NEET mandatory for several allied and healthcare courses from 2026-27: NCAHP

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has clarified that appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) will be mandatory for admission to several undergraduate (UG) allied and healthcare programmes starting from the academic year 2026-27.

Students seeking admission to some allied and healthcare professional courses after passing the senior secondary, Class 12, or equivalent exam should appear for NEET, in addition to meeting other course-specific eligibility criteria.

In November, the commission stated that 13 curricula for undergraduate and postgraduate Allied and Healthcare programmes have been notified so far, all of which are to be implemented from the upcoming academic year. NCAHP is in the process of releasing more curricula, it said.

“As per the NCAHP Act, 2021, the entry criteria to the admission to Allied and Healthcare courses to be defined has been incorporated in the notified curricula. In majority of curricula notified have one of the eligibility criterion for admission is appearing in NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) exam over and above other criteria. Admission to these courses is slated to begin from 2026–27 academic year,” the official statement read.

It was in July this year that the NCAHP had recommended discontinuing the term “paramedical” for describing various healthcare-related professions and formally adopted "Allied and Healthcare" to recognise these professions.

Among major reforms introduced in the allied health sciences sector this year, the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) along with the NCAHP allowed the use of Dr for Physiotherapy graduates, but with a ‘PT’ suffix to distinguish themselves from medical graduates and PhDs.

The new rules require NEET qualification for admissions to physiotherapy, optometry, nutrition and dietetics, and dialysis technology, and therapy programmes.