Scalpel losing edge: Few medical grads opt for surgery

Scalpel losing edge: Few medical grads opt for surgery 

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 

New Delhi : India’s top-performing medical graduates have made their preference clear in this year’s NEET-PG counselling — career stability is trumping the operating table. In the first round of NEET-PG 2025, medicine and radiology dominated choices among high-rankers while general surgery saw one of its steepest drops in recent years, reflecting growing concerns over stress, long training pathways and mounting medico-legal pressures. 

Among the first 1,500 candidates, 632 (42%) chose MD General Medicine and 447 (30%) opted for MD Radiodiagnosis. Only 99 students (6.6%) selected MS General Surgery, indicating a widening shift away from high-risk procedural fields. A strong preference for Delhi also emerged, with six of the top 10 candidates choosing Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. 

Dr Neeraj Nischal from the department of medicine at AIIMS said, “MD Medicine is the gateway to almost all superspecialities, so it has always been in high demand. Students feel diagnostics offers a more controlled work life, though that may not always be true.” The fall in interest for surgery, senior clinicians say, is rooted in deeper anxieties. “Surgical branches are very demanding — you need passion. Otherwise, burnout is inevitable,” Dr Nischal said. 

Surgeons themselves acknowledge that the field has steadily lost appeal. “It takes much longer to settle down because general surgery is only the first step — you usually need to super-specialise in neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, urology or paediatric surgery,” said Dr Piyush Ranjan from AIIMS surgery department.

MBBS counselling impacted after MCC adds new seats midway

MBBS counselling impacted after MCC adds new seats midway

 Ayushi.Gupta1@timesofindia.com 27.10.2025

TIMES EDUCATION   BANGALURU

Addition of 11,000 MBBS seats and introduction of new medical colleges midway has impacted the ongoing NEET UG 2025-26 counselling process adding to the troubles of aspirants. While the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has allowed seat upgrade options till the third round since last year (2024-25), the introduction of seats midway has led to disruption in seat allotment. Candidates who secured seats in the first two rounds felt cheated after new seats were opened in top medical colleges, as they already paid fees and reported to their allotted colleges. Since new seats have been added in a few AIIMS and govt medical colleges, candidates who had to settle for lesser-known colleges are clearly frustrated. 

Since many candidates did not choose the upgrade option, they have now missed the chance to compete for the newly added seats. The untimely addition of seats has created unequal opportunities for several talented candidates. Delhi-based counselling expert, Ashish Sinha, says, “NMC delayed the process of inspections and granting approvals to medical colleges. 

By the time new seats were added, aspirants had already joined elsewhere and could not participate in further rounds, as they did not select the upgrade option during the first round of counselling. If seats were added well before the counselling, the cut-off would not look elevated. High ranking students would have thoughtfully opted for the seat in a prominent college, based on their NEET scores.” Candidates who chose upgrade option will have to face significant financial strain as most of them have paid the fee, which is not fully refundable. Several medical colleges, such as MGM Medical College, Panvel, Maharashtra, charge up to Rs 50,000 as are location fee if a candidate decides to transfer to another institution, adds Sinha. 

According to the new MCC rules, aspirants can opt out of locking their seats until round III, which is mandatory during the stray vacancy phase. Dr B Srinivas, member secretary, MCC, says, “The decision to allow upgrade option in the third round was made to accommodate delayed seat approvals by NMC and ensure fair opportunities for all candidates. We knew that seat allotments were getting delayed repeatedly, so we consciously introduced upgradation in the third round this year.” 

The move benefits students seeking government medical colleges after initially being allotted private colleges. “If a student got a private medical seat earlier but now prefers a government college, with the help of this option, they can move to the college of their choice. The vacated seat will automatically be allotted to another candidate, ensuring that all available seats are filled. This system is expected to create a dynamic flow of seat reallocation, giving more students the chance to secure better placements,” Dr Srinivas adds.

However, aspirants appearing for the state counselling face difficulty in switching from state colleges to the colleges offering All India Quota (AIQ) seats. “State counselling bodies impose strict regulations that prevent students from switching to MCC seats after Round II. In one case, during the 2025-26 counselling cycle, an aspirant who had secured admission in Karnataka paid Rs 44 lakh as annual fees, but he was unable to move to DY Patil Medical College, Pune, in Round III. New seats introduced in Round III under MCC significantly lowered the cut-off for DY Patil, Pune. Had all seats been released at once, the student would likely have secured admission there in Round II. Rules stipulate that if an aspirant surrenders a seat after Round II, the entire first-year fee is forfeited—locking them into their initial choice,” says Sinha.

MBBS, BDS admissions halted due to tech glitch, seat uncertainty

MBBS, BDS admissions halted due to tech glitch, seat uncertainty 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 17.10.2025

Chennai : MBBS/BDS admissions for 2025 have been halted amid a technical glitch on the website and seat uncertainty though medical colleges opened on Sept 22 for all freshmen. On Thursday, the process was stalled after Medical Counselling Committee's official portal went down when students attempted to log in and lock their college choices. The committee, which admits students to central institutions, deemed universities and All India quota seats in state-run medical colleges, gave candidates until midnight to make choices. 

