Students must know that NTA hasn't specified any distinct score as the CUET passing marks 2026. However, participating universities may announce CUET qualifying marks for counselling & admission. When the CUET results are declared, students must check the qualifying marks for each university before applying for the admission process.
Aspiring students must be aware of what is a good score in CUET and align their CUET preparation accordingly. This will give them a clear target and the best chance to maximize their CUET scores.
CUET UG is a CBT-based entrance exam. Students can choose a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 5 subjects. According to the latest CUET exam pattern, all the CUET papers will have a maximum of 250 marks. Therefore, a student can appear for a minimum of 750 (3 subjects) and a maximum of 1250 (5 subjects) marks in CUET UG. The CUET total marks and the CUET passing marks directly depend on the number of subjects a student chooses.
This guide briefly discusses the section and category-wise CUET 2026 qualifying marks. The awareness of the CUET passing marks will enable students to curate a focused study plan and excel in CUET UG.
Are there any minimum CUET qualifying marks that students must score to be eligible to seek UG admissions to top universities and colleges? The answer is no! Then what are the CUET passing marks 2026? The National Testing Agency (NTA) doesn’t specify any specific scores or percentiles as the CUET qualifying marks. However, the participating universities might announce certain requirements regarding a minimum CUET score that will be treated as CUET 2026 passing marks.
Students must note that the CUET 2026 qualifying marks are not fixed. It will vary depending on various factors. Some are mentioned below:
However, without focusing too much on the CUET passing marks 2026, students must concentrate on the CUET total marks (based on the number of papers they will appear on) and score the maximum. Securing the CUET qualifying marks will not benefit students in securing a seat at the top universities or colleges. For that, students must score the maximum possible marks and score equally well on the Boards.
You may also like to read: What is a good score in CUET?
Did you know CUET is the third-largest UG entrance exam in the country?
Download all the CUET previous year’s question papers (2022-25) for every subject and understand the difficulty level and paper pattern. Click below to download.
CUET Previous Year Question PaperCUET qualifying marks or passing marks are not a constant entity like the class XII Board exam passing marks. They are subject to change depending on various external factors. Some of them are mentioned below.
The CUET (UG) has three sections, and each of the sections might have different CUET passing marks based on the number of students who have appeared in the test and the difficulty level of the paper.
Though there are no definite figures on how much the CUET 2026 qualifying marks could be for each section, the following is the best estimate for the section-wise CUET passing marks 2026.
Section I of CUET (UG) consists of 13 languages. While English and Hindi are the two languages that students nationwide can choose from. The other 11 languages are available in selected states. Candidates are advised to check the official website of NTA-CUET to identify the availability of languages in their corresponding states.
According to the CUET 2026 exam pattern, all the language papers from section I have 50 compulsory questions and the exam duration will be 60 minutes. Each correct answer will have a maximum of 5 marks, while wrong answers will cause a deduction of 1 mark. The CUET total marks for language papers will be 250 marks.
Students must score at least 150+ to qualify for counselling and the admission process of the top universities accepting CUET scores for UG admission. However, the higher a student's score, the better the opportunity for securing top college admission.
CUET Qualifying Score for Section I (Languages)
|
Performance Level |
CUET Passing Marks |
|
Top performers |
215+ |
|
Excellent Score |
195 and above |
|
Good Score |
170-195 |
|
Average score |
150-170 |
Section II of CUET consists of 23 domain subjects. All the question papers, irrespective of subjects, have 50 compulsory questions. The exam will last 60 minutes for all the papers. The marking schemes will be similar in CUET across all the sections. Therefore, all the papers will have a maximum score of 250.
Candidates must secure a score in excess of 160+ to be considered for UG admission at top universities participating in CUET UG.
CUET Passing Marks 2026 for Section II (Domain Subjects)
|
Performance Level |
CUET Passing Marks |
|
Top performers |
210+ |
|
Excellent Score |
190+ |
|
Good Score |
175-190 |
|
Average score |
160-175 |
The General Aptitude Test (GAT) is considered the most difficult paper in the CUET, along with a few domain subjects. Likewise, for the other two sections, the pattern and marking schemes of the GAT paper are the same. 50 compulsory questions to be answered in 60 minutes for a maximum of 250 marks.
The CUET qualifying marks for the GAT paper are approximately 145 and above. However, this will be directly proportional to the difficulty level of the paper.
