Loans, PG rent & coaching fees: The crushing cost of NEET-UG 2026

"Education is the milk of a tigress; one who drinks it gets the power to roar," B R Ambedkar once said. But for lakhs of NEET aspirants this year, the collapse of the examination's credibility has left the cubs toothless, powerless and far from the ability to roar.For lakhs of aspirants, NEET is more than an entrance exam, it is a family's savings, years of sacrifice, borrowed money and the hope of a different life packed into three unforgiving hours.So when allegations of a paper leak forced the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026, it did not just disrupt an examination, but also shattered routines, drained families financially and pushed exhausted aspirants back into a cycle of anxiety, uncertainty and relentless preparation.NEET-UG 2026, conducted on May 3 for nearly 24 lakh candidates, was scrapped after investigators found evidence suggesting the question paper had been leaked before the exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has now announced a re-examination on June 21.Investigators probing the leak claimed that a so-called "guess paper" containing nearly 410 questions had circulated among aspirants weeks before the exam.According to officials, around 120 Chemistry questions allegedly matched those asked in the actual paper.

The CBI has registered an FIR under charges related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust and provisions of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.Investigators suspect that the leaked NEET paper was scanned into PDF files before being circulated among students in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. The probe has now widened across several other states, with multiple arrests made so far.But beyond the arrests, investigations and politics lies another story, the quiet collapse of lakhs of students who believed the exam was finally over.For them, NEET is not merely a competitive examination. It is aspiration, social mobility, economic survival and years of relentless sacrifice compressed into three hours.And now, many say, they are being forced to begin again.

Back to zero: Students forced into preparation mode again

For months, students lived inside a rigid cycle of mock tests, revisions, coaching schedules and sleepless nights.

Once the exam ended on May 3, many finally allowed themselves to relax.Then came the cancellation. For many students, the emotional toll has been even harder than the academic pressure."NEET preparation is stressful. It is basically three years of hard work compressed into those three hours. That’s what the exam means to us," Sakshi Bairag, a 19-year-old student from Delhi who took a gap year for NEET preparation told TOI."Now, we are being asked to appear for a re-test for no fault of ours," she added.Students say the hardest part is mentally returning to preparation mode after convincing themselves the exam was finally behind them."My first reaction was honestly shocking," said Kabyashree Sonowal, another aspirant. "After months of preparation and stress, I thought everything was finally over.""I was trying to relax after NEET because mentally I was very exhausted.

For months life becomes only about studies, tests and pressure. Getting back into preparation mode again has been difficult because once you mentally tell yourself ‘the exam is over’, restarting the same routine is not easy."Kabyashree said she once studied 13-14 hours daily, but now struggles to concentrate even for 10 hours because of "overthinking, stress and tension" ."I was satisfied thinking finally the NEET exam is over, and was excited to go to Bangalore as my sister booked a flight ticket for me," said aspirant Jyoti Yadav."But suddenly the news came that it will be re-NEET and I was in shock. I have to study 13 hours without any break, sleepless nights, and the biggest fear, what if the re-NEET paper will be more difficult?" she saidShe also said that the cancellation of her flight alone cost her Rs 10,000, adding to existing expenses on coaching, PG accommodation and study material.

'Parents are quietly bearing the burden'

Students and teachers repeatedly describe NEET preparation as a "rhythm", a carefully maintained psychological state built over months or years.

That rhythm, they say, has now collapsed.Families had already sent students back home after the exam. Hostels were vacated. Coaching schedules ended. Many students paused their studies altogether."A re-test means they have to switch back into preparation mode, which isn’t just mentally tough but also logistically difficult," a coaching mentor earlier told TOI.Tejas Pandey, an aspirant knows this disruption firsthand.

His preparation began immediately after Class XII in 2023, when his family shifted him from Bihar to NCR for coaching."The expenditure came to Rs 4 lakh annually on accommodation, living expenses and coaching fee," he said. "Mentorship, revisions and maintaining concentration are extremely important. That entire rhythm has now been broken," he added.Tejas has now returned to his hometown in East Champaran, but restarting preparation, he says, is psychologically exhausting.Saurabh Dubey, a faculty member at a Mumbai coaching institute, said the disruption has deeply affected the morale of students."To be completely honest, it was a mix of profound heartbreak and exhaustion," he said. "My immediate thought went to the students who had genuinely poured their blood, sweat and tears into the May 3 exam.""Parents are quietly bearing this burden just so their child's momentum isn’t broken," he added.

The three hours that decide everything

For aspirants, NEET is not just another test. It often determines the trajectory of an entire family. A single rank can mean entry into a government medical college, and a path out of poverty. Failure can mean another year of preparation, another year of expenses and another year of emotional strain.

The pressure on NEET droppers

For students taking a "drop year" , the pressure is often far more intense. Unlike first-time aspirants, droppers live with the fear that another failed attempt may permanently derail their dreams."It’s my second drop for NEET preparation," said Kabyashree. "Droppers face a different kind of pressure because many of us feel we have invested an extra year and don’t want another setback.""Family expectations and self-pressure become much higher," she added. "Keeping yourself away from friends, family and entertainment… loneliness strikes in. Seeing your friends enjoying in colleges and you are still struggling for the same thing."Pratibha Saikia echoed similar concerns saying, "Yes, I took a drop year for NEET preparation". "Droppers usually face more pressure than first-time candidates because they already invested one extra year and have higher expectations from family and themselves," Pratibha added.The uncertainty surrounding the re-exam has intensified anxiety. "Students are constantly worried about results, counselling and losing another year," Pratibha noted.According to Anshika, another NEET aspirant from Assam, the pressure is especially intense for girls from smaller towns. “For many students, this might be their last chance — especially for girls from small towns, whose lives are very different. In many cases, they either have to prove themselves or get married,” she said.“We now have to repeat an entire year’s effort within just one month. It may sound stressful when you hear it, but in reality, it feels far worse,” she added.