This technical glitch comes even as National Medical Commission (NMC), the regulatory authority, continues to approve additional seats for existing medical colleges and grant recognition to new colleges for the 2025 academic year. “This is the third round of counselling, and the seat matrix still does not reflect all sanctioned seats,” said student counsellor S Shanmugam. 

“Some seats were added on Wednesday. If they are not added to the seat matrix, they will be available only for students in the stray round. How is this process justified?” he said. Officials at the central counselling committee said arevised schedule will be released once the final seat matrix is received from NMC. 

Meanwhile, the state selection committee stated that the counselling process for admission to govt quota seats in state-run medical colleges, self-financing medical colleges, and state private universities will commence only after the MCC completes its third round. “That way, students will be able to make informed decisions,” said a senior official. Medical college faculty say students joining late tend to miss at least two months of college. 

“By the time the last batch of students join college, they would have missed at least two months of classes. How will they catch up on portions?” said a senior anatomy professor of a govt medical college. “Faculty don’t have the time to conduct special classes, and it’s tough for new students to cope with these portions,” he said.

NEET cut-offs for MBBS, BDS drop after 2nd round of counselling

NEET cut-offs for MBBS, BDS drop after 2nd round of counselling

SEAT MATRIX 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 03.10.2025

Chennai : At the end of second round of counselling for MBBS/BDS admissions, cutoffs in NEET-UG 2025 came down by two to four marks in govt medical colleges compared to first round, and up to 10 marks in govt quota seats in self-financing colleges. While the last mark for a student to get into a medical college (state private university) was 354, the cut-off scores in BDS dropped by up to 100-222 marks in round 2 of counselling.

At the end of round 2, cutoffs dropped in almost all categories, although there was no major difference in ranks. For instance, the OC (open category) cut-off for govt colleges plummeted from 650 in 2024 to 534 in 2025. In 2024, NEET cutoff for a student to get into any college in any category at the end of round 2 was 403 marks. In BDS, the cut-off was 245.

The drop in cut-offs doesn’t indicate an easing of admissions, experts say. “There is only a marginal difference in the ranks of students, though we see big differences in scores,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. “Students, including many repeat candidates, found the NEET 2025 tougher. Overall performance dropped across India. There was no perfect score, and the top score was 686,” he said.

Students who were allotted seats must join colleges of their choice before deadline, or they will have to take part in the round 3 of counselling for colleges of their choice. 

The National Medical Commission allowed St Peter’s Medical College Hospital to take 100 more students by increasing total seats to 250, while Vivekananda Medical College Hospital and Research Institute will add 50 seats. These seats, along with 50 more in BDS, will be added to seat matrix once the state medical university grants affiliation, said selection committee officials.

Will use of ‘Dr (PT)’ title lend clarity to identity of physiotherapists

Will use of ‘Dr (PT)’ title lend clarity to identity of physiotherapists

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesofindia.com 29.09.2025

The confusion surrounding the use of the prefix ‘Dr’ and ‘suffix ‘PT’ for physiotherapists is impacting aspirants’ perception of the profession, requiring an immediate resolution of the issue, to make an informed decision about the Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) programme. 

Two contradictory directives issued by the DGHS recently created ambiguity among NEET qualified/appeared candidates. Earlier in the month, the DGHS announced that physiotherapists cannot use the prefix ‘Dr’, emphasising that the practice is misleading and legally untenable. However, within a week, announcement was retracted and the regulatory bodies will now take a final call after examining the case. The NCAHP suggested that physiotherapists can use the prefix ‘Dr’ and suffix ‘PT’. Yagna Shukla, chairperson, NCAHP, says, “For the first time, it formally recognised physiotherapists’ right to use ‘Dr’, provided they also used the suffix ‘PT’ to make their professional identity clear. It was a long-awaited recognition of their role as autonomous healthcare professionals.” It would be wrong to look to the Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916 that the DGHS had referred to in its first letter, to justify the need to remove the ‘Dr’ and ‘PT’ titles. Shukla says that it is a colonial law, written 109 years ago to curb quackery at a time when only MBBS-equivalent doctors were recognised. “Applying it rigidly in 2025 ignores the fact that healthcare is now multidisciplinary, with dentistry, physiotherapy, and psychology functioning as independent professions,” she adds. Physiotherapy being an allied health profession, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialists and orthopaedics claimed that the ‘Dr’ prefix is not in consonance with NMC Act, and once physiotherapists start using the ‘Dr’ prefix, it would be difficult to differentiate between a doctor who has done an MBBS-MD, and a physiotherapist who has done BPT.

367 MBBS seats vacant after 2nd round added to management quota

367 MBBS seats vacant after 2nd round added to management quota 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 26.09.2025

Chennai : At least 367 MBBS seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities that were vacant after two rounds of counselling by state selection panel, will be added to management quota seats in the third round of counselling. 

Additionally, 100 seats—50 each from Vivekananda Medical College and St Peters Medical College—awaiting affiliation from state medical university will also be added to the seat matrix, officials said. 

