Why are nearly 2,000 MBBS seats vacant in India? Private and state medical authorities ask NMC to step in

Nearly 2,000 MBBS seats remain vacant across India despite multiple rounds of medical admissions counselling, prompting state governments and private medical colleges to approach the National Medical Commission (NMC) for permission to conduct additional admission rounds and reconsider eligibility cut-offs, as per a TOI report. The vacancies have raised concerns about the affordability of medical education, with several private institutions struggling to attract candidates despite thousands of students qualifying for undergraduate medical admissions.

The vacant seats include more than 800 MBBS seats reported in the latest vacancy lists released by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), which functions under the Directorate General of Health Services. A substantial number of these vacancies are in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Separately, state counselling authorities in Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal and Rajasthan reported more than 100 vacant seats each this week, even after conducting multiple rounds of admissions. These committees oversee admissions to government medical colleges, self-financing private institutions and state private universities.


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Taken together, the figures indicate that nearly 2,000 undergraduate medical seats remain unfilled across the country, equivalent to the intake capacity of around 20 medical colleges with 100 seats each.

Karnataka reports first MBBS seat shortfall in five years

Karnataka has 191 vacant MBBS seats despite completing a record seven rounds of counselling, marking the first time in five years that the state has faced such a shortfall. All Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) seats, however, have been filled.

The state's Directorate of Medical Education has approached the NMC seeking a reduction in qualifying marks to enable more candidates to become eligible for admission, as reported by TOI. Private medical colleges have also reportedly begun offering discounts, with some quoting around Rs 80 lakh for the entire four-and-a-half-year course, including hostel fees.

For 2026, the qualifying marks were 213 out of 720 for general and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates, while the cut-off for Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates was 177.

Affordability remains a major concern even for students securing seats under government quotas in private colleges. The annual fees for such seats can approach Rs 10 lakh, while management quota fees can reach Rs 20 lakh a year.

Medical admissions counsellor Manickavel Arumugam told TOI that candidates with higher scores were declining private medical college seats because of the financial burden.

"Most students in private college have to depend on parents to repay EMIs after completing the course because the EMI is higher than the salaries they get," he said.

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High fees leave hundreds of seats vacant in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

The problem is particularly visible in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where 824 MBBS seats across 14 deemed universities remained unallotted in the final round of centralised counselling. Annual tuition fees at these institutions range from Rs 23 lakh to Rs 35 lakh, making medical education financially inaccessible for many aspirants.

Some high-fee institutions managed to fill their seats only after admitting candidates much further down the NEET rank list. At one university, the closing rank reportedly shifted from 7.3 lakh to 10.68 lakh, indicating the extent to which institutions had to extend admissions to fill their intake.

DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson has called for a cap on tuition fees charged by private medical institutions, arguing that rising costs are making medical education increasingly unaffordable.

"Without a cap on tuition, institutions raise fees every year. There are more than 11 lakh qualified candidates and there are less than 2 lakh seats. If the govt is serious about merit, they must not reduce the cut off," he said.

MBBS seat vacancies raise questions over affordability and NEET cut-offs

Teachers, education experts and student counsellors say the growing number of vacant seats highlights the difference between qualifying for a medical seat and being financially capable of pursuing the course.

The financial burden does not end with admission. Medical graduates are reported to earn around Rs 60,000 a month in tier-one hospitals, Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 in tier-two hospitals and Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 in tier-three hospitals.

These salary levels have added to concerns about students taking large education loans to finance expensive private medical degrees, particularly when their initial earnings may not be sufficient to comfortably manage the repayments.

With nearly 2,000 MBBS seats still vacant, private medical colleges and state authorities are seeking further intervention from the NMC. While institutions are pushing for lower qualifying cut-offs and additional counselling rounds, the debate has also brought the cost of medical education and the financial viability of pursuing an MBBS degree into focus.