NEW DELHI – The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) will become mandatory for admission to several undergraduate (UG) allied and healthcare programmes. This new requirement takes effect starting from the academic year 2026-27 , as clarified by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP).
Students seeking admission to these professional courses after passing their senior secondary, Class 12, or equivalent examination must now appear for NEET. This is an additional criterion to other course-specific eligibility requirements.
Allied and healthcare professions encompass a wide range of roles crucial to patient care, diagnosis, and treatment, working alongside doctors and nurses. The NCAHP was established to standardize education, training, and practice for these diverse professionals across India.
Mandatory Entrance Exam
The NCAHP Act, 2021, specifies the entry criteria for admission to Allied and Healthcare courses. An official statement from the commission indicates that appearing for the NEET exam is incorporated as a primary eligibility criterion in the majority of curricula notified so far. This requirement is in addition to other academic and qualification standards.
Admissions to these specific undergraduate courses will officially begin under this new mandatory NEET system from the 2026-27 academic year.
Affected Programmes
The new rules specifically require NEET qualification for admission to several key undergraduate allied and healthcare programmes. These include:
- Physiotherapy
- Optometry
- Nutrition and Dietetics
- Dialysis Technology
- Various Therapy programmes
These programmes will now utilize NEET scores as a gateway for entry, aiming to ensure a standardized level of foundational knowledge among incoming students.
Curricula Development and Implementation
The NCAHP has already notified 13 curricula for undergraduate and postgraduate Allied and Healthcare programmes. These curricula are slated for implementation from the upcoming academic year, aligning with the 2026-27 timeline for NEET integration. The commission also confirmed that it is actively developing and will release additional curricula for more courses in the near future.
Broader Sector Reforms
The move to mandate NEET is part of larger reforms within the allied health sciences sector. In July, the NCAHP recommended discontinuing the term “paramedical,” formally adopting “Allied and Healthcare” to better recognize and elevate these professions.
Another significant change introduced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) alongside NCAHP allows Physiotherapy graduates to use the “Dr” prefix. This title must be accompanied by a ‘PT’ suffix to distinguish them from medical graduates and PhD holders.
Student Preparation for 2026-27
Prospective students targeting careers in the allied and healthcare professions affected by these new regulations must begin preparing for the NEET examination. The academic year 2026-27 marks the first admission cycle where NEET scores will be a compulsory requirement for these undergraduate programmes.