All MBBS seats allotted in state counselling stray round

All MBBS seats allotted in state counselling stray round 

24.10.2026 TIMES CHENNAI

Chennai: The state selection committee allotted every MBBS seat under its counselling process by the end of the stray round. This is in sharp contrast to central counselling, which left more than 800 seats in deemed universities unfilled. While annual fees of up to 35 lakh kept students away from deemed universities, a late fee cut helped one private university fill more than 100 seats in the state’s final round. 

The state’s stray round opened with 311 MBBS seats. The allotment list published on Thursday showed that the committee had allotted every seat based on NEET merit and reservation rules. In BDS, 49 seats remained vacant, none in govt colleges. 

Officials in the committee say most students who opt for seats in the stray round take them as penalties are high. Closing ranks showed that in govt colleges, admissions reached further down the state merit list in the open, BC and BCM categories, even though the corresponding NEET scores rose. “This was because more students got into govt medical colleges this year. The state added 150 seats to its seat matrix,” an official said. MBC, SC, SCA and ST categories, however, closed at better ranks than last year. In self-financing colleges, where annual tuition for govt-quota students is up to 4.50 lakh, open-category, BC and MBC admission ranks rose marginally, while BCM showed a larger shift. SC, SCA and ST admissions closed at better ranks. 

The largest shifts came in private universities. At Sri Venkateswaraa Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, the prescribed annual tuition for govt-quota students was 5.40 lakh, but the institution said that it would charge 20 lakh, said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. “Fee is one of the key factors in admissions,” he said. “After three rounds, the college had more than 130 vacant seats. It reduced tuition to 7.40 lakh for govt quota seats and 16.40 lakh for management-quota seats. All seats were allotted.” Times News Network