Need cap on tuition fees: MP
30.10.2026 TIMES CHENNAI
These committees handle admissions to govt medical colleges, self-financing private colleges and state private universities. Together, the figures suggest that nearly 2,000 UG medical seats—roughly the capacity of 20 new colleges with 100 seats each—remain vacant. In TN, 16 MBBS seats in private institutions were unfilled because candidates who had been allotted them did not join, said state selection committee secretary Dr V Lokanayaki.
“The counselling is over. We cannot allot them to other students without fresh counselling,” she said. The state will have one of the highest number of vacancies in the country. In Karnataka, 191 MBBS seats remain vacant after a record seven rounds of counselling, the first such shortfall in five years. All BDS seats were filled. The state’s directorate of medical education has asked National Medical Commission to lower the qualifying marks, while private colleges are offering discounts, with some quoting about 80 lakh for the 4½-year course, including hostel fees. The eligibility for 2026 was 213/720 marks for general and EWS candidates and 177 for OBC, SC and ST candidates. Experts, including teachers and student counsellors, say the vacancies highlight the gap between qualifying for a medical seat and being able to afford one.
In TN and Puducherry, 824 MBBS seats in 14 deemed universities went unallotted in final round of central counselling. Annual fees at these institutions range from 23 lakh to 35 lakh. Some high-fee institutions filled seats after admitting candidates further down the NEET rank list. At one university, closing rank moved from 7.3 lakh to 10.68 lakh. While the fee for students allotted seats through govt quota in private colleges touches nearly 10 lakh a year, it can go up to 20 lakh in management quota.
Medical admissions counsellor Manickavel Arumugam said higher-scoring candidates were passing up seats because of the fees. “Most private college graduates have to depend on parents to repay EMIs because the EMI is higher than their salaries,” he said. An MBBS graduate is paid 60,000 in tier-1 hospitals, 35,000 to 40,000 in tier-2 hospitals and 25,000-30,000 in tier-3 hospitals. DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson called for a cap on tuition fees at private institutions.
“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. unaffordable
191 MBBS seats vacant, K’taka seeks lower qualifying
marks
TIMES BANGALURU 30.10.2026
This week, several state selection committees, including those in Karnataka, Telangana, West
Bengal and Rajasthan, reported over 100 vacancies each after multiple rounds of counselling.
Several state selection committees handle admissions to govt medical colleges, self-financing
private colleges and state private universities. Together, the figures suggest that nearly 2,000
undergraduate medical seats — roughly the capacity of 20 new colleges with 100 seats each
— remain vacant.
In Tamil Nadu, 16 MBBS seats in private institutions were unfilled because candidates who
had been allotted them did not join, said state selection committee secretary Dr V
Lokanayaki. “The counselling is over. We cannot allot them to other students without fresh
counselling,” she said. The state will have one of the highest numbers of vacancies in India.
In Karnataka, 191 MBBS seats remain vacant after a record seven rounds of counselling, the
first such shortfall in five years. The state’s directorate of medical education has asked
National Medical Commission to lower the qualifying marks, while private colleges are
offering discounts, with some quoting about Rs 80 lakh for the 4½-year course, including
hostel fees.
Eligibility for 2026 was 213/720 marks for general and EWS candidates, and 177
for OBC, SC and ST candidates.
Experts, including teachers and student counsellors, say the vacancies highlight the gap
between qualifying for a medical seat and being able to afford one.
In Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry, 824 MBBS seats in 14 deemed universities went unfilled in the final round of
central counselling. Annual tuition fees at these institutions range from Rs 23 lakh to Rs 35
lakh. Some high-fee institutions filled their seats only after admitting candidates much
further down the NEET rank list.
At one university, the closing rank moved from 7.3 lakh to
10.7 lakh.
While the fee for students allotted seats through govt quota in private colleges touches nearly
Rs 10 lakh a year, it can go up to Rs 20 lakh for students from the management quota.
Medical admissions counsellor Manickavel Arumugam said higher-scoring candidates were
passing up seats because they could not afford the fees. “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.
An MBBS graduate is paid Rs 60,000 in tier-I hospitals, Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 in tier-II hospitals, and Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 in tier-3
hospitals
Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 30.10.2026
With nearly 2,000 MBBS seats going abegging across the country, state govts and medical colleges across India are nudging National Medical Commission (NMC) to permit a mop-up round of admissions to fill these seats, lying vacant in private colleges. Some govt quota seats have also found no takers. Grappling with about 1,000 vacant seats, managements of deemed universities are lobbying for a reduction in eligibility cutoffs for MBBS admissions this year. Vacancy lists released last week by Medical Counselling Committee, under Directorate General of Health Services, showed more than 800 unfilled MBBS seats, including at deemed universities in TN and Puducherry.
