Complete guide to NEET PG 2026 branch selection — how counseling works (AIQ vs state), top 10 branch cutoffs, stipend comparison, emerging specialties, and common mistakes. Updated for the 2026 counseling cycle.
Version 1.0 — Published April 2026
To make an informed branch selection after NEET PG 2026, focus on these 5 factors:
NEET PG counseling is the seat allocation process that converts your NEET PG rank into a residency seat. Understanding its mechanics prevents costly errors — every year, students lose preferred seats because they misunderstand round timelines, choice locking, or the AIQ-State interaction.
AIQ covers 50% of all government medical college seats across India, managed by the Medical Counseling Committee (MCC) under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). In the 2025 cycle, AIQ offered approximately 12,000-13,000 MD/MS seats.
AIQ rounds:
Key rule: Joining an AIQ seat in Round 1 or 2 does not prevent you from participating in state counseling. You can hold an AIQ seat while awaiting a state quota seat. If you get a preferred state seat, you resign from AIQ (the seat returns to the AIQ pool for the next round).
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Join on Telegram →State counseling covers the remaining 50% of government seats plus 100% of private and deemed university seats within each state. Each state has its own counseling authority (e.g., DMER Maharashtra, KEA Karnataka, DME Tamil Nadu) with its own timeline, choice filling process, and seat matrix.
Critical differences from AIQ:
The seat matrix (published before each round) lists every available seat: college, branch, category. Your strategy should follow this hierarchy:
For a structured study approach to maximize your rank, our 3-month strategy guide covers subject-wise prioritization.
Clinical branches involve direct patient care with varying levels of procedural work, emergency duties, and patient interaction. Non-clinical branches focus on diagnostics, teaching, and research with more predictable schedules and no patient-facing emergency calls.
| Aspect | Clinical branches | Non-clinical branches |
|---|---|---|
| Patient contact | Direct, daily | Indirect or minimal |
| Emergency duties | Yes (most branches) | Rarely |
| Work hours (residency) | 60-100+ hours/week | 40-60 hours/week |
| Work hours (post-residency) | Variable, often unpredictable | More predictable, 8-10 hours/day |
| Earning potential (private) | Higher (Rs 1.5-5+ lakh/month early career) | Moderate (Rs 80,000-2 lakh/month early career) |
| Earning potential (academia) | Similar across branches (7th Pay Commission) | Similar across branches |
| Super-specialty pathway | DM/MCh after MD/MS | Limited (PhD, fellowship pathways) |
| Cutoff range (AIQ, general) | Rank 1,000-30,000 | Rank 30,000-60,000+ |
| Burnout risk | Higher (Surgery, OBG, Medicine) | Lower |
Important nuance: Some branches blur this divide. Radiology is classified as clinical but involves minimal direct patient interaction. Pathology is non-clinical but surgical pathologists provide intraoperative frozen section reports that directly influence surgical decisions. Choose based on the actual daily work, not the classification label.
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Start Free Practice →These cutoff ranges are approximate, based on 2023-2025 AIQ counseling data for general category. Cutoffs shift annually based on exam difficulty, total registrations, and seat availability. Use these as directional guidance, not precise thresholds.
| Rank | Branch | AIQ Round 1 closing rank (approx.) | Why popular | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dermatology | 2,000-5,000 | Highest earning in private, excellent lifestyle | Extremely competitive; limited seats (80-100 AIQ) |
| 2 | Radiology | 3,000-8,000 | High earning, minimal emergency duties, technology-driven | Interventional radiology adding procedural component |
| 3 | General Medicine | 5,000-15,000 | Broadest scope, DM super-specialty pathway | Long hours during residency; ICU rotations demanding |
| 4 | Pediatrics | 8,000-18,000 | Rewarding, DM pathway, community need | Emotionally demanding; lower private-practice income than Surgery |
| 5 | General Surgery | 6,000-15,000 | MCh super-specialty pathway, procedural satisfaction | Longest residency hours; high burnout risk |
| 6 | Orthopedics | 5,000-12,000 | High earning in private (joint replacements), procedural | Physically demanding; trauma call is intense |
| 7 | OBG | 8,000-18,000 | High demand, good private practice, DM pathway | Unpredictable hours; medicolegal risk highest among all branches |
| 8 | Ophthalmology | 5,000-12,000 | Excellent private practice (cataract, refractive), good lifestyle | Limited scope if not interested in surgical subspecialties |
| 9 | ENT | 10,000-20,000 | Good lifestyle post-residency, surgical satisfaction | Smaller patient volume than Medicine/Surgery in private |
| 10 | Anesthesia | 12,000-25,000 | DM Critical Care pathway, essential in all hospitals | Often undervalued despite high demand; intensive work during residency |
Note: These ranks are for government colleges via AIQ. Private college cutoffs are significantly higher (worse rank) — the same branch may be available at rank 50,000+ in a private deemed university with fees of Rs 20-30 lakh/year.
