MD Psychiatry cut-off in NEET-PG 2026 lands squarely in the mid-competitive zone — harder to crack than the least-wanted branches, yet far more reachable than radiology or dermatology. That sweet spot, combined with one of the fastest-rising demand curves in Indian medicine, is exactly why psychiatry is climbing every serious aspirant's preference list this year. This guide breaks down where the seats actually are (including the NIMHANS story most students get wrong), what rank and category realistically get you in, indicative fees and stipend, and how counselling works — then hands you a tool that turns all of it into your own exact college list.
The MedAdmit NEET-PG College Predictor (/predictors/neet-pg/college) takes your rank and category and returns a personalised, exact list of MD, MS and DNB colleges and specialities across MCC All India Quota AND every state — each with round-wise closing ranks, annual fees, stipend, bond and an admit-probability. No generic charts, no WhatsApp screenshots: your rank, your realistic psychiatry seats.
Is MD Psychiatry competitive in NEET-PG 2026?
Psychiatry has quietly shed its old 'low-demand' tag. A decade ago it was a fallback; today it is a first choice for a growing share of candidates who want strong work-life balance, expanding private-practice scope and a clinical field with a huge unmet need. In practice that means MD Psychiatry now behaves like a mid-competitive branch — comfortably securable for many General-category candidates in government colleges, while the marquee institutes and metro government seats close much tighter. Where your rank fits depends heavily on category, quota, state and counselling round, which is why a single 'safe rank' number floating around online is almost always misleading.
| Seat tier | Who it typically suits | Indicative General closing band* |
|---|---|---|
| Premier INIs (INI-CET route, NOT NEET-PG) | Top-percentile aspirants | Separate exam — extremely tight |
| Top central & metro government colleges (AIQ) | Strong scorers | Low ranks (indicative) |
| Mid-tier state government colleges (AIQ + state) | Above cut-off, competitive | Mid ranks (indicative) |
| DNB hospitals, private & deemed | Widest rank access | Deeper ranks (indicative) |
*These are directional tiers, not fixed numbers — closing ranks move every round and differ by category, quota and state. Note too that NIMHANS Bengaluru, AIIMS, PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER admit their MD Psychiatry seats through INI-CET, a separate entrance, not NEET-PG. The NEET-PG universe your rank can actually target is everything else: central and state government colleges, DNB teaching hospitals, and private and deemed universities — hundreds of psychiatry seats in all.
Your rank, your real cut-off
LockedStop comparing yourself to last year's viral screenshot. Enter your rank and category and see the round-wise closing rank for psychiatry at each real college.
Check my psychiatry closing rankWhat rank do you need for MD Psychiatry?
There is no single answer, and anyone quoting one is guessing. The rank that lands you an MD Psychiatry seat swings with your category, whether you go through All India Quota or your home-state quota, the tier of college you're willing to accept, and how deep the counselling goes — later rounds and mop-up routinely open ranks that round one never touches. DNB Psychiatry seats and private/deemed seats typically stay open to noticeably deeper ranks than top government colleges.
- Category: General/EWS vs OBC/SC/ST and PwBD — shifts the required rank substantially
- Quota: 50% All India (MCC) vs 50% state quota with domicile rules
- College tier: premier metro government vs district government vs DNB vs private/deemed
- Course type: MD Psychiatry vs DNB Psychiatry (DNB often reaches deeper ranks)
- Counselling round: round 1 closes tightest; later rounds, mop-up and stray open up
- Your state of domicile and its local reservation pattern
- Overall competition and the seat matrix for the year
See the exact colleges — not a range
The predictor converts your rank into a named list of MD and DNB psychiatry colleges you can realistically get, ranked by admit-probability across AIQ and every state.
Which colleges offer MD Psychiatry, and where does NIMHANS fit?
