NEET-UG 2026 exam will be conducted on June 21, announces NTA after paper leak row

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially ended the suspense for over 22 lakh medical aspirants by scheduling the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination for Sunday, June 21. This announcement, made on Friday via the agency's official X handle, follows the high-profile cancellation of the original May 3 exam due to widespread paper leak allegations. The decision to hold the fresh test was finalized with the formal approval of the Government of India, aiming to restore the sanctity of the national medical entrance process.

The NTA has emphasized that candidates and parents should ignore rumors circulating on social media and rely strictly on official communication channels for updates regarding admit cards and exam centers. While the revised schedule provides a much-needed roadmap, the agency is under immense pressure to tighten security protocols. New admit cards are expected to be released shortly, and the admission process will likely be fast-tracked to compensate for the lost time.

Starting from the next session, the NEET-UG examination will be conducted online. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced this on Friday. He acknowledged that the question papers for the NEET-UG 2026 examination, held on May 3, had been leaked. He stated, "We did not want any ineligible candidate to be selected. Therefore, we decided to cancel the examination with a great sense of responsibility. This examination will now be held on Sunday, June 21. The irregularities were detected on May 7. The NTA informed the government, and subsequently, the decision to conduct a re-examination was taken on May 12."