National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

Latest Admission Updates (2026)

As of June 2026, the most time-sensitive deadline for National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences aspirants is for those already allotted a PG seat: candidates allotted a DM, MCh or MD seat at NIMHANS through INI CET July 2026 Round 1 must accept or act on their allotted seat by 30 June 2026. The undergraduate Computer-Based Test for the AY 2026-27 July session is still ahead on 26 July 2026. Below is a dated summary of the live status of each admission track at NIMHANS Bengaluru.

• 30 June 2026 (action required now): Last date to accept the INI CET July 2026 Round 1 allotted seat. AIIMS New Delhi declared the INI CET July 2026 Round 1 seat allotment on 24 June 2026 at aiimsexams.ac.in, and NIMHANS is a participating institute for its DM, MCh and MD seats.
• 26 July 2026: NIMHANS UG Computer-Based Test (CBT) for B.Sc Nursing, B.Sc Neuroscience and allied health science programmes, as per the official AY 2026-27 July session prospectus.
• 16 May to 15 June 2026 (now closed): Online application window for the NIMHANS UG July 2026 session was open during these dates at nimhans.ac.in.
• UG CBT pattern: 100 MCQs in 90 minutes with 0.25 negative marking, as notified in the AY 2026-27 prospectus.
• 24 June 2026: INI CET July 2026 Round 1 seat allotment result declared at aiimsexams.ac.in (NIMHANS PG seats included).

National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences Admission 2026: Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences is strictly programme-specific, and a candidate must clear both the qualifying-degree bar and the correct entrance exam for that course. The table below maps each NIMHANS programme to its minimum eligibility, the qualifying-marks threshold on record, and the exam NIMHANS accepts for it. This answers the most common pre-application question: "Am I even allowed to apply for this NIMHANS course?" Read it by first locating your degree level (UG, master's, MD/PG, or super-speciality DM/MCh), then confirming the entrance exam, because UG and most master's seats run through the NIMHANS Entrance Test while MD, DM and MCh seats run through INI CET / INI SS.

The key takeaway is that NIMHANS keeps medical PG and super-speciality admissions inside the AIIMS-run INI CET ecosystem, while nursing, public health and research seats use its own entrance test. The B.Sc Nursing age bar of 17-25 years is a hard cutoff, so older applicants should plan around it. Where a row reads "as per official notification," confirm the exact aggregate on the current NIMHANS prospectus before applying, and note that only the general/base eligibility above is stated here because NIMHANS does not publish a single fixed category-relaxation percentage across all courses.

Course-Wise Admission Status

This section gives a quick live snapshot of where each National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences programme stands in the 2026 cycle, alongside its sanctioned seat strength and the exam route. It answers "Is the application open, and how many seats are there?" in one glance. Seat figures shown are the latest counts on record; blank seat cells mean NIMHANS has not published a fixed sanctioned number for that programme in our verified data. Use the Mode column to confirm whether a course is filled through institute counselling (NIMHANS Entrance Test) or AIIMS-led counselling (INI CET / INI SS).

The clear takeaway for June 2026 is that the medical PG track is the active one: INI CET July 2026 Round 1 allotment is already declared and seat acceptance closes 30 June 2026, so MD/DM/MCh aspirants should log in to aiimsexams.ac.in immediately. UG B.Sc Nursing applicants who applied in the May-June window should now focus on the 26 July 2026 CBT. Anyone targeting M.Sc, M.Sc Nursing, MPH or PhD should track the NIMHANS Entrance Test notification on nimhans.ac.in, since the next dated steps for those programmes are yet to be announced.

Application Fees

It is important to separate the two payments at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences: the small one-time application/exam fee paid to the conducting body when you register, and the much larger annual tuition/programme fee paid to the institute after admission. The table below lists the NIMHANS Entrance Test application fee by category, charged per course applied, as published for the 2026 cycle. This directly answers "How much does it cost to apply to NIMHANS?" Read each category on its own row, because SC/ST candidates pay a lower amount than General/OBC/EWS applicants.

To put the application fee in context against the actual cost of studying at NIMHANS, the latest tuition figures on record (no specific session attached, so confirm the current-year fee on the official prospectus) are: B.Sc Nursing Rs 1,77,000; M.Sc and M.Sc Nursing Rs 38,200 each; MPH Rs 1,83,000; PhD Rs 32,000; MD Rs 2,05,000; DM Rs 1,91,000; and MCh Rs 2,29,000. The takeaway: the apply-stage outlay is modest (Rs 1,000-1,500 per NIMHANS course), but candidates can apply to a limited number of courses, so choose deliberately. INI CET applicants pay their fee directly to AIIMS, not to NIMHANS, and should verify the exact amount and category split on the official AIIMS notification before paying.

