NEET UG
Eligibility Criteria
- Educational: Must have passed/appearing in 10+2/equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, English.
- Minimum Marks: 50% in PCB (Gen), 40% (SC/ST/OBC), 45% (PwD).
- Age Limit: Min. 17 years by Dec 31, 2026. No upper age limit.
- Number of Attempts: No limit; repeater and gap-year students may apply.
- Repeaters: Yes.
Scheme of the Exam
- Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany & Zoology); 200 questions (180 to answer).
- MCQ, 3 hr 20 min, English and 12 other languages.
- Negative marking: +4/-1 for each answer
Institutes Accepting NEET UG
All medical, dental, AYUSH, and veterinary colleges in India including AIIMS, JIPMER
Tamil Nadu Govt/Private medical colleges, CMC Vellore, and many others
JEE Main
JEE Main is the largest national-level entrance exam for engineering aspirants in India. For the 2026 cycle:
Eligibility Criteria
- Educational Qualification: Candidates must have passed (or be appearing for) Class 12 (10+2) in 2024, 2025, or 2026 with Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects, and one of Chemistry/Biology/Biotechnology/Technical Vocational Subject as the third subject.
- Minimum Marks: No minimum marks required to appear; however, to be eligible for admission to NITs/IIITs/GFTIs, candidates must have at least 75% aggregate marks (65% for SC/ST/PwD) or be in the top 20 percentile of their board.
- Maximum Age Limit: No upper age limit.
- Maximum Number of Attempts: 6 attempts (2 each in three consecutive years).
- Can a Repeater Attend?: Yes; students who passed 12th in 2024 or 2025 can appear.
Scheme of the Exam
- Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics
- Format: Computer-based Test; MCQs and Numerical Answers
- Duration: 3 hours per paper (Separate paper for B.Tech/B.Arch/B.Plan)
- Attempts: Two sessions annually-best score considered for admission
Institutes Accepting JEE Main
National: All NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, SASTRA, VIT (via merit), Amrita, SRM, and many engineering colleges accept JEE Main scores-see their respective cutoffs and details in official notices.
Tamil Nadu: NIT Trichy (Tiruchirappalli), SASTRA (Thanjavur), SRM (Chennai), Amrita (Coimbatore)
JEE Advanced
Eligibility Criteria
- Qualification: Only top 2.5 lakh rank holders in JEE Main 2026 are eligible.
- Educational: Must have passed Class 12 (or equivalent) for the first time in current year or previous year with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics.
- Maximum Age Limit: Born on or after October 1, 2001; 5 years relaxation for SC/ST/PwD.
- Maximum Number of Attempts: 2 attempts in consecutive years.
- Repeaters: Eligible if Class 12 in 2025/2026.
- Admission Restriction: Students previously admitted to any IIT (after seat acceptance) cannot write except for special cases.
Scheme of the Exam
- Format: Two compulsory papers (each 3 hours) on the same day, CBT, mixed objective/numerical/comprehension
- Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics
- Negative Marking: Yes (pattern may change each year)
Institutes Accepting JEE Advanced
All Indian Institutes of Technology (incl. IIT Madras, the premier IIT in Tamil Nadu) accept only JEE Advanced
Tamil Nadu: NIT Trichy (Tiruchirappalli), SASTRA (Thanjavur), SRM (Chennai), Amrita (Coimbatore)
TNEA
Eligibility Criteria
- Nativity: Must have studied 8th-12th in TN or be a TN native (with certificate if outside TN); children of central govt./PSU/TN All India cadre officers eligible.
- Educational: Pass in 12th std. (HSC) or equivalent with Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.
- Minimum Marks: General-45%, BC/MBC-40%, SC/ST/SCA/DNC-40%. For Marine Engg., 60% in PCM & 50% in English; age ≤25 years.
- Age Limit: No upper age for regular courses; for Marine, up to 25 years.
- Number of Attempts: Not specified-repeaters eligible per above norms.3
Scheme of the Exam
- No separate entrance test. Admission is strictly on normalized aggregate marks scored in the Class 12 board.
Accepting Institutes
All Tamil Nadu Engineering Colleges: Anna University, MIT Chennai, PSG Coimbatore, CIT Coimbatore, GCT, Velammal, KCT, Kumaraguru, Sona, and all government, government-aided, and many private colleges can only be entered via TNEA in the stateTamil Nadu Govt/Private medical colleges, CMC Vellore, and many others
AIIMS MBBS & JIPMER MBBS
Admission to MBBS for all AIIMS and JIPMER campuses is only via NEET UG 2026.
Both require the same eligibility, pattern, and application process as NEET.
Additional counseling and documentation at their respective institutes.