In round 2 results of MBBS/BDS counselling released by state selection panel on Wednesday, NRI seats in several self-financing medical colleges were not allotted as candidates did not opt for seats. This year, the fixation of fees panel, struck down the NRI lapsed seats category, which was created to fill in non-NRI candidates alongside management quota in self-financing medical/dental colleges and state private universities. The selection committee will hence transfer vacant NRI seats to the common pool in management category, allowing students to take these seats at a 30% lower cost. The panel fixed MBBS fees for 2025 in self-financing colleges at ₹15 lakh a year, and fee for NRIs was ₹27 lakh. Until 2024, self-financing colleges were allowed to collect ₹24.5 lakh as NRI fees. Colleges set aside 15% of the seats for NRI category. If these seats were not filled, they were converted into NRI lapse seats, which had ₹21.50 lakh as annual tuition fee. The six seats under the minority quota will be converted only after the institute agrees to convert them into management quota seats, officials added.

HC: Conduct add’l mop-up counselling for NEET-SS

HC: Conduct add’l mop-up counselling for NEET-SS 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  19.09.2025

Chennai : Madras high court has directed the director general of health services and the medical counselling committee to conduct additional mopup counselling for NEET-SS 2024-25 to include the unfilled super-specialty seats in Tamil Nadu and complete the process within four weeks. 

Justice G K Ilanthiriayan issued the order following a plea by three PG doctors who wanted to pursue super-specialty courses of their choice but were denied due to the nonconduct of mop-up counselling. Representing the petitioners, senior advocate P H Arvindh Pandian submitted that the failure of the counselling committee to conduct mop-up counselling for NEET-SS 202425 has left a large number of super-specialty seats vacant, despite there being willing, eligible, and meritorious candidates available to fill them. 

The denial of a mop-up counselling round results in the arbitrary and unjustified non-utilization of valuable public and private medical education resources, particularly in high-demand specialties and prestigious institutions like the Madras Medical College, Stanley Medical College, and Madurai Medical College.

 “The authorities are under a statutory and administrative obligation under the PG Medical Education (Amendment) Regulations, 2019, to conduct counselling for all super specialty seats in a manner that ensures maximum seat utilization. The current approach defeats this objective,” he added.

Only 2% students allotted seats in govt medical colleges retained

Only 2% students allotted seats in govt medical colleges retained

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 09.09.2025

Chennai : Only 14% of students who were allotted MBBS seats by Central Medical Counselling Committee joined govt colleges allotted to them, and only 2% retained their seats, an analysis of the seat matrix released by the committee shows. Of the 835 seats in 38 govt run colleges in TN, including AIIMS Madurai, Central committee allotted students to 824 seats through online counselling. The seats are allotted based on merit in NEET-2025, the rule of reservation, and students’ choices. Students were asked to join colleges by Aug 22. 

The data on vacancies for Round 2 counselling released by the committee shows that 707 candidates used the ‘free exit’ option, either to select a better college from the options provided by respective state counselling committees, or to look for better choices in the subsequent rounds. Among the 114 students who joined the colleges allocated to them, 95 students chose an ‘upgrade’. These seats, considered virtual vacancies, will be allocated to students if the candidate is admitted to another college of their choice, or will be retained by the same candidate. 

All states surrender 15% of seats in state-run colleges for admission under the allIndia quota. The Central committee allots students to allIndia quota seats and all seats in Central institutions and deemed universities. Across India, 7,140 seats are vacant, data shows. Experts say Round 1 of medical counselling has become redundant as state allows students who opt for the seat to exit freely. “The students are given the seat only if they opt for it. I understand if they want to upgrade. If they decide to quit, they should not be allowed to participate in the process any further,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. Meanwhile, in deemed universities across the country, all 9,244 seats were allotted, and 6,314 joined the college. Among these, 3,202 candidates (35%) retained the seats.

“Deemed university fee is higher but students who don’t have high scores and therefore have poor chances of admission in govt or self-financing colleges apply for them. In these colleges, cut-offs increase in Round 2,” said S Shanmugaprasad, a NEET coach. In the second round of counselling, 2,930 seats from Round 1 and 623 newly added seats will be vacant. In TN, three deemed universities — Sri Lalithambigai Medical College, Bharath Medical College, and Vels Medical College — have been given 50 additional seats each. Vacancies in state medical colleges are yet to be released by the state counselling committee. Officials said they are waiting for Centre to release the list of new colleges and additional seats granted to existing colleges in TN to prepare the seat matrix for Round 2 of counselling.

UG, PG medical seats may increase by around 8,000 this academic year, says NMC Chief

UG, PG medical seats may increase by around 8,000 this academic year, says NMC Chief

PTI | , New Delhi

Published on: Aug 20, 2025 06:46 pm IST

NMC Chief Dr Abhijat Sheth said that the number of UG and PG medical seats in the country is expected to see a cumulative increase of around 8,000.

The number of undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats in the country is expected to see a cumulative increase of around 8,000 this academic year, and an assessments of medical colleges is underway, National Medical Commission chief Dr Abhijat Sheth has said.

The number of undergraduate and postgraduate seats may increase by around 8,000 this academic year, NMC Chief Dr Abhijat Sheth informed. (HT FILE)

Counselling for the NEET-UG is already underway and the first round has been completed. The second round of counselling is expected to start by August 25.

There are concerns about the number of medical seats decreasing this year after the CBI busted a network of officials of Union health ministry, National Medical Commission (NMC), intermediaries and representatives of private medical colleges allegedly involved in a litany of "egregious" acts, including corruption and unlawful manipulation of the regulatory framework governing medical colleges, in July this year.

