NEET UG 2023: Eligibility criteria for OCI candidates revised; now eligible for all seats

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued an important notice for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) aspirants applying for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET). OCI medical aspirants can now apply for admission to all undergraduate (UG) medical programs in India, subject to the rules issued by the regulatory bodies or admission authorities. The official notice reads, "An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) will be eligible for admission to the Undergraduate Medical/Dental/Ayurveda/Unani/Siddha/Homeopathy Programmes in India subject to the rules/regulations/notifications issued from time-to-time by the respective regulatory bodies or counselling Authorities/Admission Authorities in conformity with the Policy Decision of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and/or Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)."

Earlier, OCI cardholders were only allowed to apply for admission under a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) or supernumerary seat. However, after the Supreme Court's judgment in a related case, they are now eligible to apply for regular UG medical seats.

The NEET UG 2023 information bulletin mentions that OCI students will be considered as foreigners and will not be qualified for seats reserved for Indian citizens, including paid deemed colleges seats.

Meanwhile, the NEET UG 2023 registration process is underway, and candidates can submit their applications by April 6, 11:50 pm. As per the schedule, the exam will be held on May 7 at various centers across India. However, this year the registration fee has been increased for all categories. The general category fee is Rs. 1700, EWS and OBC-NCL categories fee is Rs. 1600, and for SC, ST, PwD, and third gender categories, it is Rs. 1000. Last year, the fees were Rs. 1600, Rs. 1500, and Rs. 800, respectively.

Interested candidates can apply for the NEET UG 2023 exam on the official website neet.nta.nic.in.