Stipend and bond terms significantly impact your financial reality during and after residency. This table covers major states as of 2025-2026 academic year:
| State/Institution | Year 1 stipend (Rs/month) | Year 2 stipend | Year 3 stipend | Bond period | Bond penalty (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIIMS (all) | 88,000-1,00,000 | 92,000-1,05,000 | 96,000-1,10,000 | None | N/A |
| PGI Chandigarh | 88,000 | 92,000 | 96,000 | None | N/A |
| JIPMER | 88,000 | 92,000 | 96,000 | None | N/A |
| Delhi (state) | 85,000-95,000 | 90,000-1,00,000 | 95,000-1,05,000 | 1 year | Rs 10-15 lakh |
| Maharashtra | 75,000-85,000 | 80,000-90,000 | 85,000-95,000 | 1-2 years | Rs 20-30 lakh |
| Tamil Nadu | 80,000-90,000 | 85,000-95,000 | 90,000-1,00,000 | 2 years | Rs 25-30 lakh |
| Karnataka | 70,000-80,000 | 75,000-85,000 | 80,000-90,000 | 2-3 years | Rs 20-25 lakh |
| Rajasthan | 55,000-65,000 | 60,000-70,000 | 65,000-75,000 | 3-5 years | Rs 25-50 lakh |
| UP | 50,000-60,000 | 55,000-65,000 | 60,000-70,000 | 3-5 years | Rs 30-50 lakh |
| MP | 55,000-65,000 | 60,000-70,000 | 65,000-75,000 | 2-3 years | Rs 20-30 lakh |
| West Bengal | 60,000-70,000 | 65,000-75,000 | 70,000-80,000 | 2-3 years | Rs 15-25 lakh |
| Private colleges | 30,000-50,000 | 35,000-55,000 | 40,000-60,000 | Varies (0-2 years) | Rs 5-20 lakh |
Key observations:
Four branches are growing in demand faster than seat availability — current lower cutoffs may not last:
Nuclear Medicine uses radioactive tracers for diagnosis (PET-CT, SPECT) and therapy (radioiodine for thyroid cancer, Lu-177 PSMA for prostate cancer). India's PET-CT installations grew from 120 in 2018 to 350+ in 2025 (AERB data), driving demand. Theranostics (diagnostics + therapy using the same radiotracer) is the fastest-growing area. AIQ cutoff: rank 25,000-40,000. Post-residency earning: Rs 1.5-3 lakh/month in metro hospitals.
Interventional Radiology (IR) is now a separate residency program (not a fellowship after Radiology) recognized by NMC. IR specialists perform catheter-based procedures — angioplasty, embolization, TIPS, uterine artery embolization — replacing open surgeries with minimally invasive alternatives. Currently accessible at rank 15,000-25,000 AIQ. Expected to become as competitive as Radiology within 5-7 years.
Emergency Medicine (EM) gained NMC recognition as a standalone specialty in 2019. New NMC regulations mandate EM departments in all teaching hospitals. India has fewer than 2,000 trained EM specialists for a population of 1.4 billion. AIQ cutoff: rank 20,000-35,000. The lifestyle is shift-based (no on-call) with high acuity and procedural variety.
With India's growing cancer burden (1.4 million new cases/year, ICMR 2024), palliative medicine is expanding. NMC recognized MD Palliative Medicine in 2022. Available at rank 50,000+. Academic positions are plentiful due to low candidate numbers.
Branch selection is a 30+ year career decision. Weigh these factors deliberately:
The single most important factor. Residency is 3 years of 60-100 hour weeks. If you dislike the work, you will underperform and burn out regardless of cutoff prestige. Reflect on your clinical rotations: which postings did you look forward to? Where did you voluntarily spend extra time? Which cases excited you during internship?
Post-residency lifestyle varies dramatically:
The earning gap between branches is real but often exaggerated in student discussions. After 10 years of practice in a metro city, most specialists earn Rs 2-5 lakh/month regardless of branch. The difference is in the trajectory and ceiling: procedural branches (Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Dermatology) reach high earning faster through procedures, while non-procedural branches build through volume and reputation.
If DM/MCh is your goal, choose the parent branch strategically:
The super-specialty entrance (NEET SS) is competitive, but the parent MD/MS determines which DM/MCh options are available.
Some branches are location-dependent for earning:
If your life plans include returning to a Tier 2-3 city, choose branches with universal demand.
"My father wants me to do Surgery" is not a career strategy. Choosing a branch to satisfy family expectations in a field that does not interest you leads to 3 miserable years of residency and a lifetime of regret. The student who genuinely loves Microbiology and chooses it will outperform the one who grudgingly takes Surgery.
A 5-year bond with Rs 50 lakh penalty in Rajasthan means you are committing to 8 years (3 residency + 5 bond) in a specific geography. If your plan is to practice in Mumbai or Delhi, this effectively adds Rs 50 lakh to the cost of your "free" government seat. Factor bond terms into your institution choice, not just the branch.
