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 2026 admission status differs depending entirely on which of the three routes a candidate is following. The table below covers all three at once.
| Route | Courses | Current 2026 Status |
|---|---|---|
| INI-CET | MD, MS, MDS | July 2026 session Round 2 complete; document reporting due July 16, 2026 |
| INI-SS | DM, MCh (super-specialty) | January 2026 session cutoff released; next cycle exam scheduled around December 2026 |
| PGIMER Entrance Exam | MSc Nursing, MPH, MHA, PhD, paramedical and allied health courses | Application closed June 30, 2026; exam scheduled for August 2026, result pending |
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.
PGIMER's own closing ranks within INI-CET moved dramatically this cycle, in a direction that surprised many candidates tracking previous year trends.
| Course Group | 2024 Closing Rank | 2025 Closing Rank | 2026 Closing Rank (Round 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD (overall, General AI) | 34 | 21 | 23 |
| MS (overall, all categories) | Data limited | 16,861 | 3,775 |
| MD Radiodiagnosis (General) | Highly competitive | Under 20 | 32 to 41 |
| MD General Medicine (toughest branch) | Data limited | Data limited | 113 (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.
DM and MCh admission at PGIMER runs on a marking structure that is not identical across every participating institute.
| Institute Group | INI-SS Qualifying Marks Scale |
|---|---|
| AIIMS and PGIMER Chandigarh | Out of 100 |
| JIPMER, NIMHANS, SCTIMST | Out 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.
This is the one part of PGIMER admission where the institute genuinely sets and evaluates its own cutoff, independent of any national body.
| Category | Minimum Qualifying Marks |
|---|---|
| General / EWS | 55 percent |
| OBC | 50 percent |
| SC / ST / PwD | 45 to 50 percent, varies by specific course |
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.
Closing rank or qualifying marks at PGIMER, whichever route applies, depend on a mix of factors specific to each track.
| Factor | How It Affects PGIMER Cutoff 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total INI-CET applicant pool nationally | Since 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 specifically | Small 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 seats | DM 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, PhD | Since this track has no national merit list to share, PGIMER's own applicant numbers directly decide how competitive its cutoff becomes |
| Course specific demand | MDS Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and MD Radiodiagnosis remain consistently tighter than less sought specialities across every recent cycle |
Since three separate systems are involved, checking the correct cutoff means going to the correct portal for each specific course.
A specific structural difference from AIIMS surprises some candidates researching PGIMER for the first time.
Seat availability varies enormously by programme level, which directly shapes how tight each route's closing figures run.
| Programme Level | Approximate Seat Availability |
|---|---|
| MD and BSc Nursing combined | Larger intake, among the largest seat pools at the institute |
| MSc and DM programmes | Comparatively limited seats |
| Total across all PGIMER programmes | Over 600 seats |
Regardless of which of the three routes a candidate qualifies through, a common set of documents is required at the confirmation stage.
A handful of conditions specific to how PGIMER actually runs admission are worth keeping in mind.
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.
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.
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