Two things matter here. First, the elite mental-health names most aspirants dream of — NIMHANS Bengaluru, AIIMS Delhi and the other AIIMS, PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER — take MD Psychiatry candidates through INI-CET, not NEET-PG. NIMHANS in particular is India's flagship for psychiatry and neurosciences and runs its own admission. Second, and far more useful for most readers: the overwhelming majority of psychiatry seats sit inside the NEET-PG system — dedicated psychiatric institutes, government medical colleges in every state, DNB teaching hospitals, and private and deemed universities. Well-known centres in the NEET-PG pool include the following (illustrative, not an exhaustive or ranked list):
- Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi — a dedicated mental-health institute
- Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), Ranchi — one of India's oldest psychiatry centres
- Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata
- KGMU Lucknow, Grant Medical College & Sir J.J. Hospital Mumbai, and other major state GMCs
- B.J. Government Medical College Pune, Madras Medical College Chennai, Maulana Azad Medical College Delhi
- DNB Psychiatry at NBEMS-accredited teaching hospitals nationwide
- Private and deemed universities offering MD or DNB Psychiatry
| Route | Counselling authority | What it opens up |
|---|---|---|
| 50% All India Quota (AIQ) | MCC — mcc.nic.in | MD & DNB psychiatry seats in central and state government colleges nationwide |
| 50% State Quota | Each state's own counselling authority | State government plus private/deemed seats under domicile & local reservation |
| DNB / DrNB seats | MCC (AIQ share) + NBEMS-accredited hospitals | DNB Psychiatry at teaching hospitals, usually deeper ranks |
| Private & deemed | Through MCC / state as applicable | Higher-fee MD/DNB seats with the widest rank access |
Will you land a government seat?
Government psychiatry seats mean low fees and the best stipends — but they close tighter. See exactly which government colleges your rank can reach across AIQ and state quotas.
What are MD Psychiatry fees and stipend like?
Money is where the college type matters most. The three streams — government, DNB and private/deemed — sit worlds apart on both tuition and stipend, and psychiatry is no exception. Use the bands below as a directional map, then verify the real numbers per college before you commit.
| College type | Indicative tuition | Indicative stipend | Bond? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government (central/state) | Lowest — often nominal | Highest — state PG pay scale | Often yes (state-specific) |
| DNB teaching hospital | Moderate | As per NBEMS norms, hospital-dependent | Varies |
| Private college | High | Lower than government | Sometimes |
| Deemed university | Highest | Lowest / occasionally minimal | Usually no bond, higher fee |
The gap between a government and a deemed seat can be enormous — government tuition is often a small fraction of private or deemed fees, while government stipends and pay scales tend to be the highest. Many government seats also carry a compulsory service bond that differs by state. Because every one of these figures changes by college, state and quota, treat the table above as directional only and pull the exact fee, stipend and bond for each real college from the predictor before you lock your choices.
Compare fees and stipend before you lock
A deemed seat can cost many times a government seat, with a smaller stipend. See annual fees, stipend and bond side by side for every college on your shortlist.
Why is the scope for MD Psychiatry rising so fast?
India runs one of the widest mental-health treatment gaps in the world: the country has well under one psychiatrist per 100,000 people against a WHO benchmark of at least three, and a large majority of people who need care never reach a specialist. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 made access to mental healthcare a statutory right, and the government's National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele MANAS, helpline 14416) has already handled lakhs of calls — both signalling structural, long-term demand. For a new MD Psychiatry graduate that translates into an unusually favourable supply-demand equation across hospitals, clinics, telehealth, de-addiction and corporate wellness.
- Hospital and government psychiatry departments
- Private practice and standalone mental-health clinics
- De-addiction and rehabilitation services
- Child, adolescent and geriatric psychiatry sub-fields
- Consultation-liaison psychiatry in multispeciality hospitals
- Telepsychiatry and digital mental-health platforms (e.g. Tele MANAS)
- Corporate and campus mental-wellness roles
- Academics, research and forensic psychiatry
2 minute · Free preview
Your list, built around rising demand
Psychiatry's scope is climbing — make sure your choices are too. Get a personalised, admit-probability-ranked list of psychiatry colleges tailored to your exact rank.
Build my personalised college listHow does NEET-PG 2026 counselling work for psychiatry?
NEET-PG 2026 results were declared on 24 September 2026 by NBEMS, with qualifying cut-offs of 262/720 for General and EWS (244 for General-PwBD) and 226/720 for SC, ST and OBC including PwBD. Qualifying, though, only earns you a place at the table. Seats are filled through two parallel streams: 50% All India Quota, run centrally by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) at mcc.nic.in, and 50% state quota, run by each state's own counselling authority. Both are multi-round.
- Register and pay on the MCC (AIQ) and/or your state's counselling portal
- Fill and lock your choices — order MD Psychiatry colleges by genuine preference
- Seat allotment is published round-wise on merit, category, quota and your choices
- Decide freeze, float or upgrade on your allotted seat
- Report and join within the deadline, or forfeit the seat
- Later rounds, mop-up and stray-vacancy rounds open up deeper ranks
See how each round moves
LockedRound 1 closes tight; later rounds open deeper ranks. The predictor shows round-wise closing ranks so you can time freeze, float and upgrade with data, not hope.
