Over 800 MBBS Seats Vacant Amid High Fees

Mumbai, October 23: The NEET UG 2026 counseling has recently concluded, revealing a concerning trend in medical admissions. According to data from the Medical Counseling Committee (MCC), over 800 MBBS seats remain unfilled across deemed universities in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karnataka, despite a significant number of candidates qualifying for the exam.

Experts indicate that 98% of these vacant seats are concentrated in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. This year, more than 1.1 million candidates qualified for NEET UG, yet many seats remain empty.

One of the primary reasons for this situation is the exorbitant fees charged by private medical colleges, which can reach up to ₹25 lakh annually. Academic expert Kunal Singh noted that even top scorers in NEET may not pursue MBBS due to the limited availability of government seats and the financial burden of private institutions.

Furthermore, the Secretary of the State Platform for Common School System in Tamil Nadu highlighted that students with lower scores often secure seats, questioning the merit-based allocation of seats through NEET. He suggested that if colleges cannot reduce fees, they should be shut down, advocating for the establishment of new government medical colleges.

The annual tuition fees for deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry range from ₹21 lakh to ₹35 lakh, with additional living expenses of ₹1.2 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh. Other private medical colleges in India also charge around ₹17-18 lakh per year.

In light of the significant number of vacant seats, the MCC has released results for the final round of counseling. However, an official decision regarding a special counseling round to address these vacancies has yet to be announced.