National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

What are the cutoffs for National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in 2026?

National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru admits its MD/MS postgraduates through INI CET conducted by AIIMS Delhi, and its DM/MCh super-specialists through INI SS (the Institutes of National Importance super-speciality exam), not through general NEET PG counselling. For the 2025 (July) cycle, the headline figures were a General-category closing rank of 341 for the most sought-after MD seat (Psychiatry), 68 for MCh Neurosurgery and 98 for DM Neurology - among the toughest medical PG cutoffs in India. NIMHANS is an Institute of National Importance (since 2012) and held NIRF Medical Rank 4 in 2024, which is why its closing ranks sit in the low hundreds for General candidates. For July 2026, INI CET applications closed on 25 April 2026 and the exam was held on 16 May 2026, with seat allotment broadly tracking the 2024-2025 ranks below.

Because NIMHANS fills only a handful of seats per specialty, ranks compress tightly: a General-category aspirant realistically needs a sub-2000 INI CET rank for most MD branches and a sub-110 INI SS rank for DM/MCh. PG tuition at NIMHANS remains nominal, in the INR 10,000 to INR 1,50,000 band for the full course, so competition is driven by prestige and faculty, not cost.

Year-Wise Cutoff Trends (2024-2026)

The table below tracks NIMHANS closing ranks across the 2024 and 2025 INI CET / INI SS cycles, broken down by course and category, so an aspirant can see how a given seat has moved year to year. It answers the core question: "What rank closed at NIMHANS last year for my category?" Read each row as the last (closing) rank at which a seat was allotted in that category - a lower number means tougher competition. The 2026 column reflects the cycle for which allotment follows these same bands, as the July 2026 INI CET result was declared on the AIIMS portal.

The trend is clear: NIMHANS got harder to enter between 2024 and 2025. The flagship MD Psychiatry General closing rank tightened from 418 in 2024 to 341 in 2025, and MCh Neurosurgery sharpened dramatically from 103 in 2024 to 68 in 2025. Reserved categories show the same squeeze for MD - the OBC closing rank fell from 1078 (2024) to 628 (2025). The one counter-movement is the SC and ST MD ranks rising in 2025 (4541 SC, 8924 ST), reflecting which branches absorbed those seats that year rather than an easing of difficulty.

Course-Wise Cutoff at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

NIMHANS runs three distinct admission tracks, each with very different rank requirements, so it helps to read the cutoff by programme rather than as a single number. The table below separates the MD (INI CET) seats from the DM and MCh (INI SS) super-speciality seats, using the 2025 General-category closing ranks as the benchmark. It answers "Which NIMHANS course needs which rank?" and exposes that the super-speciality seats demand a near-top-100 rank while MD branches span a wider band depending on specialty popularity.

The course split shows where the real pressure sits at NIMHANS. MCh Neurosurgery is the single hardest seat to win in 2025 at a General closing rank of 68, with DM Neurology close behind at 98 to 107. Among MD seats, Psychiatry is the crown jewel and closes earliest at 341 General, while the more service-oriented branches stretch the General band out toward 1757, giving a realistic entry point for candidates outside the top 500. Reserved-category MD candidates have meaningful headroom, with closing ranks running from 628 (OBC) up to 8924 (ST).

Cutoff Trend Analysis

NIMHANS cutoffs are rising (getting more competitive) across almost every track between 2024 and 2025, grounded directly in the table above. MD Psychiatry General tightened from 418 to 341, MCh Neurosurgery from 103 to 68, and DM Neurology from the 122-124 band to 98-107 - every flagship seat moved toward a lower, tougher closing rank. The driver is structural: NIMHANS holds NIRF Medical Rank 4 (2024) and Institute of National Importance status, so as INI CET and INI SS applicant pools grow each year, the limited NIMHANS seats clear at progressively sharper ranks.

What rank do you realistically need for 2026? For MD Psychiatry, target a General INI CET rank under 350; for a safer MD branch, sub-1800 General keeps options open. OBC aspirants should aim under 650 for the strongest MD branches, EWS under 1500, while SC and ST candidates have wider berths (up to roughly 4500 SC and 9000 ST for MD as seen in 2025). For the super-speciality dream of MCh Neurosurgery or DM Neurology, only a top-110 INI SS General rank is competitive. Given the year-on-year tightening, 2026 aspirants should treat the 2025 closing ranks as the ceiling, not the floor, and aim a cushion below them.