shares its merit list with every other INI-CET institute, national applicant numbers affect PGIMER's specific closing rank as much as PGIMER-only demand
Seat count changes at PGIMER specificallySmall year to year changes in how many MD or MS seats PGIMER contributes to the INI-CET pool can shift its own institute-specific closing rank sharply, as seen in the 2025 to 2026 MS swing
INI-SS applicant pool for super-specialty seatsDM and MCh competition depends on how many MD or MS graduates nationally choose to pursue super-specialty study in a given cycle
PGIMER's own applicant volume for Nursing, MPH, PhDSince this track has no national merit list to share, PGIMER's own applicant numbers directly decide how competitive its cutoff becomes
Course specific demandMDS Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and MD Radiodiagnosis remain consistently tighter than less sought specialities across every recent cycle

How to Check PGIMER Cutoff 2026 for Each Route

Since three separate systems are involved, checking the correct cutoff means going to the correct portal for each specific course.

  • Step 1: For MD, MS, or MDS, go to aiimsexams.ac.in and check the INI-CET counselling result for PGIMER specifically within the institute wise allotment list.
  • Step 2: For DM or MCh, check the INI-SS result and cutoff, remembering that PGIMER uses the 100 mark scale rather than the 80 mark scale used by JIPMER, NIMHANS, and SCTIMST.
  • Step 3: For Nursing, MPH, MHA, PhD, or paramedical courses, go to pgimer.edu.in directly and check the institute's own admission portal, since this track is not covered by either INI-CET or INI-SS.
  • Step 4: Compare a personal rank or score against the specific course and category closing figure, not a generic PGIMER wide number, since each route and each course within it has its own distinct cutoff.

PGIMER Has No MBBS Programme, Unlike AIIMS

A specific structural difference from AIIMS surprises some candidates researching PGIMER for the first time.

  • PGIMER does not offer an MBBS programme at all. Every course at this institute is postgraduate, super-specialty, doctoral, nursing, or allied health level.
  • A candidate seeking undergraduate medical education needs to apply to AIIMS or another NMC recognised MBBS granting institute through NEET UG, not PGIMER.
  • This makes PGIMER's applicant pool structurally different from AIIMS, since every PGIMER applicant already holds at least a prior degree, whether MBBS, a relevant bachelor's degree, or in some cases a prior postgraduate qualification for DM and MCh study.

PGIMER 2026 Seat Matrix and Reservation Across Programmes

Seat availability varies enormously by programme level, which directly shapes how tight each route's closing figures run.

Programme LevelApproximate Seat Availability
MD and BSc Nursing combinedLarger intake, among the largest seat pools at the institute
MSc and DM programmesComparatively limited seats
Total across all PGIMER programmesOver 600 seats
  • Standard government reservation norms apply across PGIMER's own admission process, covering SC, ST, and OBC categories, in addition to whatever category structure applies separately within INI-CET and INI-SS for the MD, MS, DM, and MCh seats.

PGIMER 2026 Documents Required for Admission Confirmation

Regardless of which of the three routes a candidate qualifies through, a common set of documents is required at the confirmation stage.

  • Admit card and rank card or scorecard for the specific route (INI-CET, INI-SS, or PGIMER's own exam).
  • MBBS or relevant bachelor's degree certificate, along with a Bachelor's or Master's certificate for MSc, MPH, or PhD applicants as applicable.
  • Internship completion certificate, required specifically for MD and MS applicants.
  • Category certificate, where reservation benefits are being claimed under any of the three admission routes.
  • Registration certificate from the Medical Council or relevant professional body, identity proof, and passport size photographs.

PGIMER Cutoff 2026 Important Points for Candidates

A handful of conditions specific to how PGIMER actually runs admission are worth keeping in mind.

  • There is no single PGIMER cutoff. MD, MS, and MDS use INI-CET; DM and MCh use INI-SS; and Nursing, MPH, MHA, PhD, and paramedical courses use PGIMER's own separate exam.
  • PGIMER's institute-specific INI-CET closing rank can move sharply year to year, as seen in the MS closing rank tightening from 16,861 to 3,775 between 2025 and 2026.
  • INI-SS uses a 100 mark scale for AIIMS and PGIMER, different from the 80 mark scale used by JIPMER, NIMHANS, and SCTIMST.
  • PGIMER does not offer MBBS. Every programme here is postgraduate or beyond.
  • PGIMER's own exam for Nursing, MPH, MHA, and PhD has not yet produced a 2026 cutoff, since the exam itself is scheduled for August 2026.
  • Clearing the minimum qualifying percentage for PGIMER's own exam only establishes eligibility, not a competitive standing, given the limited number of seats in these programmes.

PGIMER Cutoff 2026 depends entirely on which of the three admission routes a candidate is following, since this institute has not run its own MD or MS test in years. Candidates should track INI-CET for MD, MS, and MDS, INI-SS for DM and MCh with attention to its different marking scale, and PGIMER's own portal directly for Nursing, MPH, MHA, PhD, and paramedical courses, since no single source covers all three cutoffs together.

Note: A proper exploration of Prepp for PGIMER found the exam hub page (prepp.in/pgimer-exam) and a sample papers page (prepp.in/pgimer-exam/sample-paper) as the only live pages. No categorised silo pages exist for this exam on Prepp. With fewer than 4 verified links available, no relevant links table has been included.

PGIMER Cutoff 2026 FAQs

Ques: Can a candidate use their INI-CET rank to apply for PGIMER's MSc Nursing or PhD programme?

Ans: No. INI-CET is only valid for MD, MS, and MDS admission. MSc Nursing, MPH, MHA, and PhD programmes require appearing separately for PGIMER's own entrance exam, since these courses are not part of the INI-CET consolidated system at all.

Ques: Why did PGIMER's MS closing rank tighten so sharply between 2025 and 2026?

Ans: The exact reason is not officially published by AIIMS or PGIMER, but a closing rank tightening from 16,861 to 3,775 most likely reflects either a stronger applicant pool competing for MS seats this cycle or a reduction in the number of MS seats PGIMER contributed to the INI-CET pool for 2026, rather than a broader national trend.

Ques: Is the INI-SS 100 mark scale used at PGIMER harder to clear than the 80 mark scale at JIPMER or NIMHANS?

Ans: Not necessarily harder, since qualifying marks and cutoff percentiles are calculated relative to each scale's own maximum, not compared directly across institutes. A candidate should treat their PGIMER or AIIMS specific score independently rather than assuming it translates directly to the 80 mark scale used elsewhere.

Ques: Does PGIMER offer any undergraduate medical programme at all?

Ans: No, PGIMER does not offer MBBS or any other undergraduate medical degree. Every programme at this institute, including MD, MS, DM, MCh, MSc, MPH, MHA, and PhD, is postgraduate, super-specialty, or doctoral level. Candidates seeking MBBS admission need to apply elsewhere through NEET UG.

Ques: When will the PGIMER 2026 cutoff for MSc Nursing and PhD actually be available?

Ans: Since the exam for these programmes is scheduled for August 2026, with results expected shortly after, the actual 2026 cutoff for Nursing, MPH, MHA, and PhD will only become available once PGIMER declares results and completes its counselling process for this specific track, later than the INI-CET and INI-SS cutoffs covered in this article.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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