When the CBI probe began, the NMC had put on hold the process for increasing the number of seats or starting new courses.

The agency had named 34 people in an FIR, including eight health ministry officials, a National Health Authority official and five doctors who were part of the NMC inspection team.

In an interview to PTI, Dr Sheth said, "Along with my appointment, the president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) also has been appointed. We have taken up completion of inspection of UG medical seats on a priority basis and the assessments are under progress."

"We expect an increase of roughly around 8,000 seats (UG and PG seats combined) based on the number of applications we have received in this academic year," he said.

Presently, there are 1,18,098 UG seats with 59,782 in government and 58,316 in private. The number of PG seats is 53,960 with 30,029 in government and 23,931 in private.

On the total number of MBBS seats decreasing as compared to the last academic session, Dr Sheth said, "Because of the ongoing (CBI) inquiry, the numbers of UG seats may have reduced. However, overall, the number of seats is eventually going to increase by 8,000 or even more after the completion of the total inspection process."

For the PG counselling, Dr Sheth said the process for the inspections of medical college, which have applied for new PG seats, has been initiated and that the counselling for it is going to take place in September.

"We are confident that new seats will also be added to the PG counselling process," he said.

Asked when the National Exit Test (NExT) for final year MBBS students, as envisaged in the NMC Act, will be held, Dr Sheth termed the exam as a "novel concept", but stressed that consensus among all stakeholders have to be reached.

He added that concerns of students about the exam need to be addressed before conducting it, saying its implementation "will take a while".

"NExT is a novel concept no doubt but there are many unanswered questions. We have to ensure that this model is compatible with the medical education that we are providing to our students," he told PTI.

Elaborating further, Dr Sheth said, "The main unanswered questions are -- how we are going to transit from the state level university examination to the central model. Second is, we want to ensure what difficulty level we are going to set up with this examination."

"Third important question for us is how we will create a positive perception of this examination across stakeholders -- both the faculties as well as the medical students. And in this direction we are working," he said.

Dr Sheth said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has worked in this direction for the last couple of years.

"However, I feel it will take a while to start the NEXT exam. We need consensus amongst all stakeholders and student perspectives regarding any concerns for this examination should be addressed. Fear among students has to be allayed and their confidence level for this exam has to be created. Awareness has to be made that this examination is not going to be difficult for them but it is going to be a fair assessment for them," he said.

"Till we address all these ground level issues and we make sure that it is acceptable to all stakeholders to take this examination comfortably, to run across the country in uniform way it will take a little while. But we certainly support the NEXT examination as a novel concept and eventually we will like to work for it," he said.

On number of medical colleges in the country having increased significantly since 2014 and there being concerns regarding the quality of doctors passing out from these medical colleges, Dr Sheth said both numbers of medical colleges and quality of medical medical education are equally important.

The increase in number is required to bring sustainable quality in the medical education over the long term and to bring uniformity of delivery in the healthcare across the country, he explained.

"At the same time while increasing the number of colleges, we will have to ensure the quality of medical education doesn't get diluted," he said.

Dr Sheth said that NMC has initiated strengthening the process of accreditation to ensure that the bare minimum standards in faculty requirements, infrastructure requirements and in clinical material requirements are met up with, and that will certainly be helpful to escalate the quality.

"Also, we have initiated a process of phydigital model where we are encouraging our institution to adopt a new solution beyond physical education that includes skill and virtual education to address competency based training and digital and e-learning solutions to bring uniformity in medical training across the board," he said.

"At NMC, we strongly believe in innovation, integration and implementation. We are promoting innovative medical practices amongst our stakeholders, and NMC will be very happy to support the new innovative models to adapt into the medical education system," Dr Sheth stated.

Simultaneously, when it comes to integration, Dr Sheth said a lot of clinical material is there with private hospital setups as well as the government hospitals which are not utilised in the NNC program.

"We want to tap this opportunity to integrate these institutions for the medical education purpose, to ensure that we can get better clinical resources for the aspiring medical students. And hence, the integration is very important, and this is the concept which my team would like to take forward, and we are going to stay very strong at the implementation of whatever the reforms are there," he stated.

Registration for AIQ medical intake extended

Registration for AIQ medical intake extended 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK. AHAMEDABAD EDITION

27.07.2025

Ahmedabad : The medical counselling committee (MCC) extended the registration deadline for the first round of admissions under the All-India quota (AIQ) for medical courses. 

Candidates can now register and make payments for the first round of counselling until July 31. As per the revised schedule, the registration process will close at 12pm on July 31, and the payment window will remain open until 3pm on the same day. The choice-filling process must also be completed by 11.55pm on July 31, with the choice-locking window open from 4pm to 11.55pm. The decision to extend the timeline comes in response to requests from students who sought more time to complete the first round of AIQ counselling. 

The MCC issued an official notification outlining the updated schedule. The reset option for registration will be available until 10am on July 31. Following the choicefilling phase, seat processing will be conducted on Aug 1 and 2. The result for the first round of AIQ seat allotment will be declared on Aug 3 and 4, and students will be required to report to the allotted colleges between Aug 4 and Aug 8. 

This extension provides additional time for candidates to participate in the AIQ counselling process, ensuring broader participation and reducing lastminute rush.

