AIIMS INI CET Eligibility 2027: Marks, Internship, Age

The INI CET eligibility criteria decide whether you can sit for the postgraduate entrance test that AIIMS, New Delhi, conducts for MD, MS, MDS, 6-year DM and 6-year MCh seats at AIIMS institutes, JIPMER, PGIMER, NIMHANS and SCTIMST. For the January 2027 session, registration closes on 13 October 2026 and the exam is on 1 November 2026, so the time to confirm your eligibility is now.

Two dates and one number matter most this session: your 12-month internship must be complete by 31 January 2027, and your MBBS or BDS aggregate must meet the minimum for your category. This guide covers the qualification, internship, registration, age, nationality, sponsored and OCI rules, the qualifying percentile for counselling, who is not eligible, and the documents to keep ready.

Table of Contents

1. INI CET Eligibility at a Glance

2. Educational Qualification by Course

3. Minimum Aggregate Marks in MBBS or BDS

4. Internship Cut-Off Date: January or July Session?

5. Registration with the Medical or Dental Council

6. INI CET Age Limit and Number of Attempts

7. Indian Nationals with a Foreign Medical Degree

8. Foreign Nationals, OCI and Bhutanese Candidates

9. Sponsored Candidates

10. Category Certificates and PwBD Candidates

11. Qualifying Percentile for Counselling

12. Who Is Not Eligible for INI CET

13. Before You Join: Bond and Seat-Leaving Rules

14. Documents to Keep Ready

15. Check Eligibility, Then Plan Your Preparation

INI CET Eligibility at a Glance

These conditions come from the January 2027 notice and prospectus as reported. Read Prospectus Part A and the Part B of each institute you are interested in, because individual institutes can add course-specific conditions.

Educational Qualification by Course

Your undergraduate degree decides which INI CET paper and which courses you can apply for.

The 6-year DM and MCh courses are direct super-speciality programmes taken straight after MBBS and internship. Their eligibility is the same as for MD and MS; you do not need a postgraduate degree to apply. Seats in these courses are few and offered only at some institutes, so check the seat matrix in Part B.

Minimum Aggregate Marks in MBBS or BDS

For the January 2027 session, the notice sets a minimum aggregate in the qualifying degree.

If your university awards grades instead of marks, keep a certificate from the university showing how the grade converts to a percentage. Some older pages do not mention any minimum aggregate, so follow the current prospectus rather than past guides.

Internship Cut-Off Date: January or July Session?

The internship deadline is the condition that rules out the most applicants. You must complete the full 12-month compulsory rotating internship or practical training on or before 31 January 2027 to be eligible for the January 2027 session. There is no grace period, and a single day's delay makes you ineligible for this session.

Interns often take the exam before finishing the internship, which is allowed as long as the completion date falls within the deadline. Extensions caused by leave, repeated postings or delays in the internship certificate can push you past 31 January 2027, so confirm your expected completion date with your college before applying.

Registration with the Medical or Dental Council

You need a permanent or provisional registration with the NMC, a State Medical Council or, for MDS, the Dental Council of India or a State Dental Council. Interns usually hold provisional registration at the time of applying. Institutes verify registration at the time of admission, so apply for permanent registration as soon as your internship ends.

INI CET Age Limit and Number of Attempts

• Age limit: The prospectus does not prescribe a minimum or maximum age for INI CET. Doctors who graduated years ago can apply as long as they meet the other conditions.

• Attempts: There is no limit on the number of attempts. Because INI CET runs twice a year, an eligible candidate can appear in every session.

• Age as a tie-breaker: Age does matter at one point. If two candidates have the same marks and the same number of wrong answers, the older candidate is placed higher in the merit list.

Indian Nationals with a Foreign Medical Degree

Indian citizens who completed their primary medical degree abroad can apply if they meet the conditions that apply to all Indian graduates, plus the screening requirement.

• Screening test: You must have passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) conducted by NBEMS, or be exempt from it under NMC rules.

• Internship: The 12-month internship required by the NMC must be complete by 31 January 2027.

• Registration: Permanent or provisional registration with the NMC or a State Medical Council.

• Aggregate: The minimum aggregate rule for your category applies; keep a percentage conversion certificate if your university uses grades.

Foreign Nationals, OCI and Bhutanese Candidates

Sponsored Candidates

Some institutes keep seats for in-service doctors sponsored by their employers. The main conditions, based on the prospectus, are:

• Who can be sponsored: Permanent employees of the Central or a State Government, the Armed Forces, a Public Sector Undertaking or an Autonomous Body.

• Sponsorship certificate: It must be in the prescribed format and submitted within the deadline. A missing or late certificate makes you ineligible for sponsored seats.

• Separate competition: Sponsored candidates compete only for sponsored seats and cannot be considered for general category seats, and the reverse also applies.

• Qualifying percentile: Sponsored candidates need the 50th percentile.

Earlier prospectuses have also asked for a certificate on the non-availability of the course in the sponsoring state, signed by a senior health official. Check the current Part A and Part B for the exact documents and the institutes that offer sponsored seats.

Category Certificates and PwBD Candidates

Reservation follows central government rules, so category certificates must be in the central government format.

• OBC (NCL): The certificate must show non-creamy layer status in the central format and be issued within the window specified in the prospectus. A state-format or outdated certificate can cost you the OBC claim.

• EWS: The income and asset certificate must be in the central format and valid for the period stated in the prospectus.

• SC and ST: A caste certificate from a competent authority in the prescribed format.

• PwBD: A benchmark disability, generally 40% or more as defined under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, certified as the prospectus requires. Facilities such as a scribe or compensatory time are given as per the prospectus.

A wrong certificate usually does not make you ineligible for the exam, but it can move you to the unreserved category, where the minimum aggregate and qualifying percentile are higher.

Qualifying Percentile for Counselling

Meeting the eligibility criteria lets you appear in the exam. To take part in counselling, you must also reach the qualifying percentile for your category.

Clearing this percentile does not guarantee a seat. The final allotment depends on your rank, category, choices and seat availability.

Who Is Not Eligible for INI CET

• Late internship completion: Candidates who finish the 12-month internship after 31 January 2027 cannot apply for the January 2027 session.

• Unrecognised degree: An MBBS or BDS from an institution not recognised by the NMC or DCI does not qualify.

• Low aggregate: Candidates below 55% (General, OBC, EWS) or 50% (SC, ST, PwBD) in the qualifying degree.

• No council registration: Candidates without permanent or provisional registration with the relevant council.

• Foreign medical graduates without FMGE: Indian nationals with a foreign degree who have not cleared or been exempted from the screening test.

• Foreign nationals without NOC: An NOC from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is mandatory.

• False information: Candidates found to have given false information or documents can be disqualified at any stage, even after admission.

Before You Join: Bond and Seat-Leaving Rules

Eligibility also has a commitment side. Institutes ask selected candidates to sign an undertaking and charge a penalty if they leave the course after joining. In earlier sessions, AIIMS New Delhi's Part B set Rs. 3,00,000 for leaving within six months of joining and Rs. 5,00,000 after six months. Each institute sets its own terms, so read the Part B of every institute you add to your choice list before counselling.

Documents to Keep Ready

Check Eligibility, Then Plan Your Preparation

Once you are sure you meet the INI CET eligibility criteria, confirm the details in the January 2027 prospectus on the official AIIMS examinations portal and complete your application before 13 October 2026. If the internship date rules you out this time, use the months before the July 2027 session to build a stronger base.