NEET 2026 dress code for males and females; objects of faith allowed, prohibited items

More than 22.79 lakh aspirants are set to appear for the NEET 2026 medical entrance exam, which will be held from 2 pm to 5 pm across the country at more than 500 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. NTA has outlined guidelines regarding the permitted items and dress code for the NEET exam 2026. NTA NEET UG 2026 Live Updates

The National Testing Agency (NTA) conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2026) for admission to top medical colleges across the country. This year, a total of 22,79,743 have registered for NEET UG, of whom 13,32,928 are female, and 9,46,815 are male students.

NTA has advised candidates to bring transparent water bottles, wear light clothes, and wear slippers or low heels while appearing for the NEET 2026 exam.

Also read NMC to speed up NEET counselling with seat-approval calendar, allow for-profits to set up medical colleges

NEET 2026 dress code for boys

Male candidates appearing for the NEET UG 2026 exam must wear half-sleeved shirts or t-shirts and simple jeans or pants with pockets.

• Bulky clothes with zip pockets and shirts with big buttons must be avoided.
• Clothes with any kind of embroidery should also be avoided.
• Wear simple footwear (avoid heavy/covered shoes)

NEET 2026 dress code for girls

The list of prohibited items and dress code for female candidates appearing for the NEET 2026 is listed below.

• Girls are not allowed to wear brooches, flowers, badges, or jeans with prints.
• Ornaments such as earrings, nose rings, pendants, necklaces, etc., are prohibited.
• Kurtis, leggings and palazzos should be avoided.
• Heels are not allowed. Slippers or low heels should be preferred.

Female candidates appearing for the exam must wear light-coloured denim pants and half-sleeve t-shirts, given that the size of the shirt buttons should be medium.

Is jeans allowed in NEET 2026?

Candidates are allowed to wear jeans for the NEET exam, provided they are plain, simple, and free from any patterns or designs. This rule applies equally to both male and female candidates. Know more: NTA NEET 2026 advisory on biometric verification

NEET Dress Code 2026: NTA guidelines for frisking

According to NTA NEET guidelines 2026, candidates who wear items of faith (customary, cultural, or religious) must report to the examination centre at least two hours before the final reporting time, that is, 12:30 pm.

This will allow sufficient time for proper frisking while ensuring the candidate’s convenience and maintaining the exam integrity. If, during screening, a candidate is found to be carrying any suspicious device within such an item of faith, they may be required to leave it outside and not bring it into the examination hall.

Also read NMC junks 150-seat MBBS cap, population rule; sets 10 km limit for medical college-hospital distance

NTA NEET 2026: Prohibited items

Candidates appearing for the NEET 2026 exam are strictly prohibited from carrying items listed below inside the examination centre under any circumstances.

• Any item like textual material (printed or written), bits of paper, geometry and pencil
• Box, plastic pouch, calculator, pen, scale, writing pad, pen drives, eraser, calculator, log table, electronic pen and scanner, etc.
• Any communication device like a mobile phone, Bluetooth, earphones, microphone, pager, health band, etc.
• Other items like wallet, goggles, handbags, belt, cap, etc.
• Any watch or wristwatch, Bracelet, Camera, etc.
• Any ornaments or metallic items.
• Any food items opened or packed, water bottle, etc.
• Any other item which could be used for unfair means, by hiding communication devices like a microchip, camera, Bluetooth device, etc.

Candidates appearing for the NEET 2026 exam must carry their admit card along with a government-issued ID for verification purposes. NTA NEET hall tickets 2026 can be downloaded on the official website, neet.nta.nic.in.