Two registers, not one
Enrolment is recorded nationally on the Central Register and with the State Allied and Healthcare Council for the state where you intend to practise.
Reference · Updated as the position changes
The entrance requirements for allied health courses changed twice in twelve months, and much of what was reported was wrong. This page tracks what actually applies now, programme by programme, with the source and date for every entry.
Read this first. We maintain this page because our own admissions team needs the answer and the public sources contradict each other. It is a summary, not an authority. NCAHP and the Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council are authoritative — confirm anything that affects your application directly with them or with the university before you act on it.
01 · Current Position
No allied health programme requires NEET for 2026–27 admission. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy were prescribed NEET, then deferred by a year; every other notified programme admits on Class 12 marks.
The widely reported headline "NEET is now mandatory for allied health courses" is misleading. NCAHP prescribed NEET for only two programmes — physiotherapy and occupational therapy — and both have since been deferred to 2027–28. Every other allied health programme in the notified list admits on Class 12 marks.
| Programme | 2026–27 admission | Eligibility | 2027–28 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) | Class 12 marksNEET prescribed, then deferred | 10+2 PCB, 50% aggregate40% for reserved categories. English pass required | NEET expected |
| Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) | Class 12 marksNEET prescribed, then deferred | 10+2 PCB, 50% aggregate40% for reserved categories. English pass required | NEET expected |
| Bachelor of Optometry (BOptom) | Class 12 marks | 10+2 with PCB or Maths, 50% aggregate | No change indicated |
| Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLS) | Class 12 marks | 10+2 with PCB | No change indicated |
| Bachelor of Medical Radiology and Imaging Technology (BMRIT) | Class 12 marks | 10+2 with PCB | No change indicated |
| Bachelor of Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology (BAOTT) | Class 12 marks | 10+2 with PCB or Maths | No change indicated |
| Bachelor of Emergency Medical Technologist (BEMT) | Class 12 marks | 10+2 with PCB | No change indicated |
| Bachelor of Dialysis Therapy Technology (BDTT) | Class 12 marks | 10+2 with PCB | No change indicated |
| Cardiac Care Technology | Not in the notified 15See note below | ADD | Confirm |
| B.Sc Nursing and GNM | Class 12 marksOutside NCAHP entirely | 10+2 PCB, 45% for B.Sc Nursing | No change indicated |
Source: NCAHP letter to the University Grants Commission setting uniform admission criteria for 15 allied and healthcare programmes, reported 10 January 2026, with the programme-by-programme table published in full. Deferral of the BPT and BOT NEET requirement: NCAHP letter to UGC, 2 March 2026.
Two important qualifications.
First, these norms apply only where state governments, their allied health councils and the universities adopt them. The NCAHP chairperson has indicated that Karnataka is among the states that agreed to follow the common standards — so they are likely to apply here, but the university you apply to is the body that actually decides.
Second, Cardiac Care Technology does not appear in the list of 15 programmes NCAHP notified to the UGC. That may mean its curriculum has not yet been notified, or that it falls under a different notified title. Confirm before relying on anything here for that programme.
02 · The Local Wrinkle
In January 2026 the Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council issued a press note stating that BPT and BOT admissions would be conducted exclusively through NEET from 2026–27, and directed vice-chancellors of public, private state and deemed-to-be universities to ensure compliance.
In March 2026, NCAHP deferred that requirement nationally to 2027–28.
The later national deferral supersedes the earlier state direction. But we have not found a public notice from the Karnataka council formally withdrawing its January communication — which is why counsellors, colleges and news coverage in Karnataka are still giving conflicting answers.
If you are applying for BPT or BOT in Karnataka this year, ask the university directly, in writing, which requirement they are applying.
03 · Change Log
Most recent first. Every entry carries its source so you can check it yourself.
10 Apr 2026
NCAHP released curricula for 17 allied health courses and directed institutions to implement them from the 2026–27 academic year. The Commission also indicated that minimum standards for institutions offering allied health programmes would follow.