MBBS/BDS admission cut-offs may drop by up to 125 marks

MBBS/BDS admission cut-offs may drop by up to 125 marks 

No. of NEET Top Scorers Dips Due To ‘Tough Exam’

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com  26.07.2025

The cut-offs for MBBS/BDS admissions to govt colleges in Tamil Nadu are likely to decrease by up to 125 marks for the open category and between 110 and 115 marks for some reserved categories this year. This is because the number of top scorers in NEET 2025 is lower than that of the previous year. This may not mean that admissions will get easier now, as the selection committee will allot seats based on the order of merit in the eligibility test and 69% rule of reservation. 

The MBBS/BDS rank list for 2025 admissions, released on Friday by health minister Ma Subramanian, had Soorya Narayanan S from Tirunelveli with 665/720 marks in NEET 2025 as its topper. There were 90 students with a score above 700 in 2024, 29 students in 2023, and five in 2022. This year, the “tough question paper” ensured there were just four students with scores above 650 compared to 1,446 in 2024. 

Student counsellor Manicakavel Arumugam said, “Unlike last year, crowding isn’t at the top, but in the middle.” Analysis shows more than 3,800 students are bunched between 500 and 599 marks. What will make admission more competitive is the loss of 50 MBBS seats. While the state did not add any new medical colleges or seats, Subramanian said seats in one of the self-financing medical colleges under TN Dr MGR Medical University, PSP Medical College and Research Institute, which had 150 seats in 2024, will now have only 100. 

Open category seats in govtrun medical colleges, which ended at 1,414th rank in 2023, and a cut-off score of 650, will now have a cut-off of 534-536 marks. The BC cut-off will hover around 504-506, BCM around 500, and MBC will be between 495 and 497. Cutoff for different scheduled categories will be between 350 and 430 marks. The student who was ranked second, Abhineet Nagaraj from Salem, had a score of 655 marks, followed by Hruthik Vijaya Raja K S, who got 653 marks. 

The drop in cut-off was visible in 7.5% quota, where seats were reserved for govt school students. Thirumurthy V from Kallakurichi Govt Model School, the topper, had NEET score of 572, followed by Krishnagiri Govt Model School’s Sathish Kumar M (563) and Madhumitha M (551) of Kallakurichi Govt Model School. Experts say it is difficult to predict the cut-offs for dental seats, as it is not the natural choice for students who don’t get into MBBS. “Many wait to appear for the next year’s eligibility test instead of taking dental seats this year,” said Saranyan K, who offers NEET coaching at a private institute.

 This year, 30% of applicants under govt quota, 21% under the 7.5% quota for govt students, and 35% under the management quota are first-time applicants. Officials say the number of students who make it to any medical college in the first attempt dwindles further. Online and offline counselling will begin on July 30 for govt and management quota seats and for those in special category, the minister said.

THOSE WHO FORGED DOCUMENTS DEBARRED At least 25 candidates who forged their nativity, community, and NRI certificates in their MBBS/BDS applications were debarred for three academic years, and their candidature for 2025 admissions cancelled, minister Ma Subramanian said on Friday. 

The committee will also initiate legal action against them, it said. Selection committee scrutinised more than 70,000 applications. “We are still in process of verification. If more candidates are found to have submitted such documents at any stage of the counselling or admission process, the same action will be taken,” he said. Documents forged included letters from consulates, relationship certificates, and nativity and community certificates.

MBBS tuition fees at deemed univs raised by 200% since 2015

MBBS tuition fees at deemed univs raised by 200% since 2015 

Avg Annual Fee Of ₹30L May Turn Many Away 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 18.07.2025

Chennai : Deemed universities in the state have increased the course fee for MBBS courses to ₹1.5 crore, with an annual fee of up to ₹30.50 lakh. The yearly hike could turn many aspirants away from pursuing such fields altogether, experts say. 

Since 2015, tuition fees at deemed universities increased by up to 200% from an average annual fee of ₹10 lakh. “While self-financing colleges are forced to follow the fee fixed by fee committee, there are no regulations for deemed universities. After a series of court judgments, it was hoped that the govt would come up with some regulation to cap the fee for all deemed universities. But to no avail,” said Student Counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. 

In 2019, the University Grants Commission (UGC) proposed that a fee committee would fix the fee for all deemed universities. It would also impose a fine of ₹10 lakh along with a refund of the excess fee and penal action if colleges did not comply with the proposals. Parents say in addition to tuition fees, they are asked to pay fees for lab, library, hostel, mess, and other services that can cost an additional ₹2.5 lakh. 

“Students and parents should not just go by the announcement on the webpage. They should read the college prospectus carefully,” said NEET Coach Sathish Kumar R. Most parents are opting for a mix of personal and educational loans, besides drawing money from savings and selling properties. “Fresh graduates are not paid more than ₹40,000 in most hospitals. So, they continue to depend on parents to repay EMI. Students don’t opt for PG unless they ace a govt college,” he added. 

Doctors' bodies, including the state wing of the Indian medical association and the TN govt doctors’ association, say it is because most fields of medicine have many practitioners. To prevent oversupply, it recommended shrinking the incoming freshman medical classes, a ban on adding medical schools, and restrictions on the admission of foreign-trained physicians. 