CUET Qualifying Marks for Section III (GAT)
|
Performance Level |
CUET Passing Marks |
|
Top performers |
200+ |
|
Excellent Score |
180 and above |
|
Good Score |
160-175 |
|
Average score |
150 and above |
You may also like to read: DU CUET Cut-off 2026
Check your CUET preparation level, attempt full-length CIET Mocks.
CUET Mock TestStudents must fill out a mandatory field for the category while applying for the CUET application form. Students must fill out their appropriate and exact categories and upload supporting documents (while registering for the respective universities' counselling cum admission portal) to claim their category benefits during admission.
Check the category-wise CUET passing marks for 2026 (tentative) in the table below. Since the CUET total marks vary depending on the number of papers students have written, the estimation range is provided considering the CUET 2026 total marks between 750 and 1250.
CUET 2026 Qualifying marks
|
Category |
CUET Qualifying Marks 2026 |
|
CUET passing marks for General |
375-700 |
|
CUET 2026 passing marks for SC |
350-680 |
|
CUET UG passing marks for ST |
340-670 |
|
CUET passing marks 2026 for OBC-NCL |
360-695 |
|
CUET passing marks for PwD/EWS/Others |
320-650 |
*This is the best estimation for CUET passing marks and not admission criteria. The actual admission cutoffs will be released by the respective universities and will be made available on the students' dashboard.
Students must note that these are just the qualifying marks (the best estimation based on our expert prediction). It doesn't guarantee admission to any of the UG programs offered by the participating universities.
It is much easier to talk about and consider the CUET 2026 passing marks. However, students must seriously consider the CUET total marks and how much they need to score not only to meet the CUET qualifying marks 2026 but also to ensure their admission to the top universities.
The maximum CUET score will be in the range of 750-1250. But how much out of the CUET total marks will be sufficient to secure admission to the top universities should be the student's primary concern.
The following table shows the CUET 2024 official data and subject-wise breakdown of CUET total marks and how many students achieved perfect scores.
CUET subject-wise perfect scores 2024
|
Subject |
Registered Candidate |
Candidates who appeared |
CUET Total Marks |
CUET Perfect Score Count |
|
Business Studies |
1,93,300 |
1,66,022 |
250 |
8,024 |
|
Political Science |
1,61,405 |
1,38,566 |
250 |
5,141 |
|
History |
1,37,623 |
1,17,807 |
250 |
2,520 |
|
English |
10,07,645 |
8,22,518 |
250 |
1,683 |
|
Psychology |
31,815 |
20,547 |
250 |
1,602 |
|
Accountancy |
1,80,864 |
1,56,473 |
250 |
1,135 |
|
Biology |
3,91,605 |
3,13,683 |
250 |
835 |
|
Economics |
2,14,056 |
1,84,136 |
250 |
430 |
|
Chemistry |
7,02,050 |
5,61,719 |
250 |
398 |
|
Physics |
6,73,038 |
5,30,936 |
250 |
114 |
|
General Test (GT) |
8,34,873 |
7,09,066 |
250 |
1 |
Note:
Therefore, it is advised that the students must focus on improving their performance and not focus much on the CUET passing marks 2026.
Download CUET sample papers, latest syllabus and exam pattern-based.
CUET Sample PaperThe article briefly discusses the passing and qualifying marks of the CUET 2026. Also, detailed data regarding the subject-wise perfect scores in CUET 2024 has been shared. Follow all the details thoroughly and enroll in a comprehensive CUET online coaching program to enhance your CUET score and secure admission to any of the top colleges in the country.
There are no fixed CUET passing marks for 2026. Each university will set its own qualifying criteria and passing marks, but generally, a score of 50% ile is considered the minimum CUET qualifying mark for most programs. However, top universities and colleges require scores in excess of 85-90% ile for UG admission.
CUET 2026 marking scheme is the same as the previous year. For every correct answer, students will be awarded +5 marks, incorrect answers will receive -1 mark, and unattempted questions will get 0 marks.
The CUET cutoffs vary by category. General category students should aim for 190+ out of 250 (for each subject), OBC candidates around 180+, and SC/ST candidates about 130-150+. However, these are general qualifying cutoff estimates, and actual cutoffs for admission may be higher and differ based on the specific university and program.