NEW DELHI: Delhi girl Devina Gahlot, 17, from DPS Vasant Kunj, with 100 percentile in three (economics, political science and psychology) of her five subjects and an aggregate of 1232.19, is this year’s CUET-UG topper. The second topper, Saksham Goel, with an aggregate of 1230.82, too is from Delhi, while Udit Chaturvedi (1207.21), ranked third, is from Himachal Pradesh. The results were announced by National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday. The undergraduate entrance test for 244 participating universities saw a significant increase in top scorers in 2026, with the number securing 100 percentile in at least one subject rising 20% to 3,417, more than twice the 8.6% growth in examinees. The examination recorded its largest-ever pool of applicants and candidates this year, though the percentage share of registered students who actually appeared fell. Registrations climbed 15.8%, from 13,54,699 to 15,68,867, while the number appearing increased from 10,71,735 to 11,64,098.
The share of registered candidates who took the examination fell from 79.1% in 2025 to 74.2% this year, a decline of 4.9 percentage points. Nearly 4.05 lakh registered candidates stayed away in 2026, compared with 2.83 lakh last year.Devina, who also scored 99.99 and 99.91 in English and fine arts, respectively, notched a 99% aggregate in her Class XII results. “I want to study English (honours) and would prefer St Stephen’s or Hindu College. I have tried my hand at writing and have interest in journalism, but right now I would like to focus on my under-graduation and take one step at a time,” said Devina, daughter of former Delhi minister and current BJP MLA Kailash Gahlot.Preparation for her is all “about regular and consistent study plan and being thorough with her NCERT books.” She added that the “biggest peace of mind and contribution came from my parents, who never put pressure on me”.In a repeat of last year’s subject-wise best performance, one candidate secured 100 percentile in four of the five subjects chosen. The number achieving it in three subjects rose from 17 to 22, an increase of 29.4%, while those securing 100 percentile in two subjects increased from 150 to 180 and those securing it in one subject rose from 2,679 to 3,214.Overall, around 0.3% of candidates who appeared this year secured 100 percentile in at least one paper, compared with 0.2% in 2025. A larger group of top scorers could intensify competition for popular courses.