Source: statement by the NCAHP Chairperson, reported April 2026. ADD primary circular reference.
11 Mar 2026
SVNIRTAR, an institute under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, issued a corrigendum to its earlier admission notice, stating that per the latest NCAHP letter the mandatory NEET-UG 2026 requirement for BPT and BOT is deferred to 2027–28, and that its own 2026–27 admissions would run through its Common Entrance Test.
Source: SVNIRTAR corrigendum, Ref. DA 1A 01/2026, dated 11.03.2026 — published on a Government of India domain.
2 Mar 2026
NCAHP wrote to the University Grants Commission deferring the NEET requirement for these two programmes by one year. Reporting indicates the deferral followed advice from the National Testing Agency and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that NEET-UG 2026 preparation was already advanced, and that adding these courses at that stage would create logistical difficulties.
Source: NCAHP letter to UGC dated 2 March 2026, as reported. ADD the letter reference number.
10 Jan 2026
The Commission wrote to the University Grants Commission setting out eligibility and the admission route for 15 allied and healthcare programmes, and asked that universities follow them from 2026–27. NEET was prescribed for two programmes only — BPT and BOT. Bachelor of Psychology, Bachelor of Medical and Psychiatric Social Work, and BSc Health Information Management were assigned university-level entrance tests. Every other programme in the list — optometry, medical laboratory science, radiology and imaging, anaesthesia and operation theatre technology, emergency medical technology, dialysis therapy, respiratory technology, radiotherapy, physician associates, and nutrition and dietetics — admits on Class 12 marks.
The Commission noted the norms apply only where state governments, state councils and universities adopt them, and indicated Karnataka was among the states that had agreed to the common standards.
Source: NCAHP letter to UGC, reported with the full criteria table on 10 January 2026. ADD the letter reference number.
19 Nov 2025
NCAHP wrote to the Department of Higher Education, the Department of School Education and Literacy, and state and UT education departments, noting that 13 curricula had been notified for implementation from 2026–27, and that "in majority of curricula notified" one eligibility criterion is appearing in NEET.
That sentence was widely reported as NEET becoming mandatory across allied health. The detailed criteria sent to the UGC two months later showed the requirement applied to two programmes, not the majority.
Source: NCAHP communication dated 19.11.2025, as reported.
Jan 2026
The Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council issued a press note stating BPT — classified under Category 3 — and BOT — Category 6 — would be admitted exclusively through NEET from 2026–27, following NCAHP's communication to the NTA and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Vice-chancellors were asked to circulate the revised procedure to affiliated colleges and ensure compliance.
The same note recorded that NCAHP had finalised category-wise degree nomenclature and admission criteria for allied and healthcare undergraduate programmes and communicated them to the UGC for adoption from 2026–27.
Source: Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council press note, reported 14 January 2026. ADD the reference number.
Late 2025
NCAHP stated that appearing for NEET would be required for admission to a number of allied and healthcare undergraduate programmes from 2026–27, on the basis that the notified curricula themselves carry it as an eligibility criterion. Thirteen curricula had been notified at that point, with more to follow.
Source: NCAHP statements reported November–December 2025. ADD the programme-by-programme list from a primary document.
2021
The Act organises allied and healthcare work into ten professional categories covering dozens of individual professions, provides for a Central Register and State Registers, and makes practising without enrolment an offence. Before it, the sector had little central regulation and standards varied widely between institutions.
Source: National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021.
04 · Naming
Less discussed than the entrance question, and arguably more consequential for anyone choosing a course now.
The programmes NCAHP has notified carry standardised names, and they are all bachelor's degrees: Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science, Bachelor of Medical Radiology and Imaging Technology, Bachelor of Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology, Bachelor of Optometry, Bachelor of Dialysis Therapy Technology, and so on.
