NEET for Allied Health Care Education: Gateway to Excellence or Roadblock to Dreams?

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has mandated the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) as a prerequisite for admission to the majority of undergraduate Allied and Healthcare Professional (AHP) courses, effective from the 2026-2027 academic year [1]. Consequently, students are required to obtain NEET scores, in addition to meeting other admission criteria, for programs including but not limited to Physiotherapy, Optometry, and Nutrition. This decision aims to standardize the admissions process by eliminating direct admissions and applies to a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses for which the NCAHP has established new curricula [2]. Aspiring AHP professionals will thus need to prepare for NEET-UG after completing their secondary education.