Entrance Exam Requirements

National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences runs two distinct admission gateways, and applying to the wrong one is the single most common mistake aspirants make. Undergraduate, M.Sc, M.Sc Nursing, MPH and PhD seats are filled through the NIMHANS Entrance Test, while MD seats run through INI CET and DM/MCh super-speciality seats run through INI CET / INI SS. The table below pairs each exam with the programmes it feeds, the 2026 exam date where known, and the competitive score/rank band based on NIMHANS' own closing ranks. Read "typical qualifying score" as the rank zone where seats have actually closed, not a guaranteed cutoff.

The decisive takeaway is how sharp the INI CET bar is for NIMHANS: a General-category MCh seat closed at All India rank 68 in 2025 and DM seats closed inside rank 98-107, meaning these are among the most competitive super-speciality seats in the country. For MD, General closing ranks in 2025 ranged from 306 to 1757 depending on specialty. UG candidates should treat the 26 July 2026 CBT as the whole game, manage the 0.25 negative marking carefully across 100 questions, and confirm exact NIMHANS Entrance Test dates for master's and PhD on nimhans.ac.in as they are announced.

Cutoff Analysis (2024-2026)

Cutoffs at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences are expressed as INI CET All India closing ranks for MD, DM and MCh, and they reveal exactly how hard each seat is to win. The table below shows the latest closing ranks on record by programme and category across 2024 and 2025; for MD, multiple specialties produce a range rather than a single number. This answers "What rank do I need for NIMHANS?" Read lower numbers as more competitive, and note that reserved-category ranks (OBC, EWS, SC, ST) close at higher numbers than General because of category-wise seat pools.

The trend is unmistakable at the super-speciality level: MCh General closing rank tightened from 103 (2024) to 68 (2025), and DM General also tightened from the 122-124 band to 98-107, showing rising competition for NIMHANS' small DM/MCh seat pools. For MD, the General band widened in 2025 (306-1757) because different specialties close very differently, while reserved-category MD ranks moved outward (SC from 3289 to 4541; ST from 2187 to 8924). Aspirants should benchmark against the relevant category and specialty rather than a single headline number, and remember these are post-counselling closing ranks, so aiming comfortably inside them is the safe strategy.

Counselling Process

The admission flow at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences depends on which gateway you used. Medical PG and super-speciality (MD/DM/MCh) candidates go through AIIMS-conducted INI CET counselling, while UG, M.Sc, M.Sc Nursing, MPH and PhD candidates go through the NIMHANS-conducted process.

INI CET track (MD / DM / MCh)

1. Qualify INI CET July 2026 and register for counselling on aiimsexams.ac.in.
2. Fill and lock choices (select NIMHANS and the desired specialty).
3. Round 1 seat allotment, declared 24 June 2026 for the July 2026 session.
4. Accept the allotted seat online by 30 June 2026 (mandatory action for allotted candidates).
5. Report to NIMHANS for document verification and pay the programme fee to confirm admission.
6. Subsequent rounds (Round 2 / open round) follow per the AIIMS schedule for vacant seats.

NIMHANS Entrance Test track (UG / M.Sc / MPH / PhD)

1. Apply online at nimhans.ac.in (UG window was 16 May-15 June 2026) and pay the per-course application fee.
2. Download the admit card and appear for the CBT (UG CBT on 26 July 2026).
3. Result and merit list are published on the NIMHANS website.
4. Attend counselling / interview as applicable and complete document verification at NIMHANS.
5. Pay the programme fee to lock the seat.

Important Dates (2026)

This master schedule consolidates every key milestone for the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences 2026 cycle so applicants can plan backwards from each deadline. It blends the verified UG July 2026 session dates with the INI CET July 2026 counselling milestones that affect NIMHANS PG seats. The Status column tells you what has already happened versus what is still pending. Where an exact date is not yet confirmed by the official notification, the row reads "to be announced" rather than guessing, so always cross-check the live notification on nimhans.ac.in or aiimsexams.ac.in.

The two dates that matter most right now are 30 June 2026 (INI CET Round 1 seat acceptance for MD/DM/MCh) and 26 July 2026 (UG CBT). Allotted PG candidates should not let the acceptance deadline lapse, as failing to act forfeits the seat. UG candidates should watch the NIMHANS website for the admit card release in the run-up to the CBT, and all applicants should treat "to be announced" rows as live items to monitor on the official portals rather than assume any unlisted date.