“TN has more than 1.8 lakh doctors registered in the medical council and among them, at least 1.5 lakh are practising. The recommended ratio of doctors is 1:1000. We have 1 per 600,” said Former State Medical Council President Dr K Senthil, also President of the TN Government Doctors’ Association. With a fertility rate of 1.4, there is a population decline. “In ten years, TN will have 1 doctor for every 350 people because every year 10,000 MBBS graduates and 1,500 foreign medical graduates apply for a medical licence,” he said. 

The southern states must use this as an opportunity to increase PG and super specialty seats, he said. While doctors have opportunities to practice in other states, most doctors say these regions don’t have good schooling and healthcare facilities for their families.

MBBS, BDS merit list to be released on July 25; counselling to begin on July 30

MBBS, BDS merit list to be released on July 25; counselling to begin on July 30

THE HINDU BUREAU CHENNAI. 17.07.2025

The merit list for admission to MBBS and BDS courses will be released on July 25, and the counselling will begin on July 30, as per the schedule of the Medical Counselling Committee - Directorate General of Health Services.

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Wednesday said a total of 72,743 applications were received for MBBS and BDS courses from June 6 to 29, and the process of scrutinising the certificates was under way.

“Some of the applicants had not attached certificates along with the applications. Some had failed to attach certificates such as community certificates, birth certificates, and mark sheets while applying. Such students have been given two days’ time to submit the documents,” he said.

While scrutinising certificates, the Selection Committee had identified 20 applicants who had submitted fake certificates. It said some candidates had submitted fake/forged/false documents, leading to cancellation of their candidature. They will not be allowed to participate in the selection process for 2025-2026 under any category. Further, they will not be allowed for Tamil Nadu UG medical admission for the next three academic years, and necessary legal action is being taken. Four candidates had submitted fake NRI embassy certificates; seven had submitted fake nativity certificates; and nine had submitted fake community and nativity certificates.

Mr. Subramanian said the State government would soon add postgraduate medical seats at 13 institutions, including the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital.

20 debarred for forging certificates in MBBS, BDS applications

20 debarred for forging certificates in MBBS, BDS applications

Pushpa.Narayanan@timesofindia.com. 16.07.2025

Chennai : At least 20candidates who forged their nativity, community, and NRI certificates in their MBBS/BDS applications have been debarred for three academic years, and their candidature for 2025 admissions cancelled, the selection committee announced on Tuesday. The committee will also initiate legal action against the candidates. The committee scrutinised more than 70,000 applications received for undergraduate medical and dental courses over the last two weeks. “We found some candidates submitted fake/forged/false documents. Their candidature is cancelled. If any more candidates are found to have submitted such documents at any stage of counselling or admission process, the same measures will be carried out,” said an official. At least four candidates forged certificates from embassies such as Abu Dhabi, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. While seven applicants submitted fake nativity certificates from the tahsildars, nine others forged both community and nativity certificates, the announcement said. “Last year, we found fake embassy certificates in UG and PG applications. In some cases, students even managed to take the seat. We cancelled their admission, but we are still fighting court battles,” a senior official said. To intensify screening, the selection committee has a four-tier system to verify documents. While the first tier of staff, mostly outsourced, verifies if candidates completed the documents, staff in the second tier red-flag suspicious documents, and officials in the third and final tier decide on action to be taken. Officials are now verifying other documents, including NEET admit cards, relationship certificates, and minority certificates, besides community, nativity, and NRI certificates. “When candidates make a small mistake by mentioning the wrong sex or if they fail to submit some document, we give candidates time for correction. But if the mistake is with mala fide intentions, we cancel candidature,” the official added.

MBBS fee hiked for NRI, management quota in self-financing colleges

MBBS fee hiked for NRI, management quota in self-financing colleges

THE HINDU BUREAU CHENNAI 15.07.2025

15.07.2025

The prescribed fees for MBBS in self-financing medical colleges under management and NRI quotas has been increased, with the Selection Committee putting out the revised fee structure for the academic year 2025-2026 as per the order of the Committee on Fixation of Fee in respect of self-financing professional colleges, on Monday.

As per the order, the fees for government quota in the 21 self-financing medical colleges were ₹4,35,000 to ₹4,50,000. The management quota fee was fixed at ₹15,00,000, while it was ₹27,00,000 for NRI quota.

In its order, the committee - Justice R. Pongiappan is the chairman and P. Senthil Kumar (Health Secretary) is member secretary - said that the fee included tuition fee, admission fee, special fee, laboratory/computer/internet fee, library fee, sports fee, maintenance and amenities fee, extracurricular activities fee and other recurring expenditure.

Manickavel Arumugam, education counsellor, gave a comparison of the increase in fee structure. “The good thing is that the government quota fee in self-financing medical colleges remains untouched. The fee for management quota and NRI quota has been increased. From ₹13,50,000, the management quota fee has been increased to ₹15,00,000, while for NRI quota, the fee has been increased from ₹24,50,000 to ₹27,00,000,” he said.

“Another positive aspect is that they have completely done away with the NRI lapsed quota category. So, through this, the NRI quota seats that fall vacant will be added to the management quota,” he added.

