INICET 2026 Eligibility Criteria
INICET eligibility is broadly similar to NEET PG but with one important difference — internship must be completed by the joining date (January 2027), not by the exam date. This means candidates who are still in internship during November 2026 may be eligible to appear, provided they will finish internship before January 2027. Always verify the exact deadline in the official AIIMS INI-CET 2026 notification.
| Qualification | MBBS from MCI/NMC-recognised institution (India or abroad) |
| Internship | Must be completed by the joining date (January 2027) — not the exam date |
| NMC Registration | Provisional or permanent NMC/State Medical Council registration required at time of registration |
| Age Limit | No upper age limit |
| Nationality | Indian national; OCI candidates also eligible |
| Foreign Nationals | Eligible under Foreign National / NRI / Sponsored category (separate seats) |
| Number of Attempts | No restriction on number of attempts |
NEET PG 2026: Internship must be completed by July 31, 2026 — well before the exam date of August 30, 2026.
INICET November 2026: Internship must be completed by the joining date (expected January 2027). This means candidates who are completing internship in November or December 2026 can still appear in the November 1 INICET exam — as long as they will be done with internship before they need to join in January 2027.
This is a significant advantage of INICET for December-batch interns. However, always verify the exact last date in the current year's official notification, as AIIMS may set a specific cutoff date.
Candidates who completed their MBBS from a foreign medical institution must have cleared the FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduates Examination) or the new NEXT (National Exit Test), as mandated by NMC. Without clearing FMGE/NEXT and obtaining a valid NMC registration, FMGs are not eligible for INICET.
FMGs who have cleared FMGE/NEXT and obtained NMC registration are treated on par with India-educated MBBS graduates for INICET eligibility.
INICET includes a Sponsored category for candidates sponsored by recognised organisations or government bodies (e.g., state health services, central government departments, defence). The qualifying cutoff for sponsored candidates is 50th percentile (same as General category). Sponsored seats are separate from the open merit seats and the candidate must produce a sponsorship certificate from their organisation at the time of registration.