Show round-wise closing ranksMD Psychiatry do's and don'ts
- Do fill a long, honest choice list — psychiatry rewards patience across rounds
- Do compare MD and DNB together; a good DNB seat can beat waiting endlessly
- Do check fee, stipend and bond before locking, not after allotment
- Don't rely on last year's viral cut-off screenshot — verify against your own rank
- Don't confuse INI-CET institutes (NIMHANS, AIIMS, PGIMER, JIPMER) with the NEET-PG pool
- Don't ignore state quota if your home-state closing ranks are friendlier
- Don't skip mop-up and stray rounds — psychiatry seats do open late
MD Psychiatry NEET-PG 2026: FAQs
What was the MD Psychiatry cut-off in NEET-PG 2026?
There are two different 'cut-offs'. The qualifying cut-off to enter counselling is 262/720 for General/EWS and 226/720 for SC/ST/OBC (244 for General-PwBD). The college closing rank — the last rank that actually got a psychiatry seat — is a completely separate, college-and-round-specific number. Get the real closing rank for each college from the predictor for your rank and category.
What rank do I need for MD Psychiatry?
It depends on your category, quota, the college tier and the round. Many General-category candidates secure government MD Psychiatry seats at mid ranks, premier metro colleges close far tighter, and DNB/private seats reach deeper. Enter your rank in the predictor to see your realistic band instead of a one-size number.
Is MD Psychiatry a competitive branch?
It's mid-competitive and rising. Demand has grown sharply, so it's no longer the easy fallback it once was — but it remains far more reachable than radiology, dermatology or general medicine for most candidates.
Can I do MD Psychiatry at NIMHANS through NEET-PG?
No — NIMHANS Bengaluru, AIIMS, PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER admit MD Psychiatry through INI-CET, a separate exam. Your NEET-PG rank competes for psychiatry seats in the very large pool of other government colleges, DNB hospitals and private/deemed universities.
What is the difference between MD Psychiatry and DNB Psychiatry?
Both are recognised three-year postgraduate qualifications in psychiatry and are treated as equivalent. MD is offered mainly by medical colleges; DNB is awarded by NBEMS, often through teaching hospitals, and typically reaches deeper ranks in counselling.
How many MD Psychiatry seats are there in India?
Across MD and DNB combined there are several hundred to over a thousand psychiatry seats nationwide, but the number actually open changes every counselling round. The predictor shows live, seat-level detail for your rank rather than a static total.
What are MD Psychiatry fees in government vs private colleges?
Government tuition is typically very low — often a small fraction of private or deemed fees, which run much higher. Exact fees differ by college, state and quota, so verify each one in the predictor before shortlisting.
What stipend does a psychiatry PG resident get?
Government residents are generally paid on the state PG scale, which is the highest tier; DNB hospitals follow NBEMS norms and vary by hospital; private and deemed institutions usually pay less. Check the stipend for each real college in the predictor.
Is there a service bond for MD Psychiatry government seats?
Many state government seats carry a compulsory service bond, and the amount and duration differ by state. Deemed seats usually have no bond but far higher fees. The predictor flags bond details per college so there are no surprises.
What is the scope after MD Psychiatry in India?
Strong and widening — hospital and government roles, private practice, de-addiction, child/adolescent and geriatric psychiatry, consultation-liaison work, telepsychiatry, corporate wellness, academics and research. India's large treatment gap underpins long-term demand.
Should I choose All India Quota or state quota for psychiatry?
It depends on your rank and domicile. AIQ opens colleges nationwide; state quota can be friendlier if your home-state closing ranks are lower. Most candidates participate in both — compare your odds in each using the predictor.
How do I find my exact MD Psychiatry colleges by rank?
Use the MedAdmit NEET-PG College Predictor: enter your rank and category and get a personalised list of MD and DNB psychiatry colleges across MCC AIQ and every state, each with round-wise closing ranks, fees, stipend, bond and admit-probability.
Turn your rank into a psychiatry seat plan
You've read the trends — now see your own answer. In under a minute, get your personalised MD, MS and DNB psychiatry college list with closing ranks, fees, stipend and admit-probability.
Predict my psychiatry seat nowPlan your admission with free AI tools
Turn your NEET score into a rank, then into the exact colleges you can get.