For State private university medical colleges, the committee noted that four institutions in the category were established recently - between 2022 and 2024 - and the fee was fixed during the same period. So, the committee unanimously decided that except the NRI quota, the fee hike for these institutions pertaining to undergraduate and post graduate medical courses is not necessary at present.

While the fee for government quota in these institutions was ₹5,40,000, it was ₹16,20,000 for management quota and ₹30,00,000 for NRI quota. Mr. Arumugam pointed out that NRI fee has increased from ₹29.4 lakh

The committee stated that these fees do not include hostel, transport and mess charges that are optional for students. The institutions were directed to submit the details of these fees to the Selection Committee well in advance before the commencement of counselling.

It also directed the institutions not to collect or levy any other recurring or non-recurring fee including capitation fee.

In case of any deviation from the order, the committee said it will send a recommendation to the respective authority for withdrawal of approval by the National Medical Commission and disaffiliation by the respective university as well as the imposition of fine.

However, healthcare professionals in the know of the system said there is a greater need to watch out for collection of excess fees. “Tamil Nadu has one of the highest fee structures for MBBS in private universities in the country. Some institutions also charge students for the fifth year (house surgeoncy). Some fee heads such as hostel fee remain murky and should be closely monitored ,” a source said.

MBBS course in TN self-financing colleges to cost ₹1.5 lakh a year more

MBBS course in TN self-financing colleges to cost ₹1.5 lakh a year more 

REVISED FEE STRUCTURE

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com

15.07.2025

Chennai : MBBS fees for 2025 under management quota in self-financing colleges will increase by ₹1.5 lakh to ₹15 lakh a year, and the fee for NRIs will go up by ₹2.5 lakh to ₹27 lakh, according to the revised fee structure released by TN Directorate of Medical Education. 

The fee for students joining under the govt quota will remain unchanged, while those joining state private universities under the NRI quota will pay ₹30 lakh — ₹60,000 more compared to previous years. The proceedings of the committee on the fixation of fees in respect to self-financing professional colleges, chaired by Justice Pongiappan, which sets fees for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses, released on Monday said that the prescribed fee structure will be effective for students admitted for admissions in 2025, 2026 and 2027. 

Tamil Nadu has an annual admission capacity of 11,700 MBBS seats, with 5,050 seats in govt medical colleges. There are 22 self-financing private medical colleges and four private universities. Non-minority institutions in self-financing colleges and state private universities share 65% of seats for admission under the govt quota, and minority institutions share 50% of seats. Admission to all seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities are done by the state selection committee.

NRI kids seats, Sun 5

NRI lapsed seats removed 

The biggest change, however, is the elimination of the ‘NRI lapse’ category. The NRI lapsed seats — a category created to fill in non NRI candidates alongside the management quota in self-financing medical/dental colleges and state private universities — have been removed. The selection committee will transfer NRI seats vacant after three rounds of counselling to the common pool in the management category, allowing Indian students to take these seats at a cost that is at least 30% lower. 

Until 2024, self-financing colleges were allowed to collect ₹24.5 lakh as NRI fees. Colleges set aside 15% of the seats for the NRI category. If these seats were not filled, they were converted into NRI lapse seats, for which ₹21.50 lakh was collected as annual tuition fee. Meanwhile, the committee has permitted institutions to collect an additional ₹60,000 as development fee and has directed managements to cover all the students under a students’ group insurance scheme. 

“The above fee does not include hostel, transport and mess charges, which are optional for students. Institutions are directed to submit the details of the above fee to the selection committee well in advance before counselling,” the committee said.The panel directs that the institution shall not collect or levy any other recurring or non-recurring fee, including capitation, it said.

Senior citizens too enter the fray for MBBS seats

Senior citizens too enter the fray for MBBS seats

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com

13.07.2025

Chennai : At least three senior citizens, aged 60, 67 and 68, including two lawyers, who cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2025, have applied for MBBS admissions in Tamil Nadu. State selection committee officials said there are at least 25 people, including professionals such as dentists, nurses, homoeopaths, siddha practitioners, lab technicians, and lawyers, above the age of 35 years competing for the undergraduate medical and dental courses. 

The National Medical Commission, the apex body regulating medical education in India, has said there is no bar on age or the number of attempts to appear for the qualifying examination. Merit in NEET is the sole criterion for admissions to medical or dental colleges across India. “This year, we see many graduates and professionals aspiring for a medical or dental seat. It’s the highest number of middle-age and older applicants we have seen since 2017,” said a senior official. 

They may not have adequate score to compete against younger candidates, but some have secured marks that could secure them a seat under the 69% reservation category and permit them to study medicine at a subsidised cost at a govt college or free of cost at a private college. All three senior citizens applied for admission under a special quota, where 7.5% of seats are reserved for students from govt schools. 

Under this scheme, students pursue medicine in govt or private colleges free of cost. The govt pays the fees and takes care of the boarding charges. While the govt has not given a ceiling on age or attempts, officials are seeing technical hitches as not all documents match the requirements. “Most of them have documents that may be equal but don’t match requirements mentioned in the prospectus,” an official said. 

“Some people have given pre-university course scores instead of a Class XII mark sheet. In some cases, a Class XII subject is mentioned as natural sciences; instead of biology, botany or zoology. We don’t know if we must allow them to appear for counselling, reject their applications or give them time to get equivalence certificates,” he added. 

