CUET Cutoff 2025-2026 — University-wise, Course-wise

Understanding CUET Cutoffs

A CUET cutoff is the minimum normalized percentile score required for admission to a particular programme at a specific university. Unlike the old DU cutoff system based on Class 12 board percentages, CUET cutoffs are based entirely on your performance in the entrance exam.

Cutoffs vary significantly based on four factors: the university (DU cutoffs are highest), the programme (Honours courses have higher cutoffs), the category (General category has the highest cutoffs), and the year (cutoffs fluctuate based on difficulty and competition).

It is crucial to understand that CUET cutoffs are released by individual universities, not by NTA. NTA provides your score and percentile; each university then decides its own cutoff based on seats available, applications received, and the score distribution of applicants.

Delhi University (DU) CUET Cutoffs

Delhi University consistently has the highest cutoffs among all universities accepting CUET scores. Here are the CUET 2025 cutoff ranges for the most sought-after DU programmes (Round 1 cutoffs):

DU B.Com (Hons) Cutoffs

College	General	OBC	SC	ST
SRCC	99.2+	97.5+	92.0+	85.0+
Hindu College	98.5+	96.0+	90.0+	82.0+
Hansraj College	97.8+	95.5+	88.0+	80.0+
Ramjas College	96.5+	94.0+	85.0+	76.0+
Kirori Mal College	95.0+	92.0+	82.0+	72.0+

DU BSc (Hons) Cutoffs

Programme	Top College (General)	Mid-Range College (General)	Average Range
BSc (H) Physics	97.5+	92.0+	85-92
BSc (H) Chemistry	96.0+	90.0+	82-90
BSc (H) Mathematics	97.0+	91.0+	84-91
BSc (H) Computer Science	98.0+	94.0+	88-94
BSc (H) Statistics	96.5+	90.0+	83-90

DU BA (Hons) Cutoffs

Programme	Top College (General)	Mid-Range (General)	Average Range
BA (H) Economics	98.0+	93.0+	86-93
BA (H) English	97.0+	91.0+	83-91
BA (H) Political Science	97.5+	92.0+	85-92
BA (H) History	96.0+	89.0+	80-89
BA (H) Psychology	97.0+	91.0+	84-91

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Cutoffs

BHU is among the most prestigious Central Universities and attracts lakhs of applications. BHU cutoffs are generally 3-5 percentile points lower than top DU colleges for comparable programmes:

Programme	General	OBC	SC	ST
BA (H) Economics	94.0+	90.0+	82.0+	72.0+
BA (H) Political Science	92.0+	88.0+	78.0+	68.0+
BSc (H) Physics	93.0+	89.0+	80.0+	70.0+
BSc (H) Mathematics	92.5+	88.5+	79.0+	69.0+
B.Com (H)	91.0+	87.0+	76.0+	66.0+
BA (H) History	89.0+	84.0+	73.0+	63.0+
BA (H) Sociology	87.0+	82.0+	70.0+	60.0+

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Cutoffs

JNU is known for its Humanities and Social Sciences programmes. JNU typically uses CUET scores combined with specific subject requirements:

Programme	General	OBC	SC	ST
BA (H) Economics	95.0+	91.0+	83.0+	73.0+
BA (H) Political Science	93.0+	89.0+	80.0+	70.0+
BA (H) History	91.0+	86.0+	76.0+	66.0+
BA (H) Sociology	88.0+	83.0+	72.0+	62.0+
BA Foreign Languages	85.0+	80.0+	68.0+	58.0+

Score Ranges & Percentile Mapping

Understanding the relationship between raw scores and percentiles helps you set realistic targets. Based on CUET 2025 data across domain subject papers:

Raw Score (out of 250)	Approximate Percentile	What It Gets You
200+	99th percentile	Top DU colleges (SRCC, Hindu, Stephens)
175-200	95th-98th percentile	Good DU colleges, top BHU/JNU programmes
150-175	90th-95th percentile	Mid-tier DU colleges, most BHU/JNU programmes
125-150	80th-90th percentile	Lower-tier DU, state universities
100-125	65th-80th percentile	State and private universities
Below 100	Below 65th percentile	Limited options; focus on next attempt

Expected CUET 2026 Cutoff Trends

Based on year-on-year data and current trends, here is what we expect for CUET 2026 cutoffs:

• Overall trend: Slight increase. More universities are accepting CUET scores (280+ in 2026 vs 270 in 2025), but the number of applicants is growing faster than seats. This pushes cutoffs up.
• DU cutoffs: Expected to remain stable or increase by 0.5-1 percentile for top colleges. The most competitive programmes (B.Com Hons at SRCC, Economics at Hindu) may see cutoffs touching 99.5 percentile.
• BHU/JNU cutoffs: Expected to rise by 1-2 percentile points as these universities gain popularity and students apply more strategically.
• New universities: Many newly-added universities will have lower cutoffs in their first year of CUET acceptance. These represent good opportunities for students in the 70th-85th percentile range.
• Category-wise: OBC cutoffs are trending closer to General cutoffs (within 3-5 percentile points at top colleges). SC/ST cutoffs remain significantly lower, typically 10-15 percentile points below General.

How Cutoffs Are Calculated — Normalization Explained

Many students are confused by the normalization process. Here is a simple explanation:

Why Normalization is Needed

CUET is conducted across multiple shifts, and question papers differ between shifts. Without normalization, students who get an easier paper would have an unfair advantage. Normalization ensures that a score of 180/250 in a difficult shift is treated fairly against a 200/250 in an easy shift.

How It Works (Simplified)

1. Step 1: NTA calculates the raw score for every candidate in each shift
2. Step 2: Within each shift, candidates are ranked by raw score
3. Step 3: Each candidate's percentile is calculated within their shift
4. Step 4: The final merit list uses the percentile score (not the raw score)

This means two candidates can have different raw scores but the same percentile if their relative position within their respective shifts is the same. A candidate scoring 170/250 in a tough shift where the topper scored 180 would get a higher percentile than a candidate scoring 190/250 in an easy shift where many scored 200+.

Important Implication

Do not panic if your paper feels difficult. A hard paper means lower raw scores across the board, which means your percentile could actually be higher than expected. Focus on maximizing your attempts and accuracy within your shift, regardless of perceived difficulty.

Tips to Meet Your Target Cutoff

1. Set a target score, not just a percentile. Aim for 200+/250 in each domain subject. This gives you a buffer regardless of how the normalization plays out.
2. Focus on accuracy over attempts. With +5/−1 marking, getting 40 out of 45 attempted correct (200 − 5 = 195) is far better than attempting all 50 and getting 10 wrong (200 − 10 = 190).
3. Take 15+ full-length mock tests in NTA CBT format to build exam stamina and refine your time management strategy.
4. Analyse your mock test performance after every test. Identify your weakest chapters and allocate more revision time to them.
5. Apply to 5-8 universities. Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Apply to 2-3 aspirational universities (cutoff slightly above your expected score), 2-3 target universities (cutoff matching your score), and 1-2 safety universities.

Frequently Asked Questions