AIIMS Madurai and JIPMER Puducherry/Karaikal are prominent central institutions accessible for Tamil Nadu students
CLAT
Eligibility Criteria
- Educational: 12th pass with at least 45% (Gen/OBC) or 40% (SC/ST/PwD); appearing candidates eligible.
- Age Limit: No upper/lower limit.
- Attempts: Unlimited.
- Repeaters: Yes, eligible.
Scheme of the Exam
- English, General Knowledge & Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques
- 2 hours; 120 MCQs
- +1/-0.25 for right/wrong answers
Institutes Accepting CLAT
24 National Law Universities (NLUs) including NLU Trichy (Tamil Nadu National Law University), NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad, and others
AILET
Eligibility Criteria
- Educational: 12th pass/appearing; 45% (Gen), 42% (OBC), 40% (SC/ST/PwD)
- Age Limit: No limit
- Repeaters: Eligible
- Attempts: Unlimited
- Foreign Nationals: 65% required; separate process
Scheme of the Exam
- English, Current Affairs/GK, Logical Reasoning, Legal Aptitude, Mathematics
- MCQ format, negative marking
- Duration: 2 hours
Accepting Institutes
National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi), Army Institute of Law, and a select few others
UCEED (Undergrad Design)
Eligibility Criteria
- Age Limit: OPEN/OBC/EWS-Born on or after Oct 1, 2000; SC/ST/PwD-on or after Oct 1, 1995.
- Educational: 12th pass or appearing in 2025 or 2026 (any stream)
- Attempts: 2 consecutive years max.
- Repeaters: Eligible if within age/attempt window
Scheme of the Exam
- Part-A: CBT, NAT/MSQ/MCQ, 240 marks
- Part-B: Pen & paper Drawing, 60 marks
- Total: 3 hr, 300 marks
Institutes Accepting UCEED
IIT Bombay (Mumbai), IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur, among others
NID DAT
Eligibility Criteria
- Age Limit: Gen/OBC-Born after July 1, 2005; SC/ST-after July 1, 2002; PwD-after July 1, 2000.
- Educational: 12th pass/appearing in 2025 or 2026, any stream.
- Attempts: No explicit limit; age and educational norms key.
- Repeaters: Eligible per age criteria.
Scheme of the Exam
- Stage 1: Prelims (offline design aptitude); Stage 2: Mains (Studio Test & Interview).
- Comprehensive creative/aptitude/design test.
Institutes Accepting NID DAT
NID Ahmedabad, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, MP, Assam, and several private/university partners
NIFT Entrance Exam
Eligibility Criteria
- Age Limit: <24 Years as on August 1, 2026. 5-year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD.
- Educational: 12th pass, NIOS, Diploma (3/4 years) for B.Des; 12th with Math/PCM for B.F.Tech.
- Attempts: No explicit cap.
- Repeaters: Allowed.
- Application: Appearing students eligible, subject to passing before joining.
Scheme of the Exam
- B.Des: GAT (general), CAT (creative), followed by situation test for shortlisted.
- B.F.Tech: GAT only.
- Duration varies by section.
Accepting Institutes
- 19 NIFT campuses including Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar.
- Select private design colleges accept NIFT scores
NIFT Entrance Exam
Eligibility Criteria
- Educational: 12th with Physics, Maths, and one of Chemistry/Biology/Tech Voc/IT/Business Studies; 45% aggregate.
- Diploma: 10+3 with Math; 45% aggregate.
- Attempts: Maximum 3 sessions; best score valid.
- Age Limit: No upper/lower age specified.-dependent on college.
- Repeaters: Allowed.
Scheme of the Exam
- Part-A (Drawing, offline, 3 Qs), Part-B (MCQ/NCQ, online, 50 Qs)
- Total Marks: 200, Duration: 180 min
Accepting Institutes
365+ colleges: SAP Anna University, Measi Academy, SRM School of Architecture, and others in Tamil Nadu and India
CUET UG (Central University – General, BBA, B.Sc., B.Com, etc.)
Eligibility Criteria
- Educational: 12th pass/appearing in 2026; relevant subjects as required by course; minimum marks-usually 50% (Gen/OBC), 45% (SC/ST/PwD); some central universities set higher/lower cutoffs.
- Age Limit: None (check institute-specific rules).
- Attempts: No restrictions; annual attempts as long as eligibility is met.
- Repeaters: Allowed.
Scheme of the Exam
- Computer-based, domain-specific MCQs, and general aptitude
- Duration: Varies according to subject choices
Accepting Institutes
250+ universities including Delhi University, BHU, JNU, Central University of TN, Pondicherry University, AMU, Jamia, others