The Karnataka council's January communication also recorded that NCAHP had finalised category-wise degree nomenclature and admission criteria and sent them to the UGC for adoption from 2026–27.
Which matters if you are being offered a "diploma". A shorter diploma route is not treated as equivalent to the degree-level route in the same field, and registration categories follow the qualification held. Ask for the exact name that will appear on your certificate, and which body awards it. See diploma versus degree.
Separately, NCAHP has moved away from the term "paramedical" in favour of "allied and healthcare", and has asked institutions to update their titles accordingly.
05 · Registration
Separate from admission, and just as consequential. Under the Act, practising as an allied and healthcare professional without being enrolled on the Central or State Register is prohibited.
Enrolment is recorded nationally on the Central Register and with the State Allied and Healthcare Council for the state where you intend to practise.
Registration categories follow the qualification held, and a shorter diploma route is not treated as equivalent to a degree-level route in the same field. See diploma versus degree.
Ask before you enrol, not after. "Which NCAHP category will I register under when I finish this course?" is a fair question to put to any college, and one a well-run institution can answer in a sentence.
06 · Practical Advice
The practical translation.
Ask each university, in writing, which entrance requirement it is applying to your specific programme for 2026–27. Get the answer by email, and keep it. Where a state direction and a national deferral appear to conflict, the university is the body actually processing your admission.
Do not rely on a verbal assurance from a counsellor at any college, including ours. Do not assume the rule for BPT applies to laboratory or imaging programmes — the position differs. And do not assume last year's answer still holds; it has changed twice.
If a college tells you an entrance requirement does not apply, ask which circular says so. An institution that cannot name the document is guessing, and you are the one who carries the consequence.
07 · Common Questions
No. NCAHP prescribed NEET for BPT, then deferred it to 2027–28 in March 2026. Admission for 2026–27 runs on Class 12 PCB marks, with a 50% aggregate in the three subjects — 40% for reserved categories — and a pass in English.
Confirm with the university you are applying to, because a Karnataka council direction from January 2026 stating that NEET would apply has not been publicly withdrawn.
NEET was never prescribed for those. In the criteria NCAHP sent to the UGC, medical laboratory science, radiology and imaging, anaesthesia and operation theatre technology, optometry, dialysis therapy and emergency medical technology all admit on Class 12 marks. NEET was specified for physiotherapy and occupational therapy only — and both are deferred for 2026–27.
Cardiac Care Technology does not appear in the notified list of 15, so confirm that one separately with the university.
No. Nursing is regulated by the Indian Nursing Council and the state nursing councils, not under NCAHP, and none of these changes apply to it. B.Sc Nursing and GNM admission is on your 10+2 or PUC marks.
It is an overstatement of what NCAHP said. A November 2025 communication noted that "in majority of curricula notified" NEET was an eligibility criterion, and that was widely reported as a blanket requirement. The detailed criteria the Commission sent to the UGC two months later showed NEET applied to two programmes — physiotherapy and occupational therapy — and both have since been deferred.
That is the stated intention, and the 2026–27 deferral was described as a one-year postponement for logistical reasons rather than a reversal. But it has already moved once. If you are planning for 2027–28, check this page or NCAHP directly closer to the time.
Because we need the answer for our own admissions, the public sources disagree, and families are being given conflicting information by people with something to sell. Publishing what we find is more useful than keeping it in an internal email. If you spot something out of date here, tell us and we will correct it.
Sources
These are authoritative. This page is not.
| NCAHP | National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions — notifications, curricula and registration ncahp.abdm.gov.in |
|---|---|
| Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council | State-level directions and registration ksahc.karnataka.gov.in |
| RGUHS | Affiliated colleges, and admission notifications for health sciences programmes in Karnataka rguhs.ac.in |
| Karnataka Examinations Authority | State counselling and entrance processes cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea |
Contact
If you hold a circular that contradicts anything on this page, send it to us and we will update it and credit the correction.