BENGALURU: Seven students from Karnataka, including two girls, have made it to the top 100 ranks in the NEET-UG 2025 exam, securing 99.99 percentile. The results were released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday.
Among the top achievers are Nikhil Sonnad (AIR 17), Ruchir Gupta (AIR 22), Tejas Shailesh Ghotgalkar (AIR 38), Pranshu Jahagirdar (AIR 42), Harini Sriram (AIR 72), Diganth S (AIR 80), and Nidhi KG (AIR 84). Harini and Nidhi are among the top 20 female candidates in the country, while Nikhil and Ruchir are in the top 20 among male candidates.
Nikhil Sonnad from Expert PU College, Mangaluru, also emerged as the state topper. Coming from a family of doctors, Nikhil, son of neurosurgeon Dr Siddappa Sonnad and ophthalmologist Dr Meenakshi, credited his success to consistent effort, strong fundamentals, and the support of his teachers and parents.
“I focused on building a foundation and solving problems from the start. That helped me apply concepts better,” said Nikhil, who hails from Vijayapura. “I was confident of doing well, but never expected AIR 17.”
Also from Expert PU College, Nidhi KG from Somwarpet in Kodagu made it to the top 100 with AIR 84. The daughter of KH Ganapathi, an Assistant Sub-Inspector, and Gunavathi, a school teacher, Nidhi said her goal of becoming a doctor began in Class 9. “For the last two years, I was fully focused on NEET with a target to rank below 100. The exam was tough, but I gave it my best,” she said. Nidhi hopes to pursue her MBBS at AIIMS Delhi or Bangalore Medical College.
Ruchir Gupta, who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 22 in his first attempt, prepared for NEET-UG at Allen Institute in Bengaluru. He said he didn’t follow a strict routine but made it a point to set small daily goals and complete them. Hoping to join AIIMS Delhi, Ruchir said his elder brother, currently studying at IIT Bombay, helped him stay focused. “He guided me on how to approach the preparation, understand concepts clearly, and identify areas where I needed improvement,” he told TNIE.
This year, Karnataka saw 1,47,782 students register for NEET-UG, of which 1,42,369 appeared and 83,582 qualified. This was slightly lower compared to 2024, when 1,55,148 registered, 1,50,170 appeared and 88,887 qualified.