Furthermore, the core debate among officials is whether this special quota should extend to all graduates, regardless of age. While officials are discussing this with health secretary P Senthilkumar and consulting legal departments, educationalists and counsellors are raising alarms. “This quota was introduced only because there was no level playing field in NEET. Unlike other students, govt school students cannot afford coaching in private tutorials,” said Dr Karthikeyan R, who runs Aatrupadai Foundation, an NGO that offers free NEET coaching. “Asking them to compete with professionals, who have access to private training institutes, is unfair,” he said. 

Student counsellors such as Manickavel Arumugam argue that the state cannot give fee subsidies either. “Will a senior citizen be able to complete the strenuous course? Will they be able to work 24-hour shifts during house surgery? ” he said. “If people quit the course in between, they must be asked to pay a fine of ₹10 lakh and the entire non-subsidised course fee,” he added.

Engg counselling: 17 colleges less, but 10K more govt quota seats

Engg counselling: 17 colleges less, but 10K more govt quota seats 

FROM TODAY

Ragu.Raman@timesofindia.com 

Chennai : The six-week-long engineering counselling for BE, BTech admissions will begin with the special category counselling on Monday. This year, 1,90,166 seats are available in 417 engineering colleges for govt quota. While the number of colleges has decreased from 434 to 417, the number of seats available for govt quota increased by 10,216 as many colleges have increased their intake in computer-related branches compared to last year. Private colleges have to surrender 65% of total seats to govt quota and the admissions to those seats will be conducted through counselling. This year, 2,41,641 students, including 1,09,055 girls, will take part in the counselling, which is 20% more compared to last year. Going by the trend in management quota admissions, colleges expect more admissions in electronics and communication engineering (ECE), electrical and electronics engineering (EEE), and mechanical engineering courses. However, computer science engineering (CSE) and IT are likely to be the top preferred courses this year as well. “In general, students are interested in CSE, ECE, and AI and data science courses. We may see a shift in preference towards core engineering courses such as mechanical engineering and EEE,” said career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi. “After CSE, ECE is the most preferred course this year as students think it gives wider career options,” career consultant Ashwin R said. ECE students have multiple career paths such as IT companies, automobile companies, and govt jobs. In the engineering rank list, 144 students scored 200 out of 200 marks. As many as 13,958 students scored above 190 marks, which is a significant jump from 8,830 students last year. Due to this, experts predict an increase of four marks in cut-off. They advised students to give wider choices, including more courses and colleges, for a better chance of seat allotment in the online counselling. As many as 473 disabled students featured in the rank list. This year, 47,372 students from govt schools are eligible for 7.5% special reservation. The general counselling will be held from July 14 to Aug 19.

UG admissions in MBBS, BDS, Ayush courses begin in Gujarat

UG admissions in MBBS, BDS, Ayush courses begin in Gujarat 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 05.07.2025

Ahmedabad : The state govt commenced the undergraduate admission process for medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), ayurvedic (BAMS), and homeopathy (BHMS) courses for 2025-26. The admissions will be carried out for both state quota seats and the 15% All-India quota (AIQ) in self-financed Ayush institutions. As per the official schedule, the online PIN purchase and registration will be open from July 5 to July 18, while the document upload window will also remain active during the same period. Document verification at designated help centres will be conducted from July 7 to July 19. To complete the registration process, candidates must pay a total of Rs 11,000, comprising Rs 1,000 as a nonrefundable fee and Rs 10,000 as a refundable security deposit, through the official website www.medadmgujarat.org. After successful registration, students must book an online appointment for document verification and submit self-attested documents at one of the 29 help centres across Gujarat, which will operate from 10am to 4pm on working days.

Notification No.006/SCS1(1)/2025 Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education & Research Kilpauk, Chennai-10

Notification No.006/SCS1(1)/2025 Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education & Research Kilpauk, Chennai-10 

Dated:13.06.2025. 

CERTAIN CLARIFICATION / ERRATA ISSUED TO THE GOVERNMENT QUOTA PROSPECTUS – UG MEDICAL AND DENTAL ADMISSION. 

Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee issues the following Clarification / Errata to the Prospectus for admission To MBBS / BDS Degree Courses In Tamil Nadu Government Medical / Dental Colleges, Government Quota Seats In Self-Financing Medical / Dental Colleges, ESIC Medical College, K.K. Nagar, Chennai affiliated To The Tamil Nadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University & State Private Universities 2025- 2026 Session released on 06.06.2025:-

 1. CONVERSION OF SEATS : In page no 19, Under General Instructions, clause ‘(l)’ to be read as: “If seats are vacant in any special category after the exhaustion of merit list in Round-2 or later (from that specific special category), those seats will be converted to general category subsequently.” 

2. GENERAL CLARIFICATIONS a) OCI ELIGIBILITY: It is clarified that the candidates under OCI Quota who have got OCI card on or before 04.03.2021 can apply under Government Quota, Management Quota as well as NRI Quota. 

OCI candidates who have got their OCI card after 04.03.2021 can only apply under NRI Quota.

b) INTER-SE MERIT: The inter-se merit of candidates (If they have got the same marks) for all the category will be decided based on NEET rank given by NTA. 

SELECTION COMMITTEE