NEET toppers skew the curve in 2026, MBBS cut-off may go up by 40 marks Admissions Won’t Get Tougher, Say Experts

NEET toppers skew the curve in 2026, MBBS cut-off may go up by 40 marks Admissions Won’t Get Tougher, Say Experts

 

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 11.08.2026

Chennai: The cut-offs for MBBS/BDS admissions to govt colleges in Tamil Nadu are likely to increase by up to 40 marks for the open category and between 21 and 41 marks for some reserved categories this year. This is because the number of top scorers in NEET 2026 is higher than that of the previous year. This may not mean that admissions will get tougher now, experts say, as the selection committee will allot seats based on the order of merit in the eligibility test and 69% rule of reservation. 

Counselling for MBBS and BDS will begin on Aug 13. Offline counselling will be held for candidates under special category on the same day. The MBBS/BDS rank list for 2026 admissions was released on Monday by health minister K G Arunraj. There were 90 students with a score above 700 in 2024, 29 students in 2023, and five in 2022. The number of students above 500 marks in 2026 was more than 6,000 compared to less than 4,000 in 2025. Between 350 and 499, there were 15,800 students, fewer than 17,431 recorded in 2025. This year, TN has 9,999 MBBS seats. After surrendering seats to the Centre under all India quota, the seat matrix will open with 7,157 seats—4,473 state-quota seats in govt colleges and 2,684 govt quota seats in self-financing colleges. 

For the first time in five years, the state has 50 MBBS seats each in three existing medical colleges. At least 700 MBBS seats have been added to private colleges, taking the additional seat tally to 850. But this will not reflect in the seat matrix. Four institutions with 800 MBBS seats were removed from the state list and added to the Centre’s list as they were granted deemed university status. While the health minister said the new seats will ease competition, counsellors say the loss of seats will also mean higher fee, no quota for meritorious students, no reservation under 60% or for govt school students. 

This year too, the middle is crowded,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. Analysis shows more than 3,800 students are bunched between 500 and 599 marks. Open category seats in govt run medical colleges, which ended at 1,508 rank in 2025, and a cut-off score of 533, will now have a cut-off hovering above 570. The BC cut-off will hover around 535, compared to 506 last year, while BCM and MBC will be around 523 and 525 respectively. In the SC/SCA and ST, cut off will be around 465, 435 and 430. Scores of students in the 7.5% quota, where seats were reserved for govt school students, have improved in 2026. Top six students under this category had scores hovering between 585 and 599, compared to last year’s topper who had a score of 572 out of 720. 

For BDS, there are 1,383 seats: 213 in govt colleges and 1,170 govt quota seats in selffinancing colleges. “Seats have come down as one college has been derecognised and one has been sent to the central pool after it was granted deemed university status,” Arunraj said. Experts say it is difficult to predict the cut-offs for dental seats, as BDS is no longer the natural choice for students who don’t get into MBBS—many wait to retake NEET.

Can’t alter patta sans valid title, officials duty bound to rectify anomalies, says Madras HC

 Can’t alter patta sans valid title, officials duty bound to rectify anomalies, says Madras HC

10.08.2026

The petitioner contended that his father inherited 1.83 acres of land in Kannamangalam village by a partition deed in 1971. Since then, the property has been in the possession and enjoyment of his father.

Madras High Court (Photo | Express)

Express News Service

Updated on:

07 Aug 2026, 8:52 am

CHENNAI: When a patta is altered or mutated based on an error, misrepresentation, or without a valid source of title, the revenue official is duty bound, under the Tamil Nadu Patta Pass Book Act, to rectify the anomaly and restore the entries to their original undisputed position, said the Madras High Court.

The observation was made by Justice Krishnan Ramasamy while issuing orders on a petition filed by S Vasudevan of Vellore to remove the names of three of his relatives from the patta for his inherited land since such names were entered without valid title rights.

The petitioner contended that his father inherited 1.83 acres of land in Kannamangalam village by a partition deed in 1971. Since then, the property has been in the possession and enjoyment of his father. The property was settled to him and his siblings, and he later settled his share to his children by a deed in 2012.

When he came to know that his relatives K Gunasekaran, K Rajan and K Kannan, of Kannamangalam village in Arni taluk, obtained patta without a valid title over the property in 2018, he approached the Arni tahsildar for removing their names from the patta. The tahsildar disposed of his representation by asking him to approach the civil court. Aggrieved over this, he approached the high court.

