NEET UG 2026 Round 2 AIQ Open Cutoff Reaches 25,655: How Much Did Ranks Move and What Are the Real AIIMS Cutoffs?

NEET UG 2026 Round 2 Cutoff: The second round of MCC counselling has created fresh movement in government MBBS closing ranks, with the Open/UR All India Quota closing rank extending to 25,655, compared with 22,342 in Round 1.

The movement gives candidates a clearer picture of how vacancies, upgrades and new seat additions changed the national MBBS admission landscape between the first two rounds.

However, one figure circulating in some cutoff headlines needs correction: rank 4,377 is not a verified 2026 Round 2 AIIMS closing rank. That number is associated with older AIIMS Madurai cutoff data and should not be presented as a fresh 2026 Round 2 AIIMS result.

NEET UG 2026 AIQ Round 1 vs Round 2

Category	Round 1 Closing Rank	Round 2 Closing Rank
Open / UR	22,342	25,655
OBC	23,075	25,768
EWS	27,179	29,743
SC	1,04,921	1,20,870
ST	1,32,111	1,31,976

What Does a Closing Rank of 25,655 Mean?

The figure does not mean every government medical college was available to rank 25,655.

It means the overall Open-category AIQ government MBBS pool extended to that rank under the cutoff analysis being reported.

Top institutions still closed thousands—or tens of thousands—of ranks earlier.

AIIMS Cutoffs Were Much Tighter

Round 2 data published by current counselling analysts show much tighter General/Open cutoffs at AIIMS institutions.

AIIMS	Reported Round 2 Open/General Closing Rank
AIIMS Bhubaneswar	708
AIIMS Jodhpur	333
AIIMS Nagpur	783
AIIMS Patna	1,588
AIIMS Mangalagiri	1,196
AIIMS Bathinda	1,746
AIIMS Bilaspur	2,414
AIIMS Guwahati	3,128
AIIMS Gorakhpur	2,121

Individual category cutoffs can be very different, so candidates should compare like-for-like category and quota data.

Where Did the 4,377 AIIMS Number Come From?

Historical cutoff datasets show AIIMS Madurai had an Open-category Round 1 closing rank of 4,377 in 2023.

Its 2026 Round 1 General-category cutoff has instead been reported at approximately 3,421.

This is why reusing old cutoff tables without checking the year can create misleading 2026 headlines.

Why Did the Overall AIQ Rank Move?

Round 2 movement happens because the counselling system redistributes seats.

Major reasons include:

• Round 1 candidates upgrade.
• Some candidates resign.
• New seats are added.
• Virtual vacancies become real vacancies.
• Candidates move between state and MCC counselling.

How Much Did Open Category Move?

The Open/UR closing rank moved from 22,342 to 25,655.

That represents an extension of more than 3,300 rank positions.

But candidates should not interpret that as a uniform 3,300-rank fall at every college.

SC Category Shows Major Movement

The SC closing rank extended from approximately 1,04,921 to 1,20,870, one of the more notable changes in the broad category-level data.

The ST number moved very little overall.

Why College-Level Cutoffs Matter More

A national cutoff can tell you the deepest rank at which some seat was available.

It cannot answer whether your preferred college was realistically available.

For choice filling, compare:

• College
• Category
• Quota
• Round
• Seat type

AIIMS New Delhi Is a Different Competition

AIIMS New Delhi remains among the most competitive MBBS institutions in India.

Round-level data should never be mixed with lower-demand AIIMS campuses or reservation-specific numbers.

A candidate seeing an “AIIMS cutoff” headline should immediately ask:

• Which AIIMS?
• Which category?
• Which round?
• Which year?

Could Cutoffs Move Further in Round 3?

Yes.

Later-round movement depends on remaining vacancies and the rules governing candidates who joined or did not join Round 2 seats.

Some colleges may see little movement; others can move sharply if unexpected vacancies emerge.

Should Rank 26,000 Candidates Give Up?

Not necessarily.

A candidate near the previous closing range should continue checking:

• Round 3 vacancy matrix
• State counselling
• Newly added seats
• Government and private options
• BDS or AYUSH alternatives if genuinely desired

NEET Round 2 Cutoff FAQs

What is the reported Round 2 Open AIQ closing rank?
25,655.

What was Round 1?
22,342 under the same cutoff analysis.

Did an AIIMS seat close at 4,377 in Round 2 2026?
That specific figure is not supported as a 2026 Round 2 AIIMS cutoff. Rank 4,377 appears in historical AIIMS Madurai data from 2023.

Can Round 3 go lower?
Yes, depending on remaining seats and candidate movement.

Final Takeaway

The Round 2 numbers are encouraging for candidates just outside the first-round government MBBS range, but they also show why one national closing rank is never enough to judge admission chances.

Use 25,655 as a broad AIQ Open-category benchmark—but use college-specific, category-specific data to make actual counselling decisions.

And always check the year before sharing an AIIMS cutoff: an old rank can turn a useful counselling article into misinformation very quickly.