"I got rank 3,000 so I must take Dermatology" is prestige-driven thinking. If you enjoy patient interaction and acute care but take Dermatology because the cutoff says you can, you are optimizing for peer validation, not career satisfaction.
Every branch looks different from the outside than from the inside. Before choosing, spend 1 week shadowing a resident in that branch. Watch the actual daily routine — not the glamorous procedures shown on Instagram, but the 4 AM emergency calls, the paperwork, the routine follow-ups. Create a study plan that includes branch exploration alongside exam preparation.
Non-clinical branches have a perception problem. Students who score well enough for clinical branches rarely consider Pathology or Microbiology. But for students who value predictable hours, academic careers, and intellectual depth without emergency stress, these branches offer excellent quality of life. Pathology in particular is evolving rapidly with molecular diagnostics and computational pathology.
Every repeat year is a year of delayed earning and career progression. If your rank gives you a reasonable branch at a decent institution, taking it and progressing is often better than repeating for marginal improvement. The exception: if you are within striking distance (5,000-10,000 ranks) of a branch you genuinely want. For those preparing for a focused repeat attempt, our repeater strategy guide covers how to maximize rank improvement.
NEET PG counseling is conducted in two parallel tracks: All India Quota (AIQ) managed by MCC covering 50% of government seats nationwide, and State Quota managed by individual state counseling authorities covering the remaining 50% of government seats plus all private and deemed university seats. AIQ runs 4 rounds (Round 1, 2, 3, and Stray Vacancy/Mop-Up). State counseling timelines vary. You can participate in both simultaneously — an AIQ seat does not lock you out of state counseling until you physically join.
For AIQ General Medicine seats in 2024-2025, ranks ranged from approximately 5,000-15,000 for general category depending on the institution. Top government colleges (AIIMS, PGI, JIPMER) close under rank 3,000-5,000. State quota cutoffs vary widely — Maharashtra and Karnataka close higher than UP and Rajasthan. These are approximate ranges and shift annually based on total registrations and seat count.
Non-clinical branches (Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Anatomy, Forensic Medicine, Community Medicine) offer significant advantages: lower cutoffs (accessible at ranks 30,000-60,000+), predictable work hours, academic career pathway, and no night emergency duties after training. The trade-off is lower clinical earning potential compared to procedural specialties. For aspirants interested in teaching, research, or public health, non-clinical branches are an excellent strategic choice.
Clinical branches involve direct patient care: General Medicine, General Surgery, OBG, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Psychiatry, Anesthesia, Radiology, Emergency Medicine, and their super-specialty subfields. Non-clinical branches focus on diagnostics, teaching, and research: Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Anatomy, Forensic Medicine, and Community Medicine. Some branches like Radiology and Pathology blur this line.
In private practice, the highest earners are typically Dermatology (cosmetic procedures), Radiology (imaging center ownership), Orthopedics (joint replacements, trauma), Ophthalmology (cataract and refractive surgery), and OBG (obstetric and fertility practice). In academia, earning differences between branches are smaller, with professorship salaries determined by the 7th Pay Commission across all specialties.
Nuclear Medicine (growing demand from PET-CT, theranostics), Interventional Radiology (catheter-based procedures replacing open surgeries), Emergency Medicine (NMC pushing mandatory EM departments in all hospitals), and Palliative Medicine (growing cancer burden, new NMC recognition). These branches have lower cutoffs currently but rapidly increasing demand.
This depends on your rank gap. If you are within 5,000-10,000 ranks of your target branch cutoff, repeating once with focused preparation has a reasonable chance of success. If the gap is larger than 15,000 ranks, taking an available clinical branch and planning for super-specialty entrance (NEET SS) may be more strategic. Never take a branch you will genuinely hate.
Monthly stipends for MD/MS Year 1 range from approximately Rs 50,000-60,000 in states like UP, MP, and Rajasthan to Rs 85,000-1,00,000+ in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Central institutes (AIIMS, PGI, JIPMER) offer Rs 88,000-1,00,000+ with annual increments. Private colleges may offer Rs 30,000-50,000 or no stipend at all. Bond periods range from 0 (central institutes) to 2-5 years (state government colleges).
Formally, no — once you join a seat through counseling and the joining window closes, you cannot transfer to another branch within the same cycle. You can resign (forfeiting that year), re-appear for NEET PG, and re-enter counseling for a different branch. This costs a year and may involve bond penalty. The other pathway is completing your MD/MS, then appearing for NEET SS for a different super-specialty.
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Written by: NEETPGAI Editorial Team Reviewed by: Pending Editorial Review Last reviewed: April 2026
Counseling cutoffs and stipend figures are approximate and based on 2024-2025 data. Verify current figures with MCC (mcc.nic.in) and your state counseling authority before making decisions.