The financial cost of competitive exams

Families spend enormous amounts on coaching, hostels, transportation and test series. "Families invest heavily in an exam like NEET, for which preparation begins years ahead," said one aspirant.Some even take educational loans. Many students from smaller towns move to coaching hubs such as Kota, Sikar, Delhi, Patna or Guwahati. Others stay in paying guest accommodations, balancing rising rent, food and transport costs.The NEET ecosystem today functions as a parallel economy. Beyond tuition fees lie hidden costs like hostel rent, coaching material, food, travel, online subscriptions, mock tests and mentorship programmes.Many parents sell land, jewellery or borrow money to fund their children’s preparation. "Our parents spend all their savings just for coaching and hostel fees," Kabyashree said."Many parents sell their lands and jewellery with just one hope of seeing their child become a doctor," she added.Students from economically weaker backgrounds say the cancellation has hit them hardest. In Jaipur, aspirant Devesh Kumar from Chomu described the uncertainty facing his family. "My family has already spent so much as I had to stay away from home and prepare," he said. "This year I was sure my efforts would bear fruit, but now there is only uncertainty."According to Anshika, even travelling from home to her institute for tests cost nearly Rs 200 each time. "In an environment where you feel your hard work might go to waste, it becomes impossible to concentrate," she added.Nazfira Begum said she spent nearly Rs 30,000 on test series alone. "It freaked me out like anything," she said about hearing of the cancellation. "It started disrupting my mental well-being and at last I decided to quit NEET."Madhuri, who secured a scholarship for coaching, said even though her classes were free, she still spent nearly Rs 47,000 on PG accommodation and additional expenses.Another student, Vishal Kumar, questioned whether students could continue trusting the examination system. "This is the second time in three years that the NEET exam has been cancelled due to a leak," he said. "How can we trust the institutions conducting these exams?"Even small additional costs now feel crushing for families already stretched financially. "Many families travel to metro cities and rent temporary accommodations or stay in PGs for coaching.

Extending that stay by an extra one and a half months means unbudgeted expenses on rent, food, daily mess charges, and local travel," Saurabh Dubey said."For middle-class and lower-income families who have already stretched their finances to the absolute limit, funding this extended timeline is causing severe distress," he added.

A crisis of trust?

The greatest damage, many experts say, is not academic but institutional. Competitive examinations derive legitimacy from trust. The moment students begin to believe merit can be manipulated through organised leak networks, the credibility of the entire system weakens."Trust hasn’t just been shaken, but for many students, it has been temporarily broken," said Saurabh Dubey. "When young aspirants see leaks happening over platforms like WhatsApp, they begin to question whether pure hard work is enough to succeed in this country," he said.

The ghost of 2024 returns?

The 2026 controversy arrives barely two years after the NEET-UG 2024 scandal triggered nationwide outrage and Supreme Court hearings.In 2024, investigators alleged that question papers had been accessed before the examination through organised networks operating across Bihar and Jharkhand. Reports described solver gangs, burnt paper fragments and digital circulation of leaked papers.The CBI later informed the Supreme Court that the leak had allegedly originated from Oasis Public School in Hazaribagh, where sealed paper packets were allegedly opened, photographed and resealed before distribution.The Supreme Court eventually declined to cancel the examination nationwide, saying there was insufficient evidence of a system-wide breach. Yet it acknowledged that leaks and malpractice had indeed occurred.Students were assured stronger safeguards would follow. Two years later, the system is again facing collapse. NEET leaks have now been officially acknowledged in 2017, 2024 and 2026. In 2019, several candidates used proxies to appear for the exam, forcing tighter biometric checks.Critics say the pattern suggests malpractice is no longer isolated but systemic. The crisis also extends beyond medical entrance examinations.In 2024, the Union education ministry cancelled UGC-NET just a day after it was conducted following concerns that the integrity of the exam "may have been compromised".Together, these controversies are reinforcing a dangerous public perception that examination malpractice in India is becoming institutional rather than accidental.

The human cost

Behind every headline about paper leaks lies another reality, the growing mental health crisis among aspirants.In Karnataka’s Kalaburagi, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant allegedly died by suicide on May 24. The student, Bhagyashree, had scored 92% in her PUC examinations. "She had performed well in NEET," her father said. "Maybe she had some feelings in her mind about writing it again."In Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, 20-year-old Anshika allegedly died by suicide after reportedly feeling distressed over the cancellation.

"She had been preparing for several years," family members told police.In Rajasthan’s Sikar, 22-year-old aspirant Pradeep Meghwal, who had prepared for NEET for three years, also allegedly died by suicide after the cancellation.In Goa, a 17-year-old student reportedly left behind a note saying he no longer wished to appear for competitive examinations. These tragedies have intensified concerns about the crushing pressure created by India’s hyper-competitive examination culture.

Can the system be fixed?

The National Testing Agency has announced that NEET will move entirely to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format from 2027 onwards. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the shift aims to eliminate vulnerabilities linked to printing and transporting physical question papers.However, many said that reforms are urgently needed. "Absolute transparency from the CBI and NTA regarding where the lapses occurred is essential," said Saurabh Dubey.

He also called for strict criminal action against paper-leak syndicates, stronger biometric verification and AI-monitored exam centres.Because once merit loses credibility, institutions lose their moral authority. And for lakhs of students spending sleepless nights in cramped hostel rooms, endlessly revising chapters under dim fluorescent lights, trust in the system is all they have!