NEET-UG 2025: Candidates demand re-opening of registration portal. Will NTA listen?
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has scheduled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2025 exam for May 4. The registration process for the examination concluded on March 7, with no further extensions announced by the authorities.
According to officials, approximately 23 lakh candidates have registered for the exam this year.
ETV Bharat reported on Monday, March 10, that despite the large number of registrations, a few candidates expressed dissatisfaction and took to social media to request the reopening of the registration portal.
Many aspirants cited timing conflicts with their ongoing Class XII Board examinations as a major obstacle. They further claimed they missed the application deadline due to academic commitments. Additionally, a few candidates reported facing technical issues that restricted them from completing their applications successfully.
NTA's response
In response to these appeals, the NTA reiterated that there would be no extension of the registration deadline.
The agency referred to its prior notification issued on March 5, which clearly stated that the original registration dates would remain unchanged. As of now, the NTA has not released any new alerts regarding additional registration opportunities.
Correction window deadline ends tomorrow
While the NTA declined to extend the registration period, they opened a correction window from March 9 to March 11.
During this period, candidates can rectify errors in their submitted applications. The deadline for making corrections is set for 11.50 pm on March 11.
Through this correction window, candidates are allowed to change details such as their names, parental information, and qualifications.
They can also modify their category, subcategory, signature, and NEET UG attempt details.
Additionally, aspirants have the option to change the language of their exam and their preferred examination city.
Decline in registrations?
ETV Bharat reported that there has been a considerable decline in the number of students registering for the NEET UG exam this year. This would mark the first drop in a decade.
According to expert Dev Sharma, the number of candidates appearing for the exam has consistently risen since 2015. In 2015, 3.74 lakh candidates registered for NEET UG.
By 2020, this figure had surged to 15.97 lakh, and in 2024, it peaked at 24.06 lakh.
However, Sharma noted that this upward trend reversed in 2025, with registrations dropping to approximately 23 lakh, despite previous predictions of continued growth.
This unexpected decline has raised concerns among educational analysts, who are closely monitoring the factors contributing to the change, according to the ETV Bharat report.
