Smart choice gets med seats even for modest NEET score

ROUND 1 CUT-OFF LOWER THAN 2019

Smart choice gets med seats even for modest NEET score

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.111.2020

High scores in NEET may fetch hundreds of students a seat in medical colleges, but those with scores as low as 183 (out of 720) marks have also managed to land a seat in deemed universities, in the first round of online allotments itself.

Medical counselling committee attached to the directorate general of health services (DGHS) allots about 80,000 seats in AIIMS, Jipmer, central institutions and 15% seats surrendered by state-run medical colleges and deemed universities.

This year, when the committee released the allotment on November 5, the cut-off in  the general category allotment for students in general/OBC/EWS category for all India quota seats in government colleges was 618 marks compared to 591marks in 2019. For students in the SC and ST category, cut-off was 521 and 492 this year compared to 485 and 459 in 2019. The lowest cut-off was 115, allotted to an ST student with disability.

Under management quota for deemed universities, the cut-off for admission was the lowest to colleges in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where the annual tuition is the highest. The lowest score that got a seat was a student with 183 marks. The student was allotted a seat in Chennai-based Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Residential Institution in Enathur. The college charges an annual fee of ₹22.5 lakh.

“Over the last two years, we are seeing low-scoring students making smart choices when they lock seats. When they are sure that their chances of entering medical colleges are low, they opt for deemed universities in the first round itself. Students with high scores either opt for all India quota seats in central or state government-run colleges or wait for the state counselling, where there are greater chances of them getting seats in colleges of choice. Those with low scores have no option but to choose deemed universities in the first round of counselling,” said Manickavel Arumugam, who has been counselling medical aspirants on admissions.

A student with 584 marks opted for New Delhi-based Hamdart Institute of Medical Science and Research.

Students have time till Saturday to join the colleges. “Students with high scores allotted to deemed universities may opt for round two or wait for state counselling because there is no fine for not joining round 1,” said NEET coach and counsellor Sai Prakash. “But students with low scores have to join now if they want a medical seat this year. Unlike public colleges, cut-off for deemed universities is likely to go up in the second round,” he said.