Referring to the claim of these three people that they inherited the land in question through an oral partition deed, the judge said the parties claiming a right outside the registered deed must approach the civil court to prove their title.

He ordered cancellation of the patta issued to the three and to restore the original patta in the name of the petitioner. However, the aggrieved are free to seek remedy before the civil court, the order added.

NEWS TODAY 10.08.2026

Dr. NTRUHS Vice-Chancellor calls for uniform implementation of revised Physiotherapy curriculum

Dr. NTRUHS Vice-Chancellor calls for uniform implementation of revised Physiotherapy curriculum

Inaugurating an orientation programme, Dr. Chandrasekhar emphasises the need to enhance the quality of Physiotherapy education and align academic standards with the national guidelines prescribed by the NCAHP

Updated - August 08, 2026 10:07 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA

The Hindu Bureau

Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (Dr. NTRUHS) Vice-Chancellor P. Chandrasekhar and Registrar T. Sai Sudheer inaugurated an orientation programme on the revised Bachelor of Physiotherapy curriculum, as notified by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), New Delhi, in Vijayawada on Tuesday.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Chandrasekhar emphasised the need for uniform implementation of the revised curriculum to enhance the quality of Physiotherapy education and align academic standards with the national guidelines prescribed by the NCAHP. He also highlighted the university efforts to introduce the Bachelor of Physiotherapy course in well-established government medical colleges in the State, adding that proposals have already been submitted to the State government for consideration.

Dr. Sai Sudheer urged the affiliated colleges to effectively implement the revised curriculum and work in close coordination with the university to ensure high academic standards and better learning outcomes for students.

The revised curriculum was discussed in detail during the programme, with participants sharing their suggestions for its effective implementation.

Additional Director of Medical Education (Academic) V. Radhika Reddy, Controller of Examinations, Dr. NTRUHS, Ch. Sreekanth, and principals of 69 affiliated Physiotherapy colleges attended the programme.

Former TN law minister S Regupathy cheated system to favour his med college: Arunraj

Former TN law minister S Regupathy cheated system to favour his med college: Arunraj 

Arunraj’s statement comes against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu standing to lose more than 450 MBBS seats reserved under govt quota and more than 30 seats reserved for govt school students this year.

Pushpa Narayan  TNN

Jul 9, 2026, 23:00 IST

Tamil Nadu health minister K G Arunraj 

CHENNAI: Health minister K G Arunraj has accused former law minister S Regupathy of engineering a method to evade regulatory checks and get deemed university status for some medical colleges including the one he founded — Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College Regupathy denied the allegation. 

Arunraj’s statement comes against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu standing to lose more than 450 MBBS seats reserved under govt quota and more than 30 seats reserved for govt school students this year. At least three other institutions — including one owned by a sitting DMK MLA — have since copied the playbook, “gutting the seat-sharing and social justice principles DMK claims to champion”, Arunraj said. 

 In June 2023, the management of Karpaga Vinayaga, then affiliated to Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University for medical courses and Anna University for engineering, applied for a no-objection certificate (NOC), a mandatory step before seeking deemed university status. Neither university responded within the required 60 days. “UGC provisions allow such delays to be treated as deemed approval. But under political pressure, the medical university issued the NOC after the deadline — then withdrew it weeks later, for reasons that remain unclear,” Arunraj said in an exclusive interview to TOI. 

The Karpaga Vinayaga Educational Trust then filed an online application with the UGC, seeking deemed-to-be-university status under a “distinct category” for a consortium — Karpaga Vinayaga Educational Lore for Learning — spanning five institutions: engineering, dental, medical, nursing and pharmacy colleges. The ministry of education, acting on UGC’s advice, rejected the application because Anna University and the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University had withdrawn their NOCs. 

“This is where the game began,” Arunraj said. “Instead of challenging his own govt’s NOC rejection, he ensured the trust moved court against the ministry of education.” On Apr 22, 2025, the Madras high court set aside the ministry’s rejection, ruling that the NOC withdrawal was “legally ineffective and invalid.” It directed UGC to issue fresh recommendations without reference to the withdrawal and ordered the ministry to decide on merits within four weeks of receiving them. 

“After this win, he ensured the higher education department didn’t appeal the order,” Arunraj said. UGC then recommended deemed university status under the distinct category. “Distinct category institutions are meant to offer programs that conventional institutions don’t. UGC must explain how this qualified,” Arunraj said. 

