The National Medical Commission (NMC) approved a record 20,098 new undergraduate (MBBS) and postgraduate (PG) medical seats for the current academic year. This includes 777 PG seats approved after initial rejection.
Record Seat Increase
The newly added seats represent a 10% increase over the 2024-25 intake. This accelerates the growth of medical training capacity nationwide. Union Health Minister Anupriya Patel announced these figures in Parliament.
MBBS and PG Course Expansion
PG medical courses saw a significant rise with 8,416 new seats approved for 2025-26. This marks an 11.33% growth over the previous year. Previously, new PG seat additions never exceeded 5,000 annually.
States with the highest number of new PG seats include Karnataka (1,328), Uttar Pradesh (1,034), and Tamil Nadu (905).
The MBBS intake also saw its largest absolute increase, with 11,682 new seats . This brings the total UG seat count to 1,29,872.
New Medical Seats Over Five Years
| Academic Year | New UG Seats | New PG Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 8,790 | 4,705 |
| 2022-23 | 7,398 | 2,874 |
| 2023-24 | 9,652 | 4,713 |
| 2024-25 | 8,641 | 4,186 |
| 2025-26 | 11,682 | 8,416 |
This expansion aligns with a government goal to add 75,000 new medical seats over five years, starting in 2024. The NMC also aims for equal UG and PG seat availability.
Addressing Seat Vacancies
The increase in medical education capacity occurs despite existing vacancies. However, the number of vacant seats has decreased.
Vacant Medical College Seats Over Four Years
| Academic Year | Vacant UG Seats | Vacant PG Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 141 | 3744 |
| 2022-23 | 2027 | 4400 |
| 2023-24 | 490 | 3028 |
| 2024-25 | 380 | 2849 |
Post-Rejection Seat Approvals
A significant number of PG seats were approved after initial rejections by the NMC’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB). MARB issued 162 disapproval letters due to incomplete documentation, inadequate infrastructure, or insufficient faculty.
Following these rejections, 215 medical colleges appealed. The NMC’s Appellate Committee reviewed 213 appeals. 125 colleges successfully appealed , resulting in the approval of 777 additional PG seats. Appeals from 76 colleges were rejected, and 12 were sent back to MARB.