NEET likely for nursing, paramedical courses in state; aspirants protest
The Haryana Government is considering making the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 the basis for admissions to undergraduate courses such as nursing, physiotherapy and other paramedical programmes from the 2026-27 academic session.
According to a recent public notice issued by the Director General, Medical Education and Research (DMER), students who want to pursue these courses have been advised to apply for NEET-UG 2026 to remain eligible if the state decides to adopt the entrance test as the admission criterion. The last date to submit online applications for NEET-UG 2026 is March 8.
NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency, is a national-level entrance examination for admission to various undergraduate medical courses across the country.
The notice has sparked anger among many prospective candidates. A large number of students reached the Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, on Friday and staged a protest.
“They wanted to enter the secretariat to submit their representation but were not allowed due to security reasons. They then started raising slogans and broke the collapsible gate of the administrative block to go inside. Later, they were pacified by the university authorities, who accepted their memorandum,” said an official of UHSR.
Rakesh, one of the protesters, said students aspiring for nursing admissions were upset with the proposed move.
“Till now, the UHSR used to conduct a Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to paramedical courses, including nursing, in all government and private colleges across the state. However, the government now plans to grant admissions on the basis of NEET, which is illogical. We demand that the state government reconsider its decision as it will create difficulties for thousands of aspiring candidates,” he said.
Other protesters said there is a major difference between students preparing for MBBS and BDS through NEET and those aiming to pursue nursing or other paramedical courses.
According to them, MBBS aspirants often spend one or more years preparing exclusively for NEET, while most nursing and allied medical aspirants follow a different academic preparation path.
Students also pointed out that information about the possible NEET requirement surfaced only a few days before the last date for submitting applications, leaving them with very little time to prepare for a highly competitive national-level examination.
Many candidates across the state may not even receive the information in time, they added.
“Several allied medical courses such as laboratory technology, radiology and operation theatre technology are often pursued by students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds, including children of farmers and labourers. Many of these students usually score around 60-70 per cent in school examinations and may find it difficult to compete directly with candidates preparing intensively for MBBS through NEET,” said Raj Kumar, another protester.
Meanwhile, Dr HK Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor of UHSR, said the representation submitted by the protesters had been forwarded to the state government.