On Nov 6, 2025, the ministry issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to the trust, setting conditions to be met within three years. Less than a month later, on Dec 1, 2025, the trust submitted its compliance report. The ministry forwarded it to UGC, which informed the ministry on Mar 2, 2026, that its Standing Committee had accepted the report and recommended final approval. 

On May 20, joint secretary Purnendu Kishore Banerjee, invoking Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, signed orders approving the trust’s deemed-to-be-university status under the distinct category — subject to conditions on fund diversion, non-commercial operation, and alignment with the National Education Policy 2020. “While the state is weighing legal options, the damage is done,” Arunraj said. 

He accused Regupathy of violating state rights and principles of social justice, adding that at least three other colleges — including one owned by DMK MLA S Kathiravan — have since followed the same playbook. Regupathy rejected the allegations, saying the trust applied for deemed university status only after receiving the NOC. “They gave us the NOC after the 60-day deadline. It was only after we applied that the NOC was withdrawn,” he said. The management moved the court against centre’s decision to deny deemed university status to the college, he said. He also denied blocking the state from appealing the high court order. 

“Files from medical admissions or university never reached me. The decision to appeal rests with the public prosecutor, and permission is sanctioned by the law secretary. I had no role in it,” he said. 

On Thursday, the university said it had failed to respond within 60 days to NOC applications from St Peter’s Medical College, Tagore Medical College, Madha Medical College and Velammal Medical College, along with several dental and allied health sciences institutions. It has since issued an order explaining why it will withhold NOC approval, laying out the facts, reasoning and legal basis for the decision.

MGR Medical University told to disclose AIC members, faculty details of affiliated colleges

MGR Medical University told to disclose AIC members, faculty details of affiliated colleges

Sakshi G... Read more at: https://news.careers360.com/tamil-nadu-information-commission-orders-mgr-medical-university-to-publish-aic-members-faculty-details-of-affiliated-colleges

MGR Medical University told to disclose AIC members, faculty details of affiliated colleges Sakshi Gupta | August 8, 2026 | 04:07 PM IST | 2 mins read

The university must provide details sought under RTI by August 20 after Arappor Iyakkam sought information on AIC members and faculty at affiliated colleges

TN Information commission orders MGR medical university to publish AIC, faculty details (Image Credit: Official Website/tnmgrmu.ac.in) The Tamil Nadu Information Commission has instructed the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University to publish complete details of professors working in private medical colleges affiliated with the university, as well as the members of the Affiliation Inspection Committee (AIC), on its website.

The commission has also directed the university to furnish the information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act within four weeks of the order, by August 20, 2026. It warned that failure to comply with the order could invite action under the RTI Act.

The order follows an RTI application by Arappor Iyakkam seeking information about AIC members who conducted inspection of affiliated medical colleges during the academic years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25. The application also sought information about faculty members working in affiliated colleges during the corresponding academic years. The university's records also refer to requests concerning affiliation committee members and faculty members for these periods.

RTI appeal seeks inspection committee details The AIC of the university conducts inspection visits to private medical colleges before affiliation is granted to assess the infrastructure, medical facilities, faculty, and compliance with the requirements of medical education.

The RTI application sought information about the members of the inspection committee, their qualifications and faculty members of affiliated medical colleges. The university's response and subsequent proceedings formed part of the RTI case before the Tamil Nadu Information Commission. The university's Public Information Officer and Registrar were also involved in the proceedings. The records show that the matter proceeded through the RTI appeal process.

After hearing the matter, the Commission instructed the university to furnish the information requested and take steps to make information about the AIC members and faculty members available on its website for public access.

Commission stresses transparency in affiliations RTI filler said greater transparency is needed in the affiliation inspection process. It said information about who inspected a particular college, the qualifications of the inspection committee members and the professors working in affiliated medical colleges should be available for public scrutiny.

The transparency in medical colleges affiliation inspections is particularly important amid investigations into allegations of irregularities in faculty appointments and inspections.

The order also records the progression of the RTI proceedings, including the stages of appeal and directions for compliance. The records show references to proceedings under section 19(1) and 19(3) of the RTI Act.

Arappor Iyakkam seeks prompt RTI action RTI filler called on the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University to immediately implement the Information Commission's order and publish college-wise details of the AIC members and professors working in affiliated private medical colleges on its website.

The organisation also called for appropriate action under the RTI Act if the university fails to comply with the commission's directions. The order and related proceedings also refer to provisions of the RTI Act, including sections 19 and 20.

NEWS TODAY 09.08.2026