IIT Kharagpur has expanded its curriculum beyond engineering and is all set to host its first batch of medical professionals. The institute is the first IIT in India to offer National Medical Commission (NMC) recognized post graduate clinical medical courses. This marks the introduction of NMC-recognized clinical MD programs at an IIT, rather than the institute's first postgraduate medical-related program. There will be a total of 6 MD courses, with a total of 12 seats, offered for the 2026-27 academic year.
Candidates will be required to apply using the NEET-PG 2026 counselling service provided by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). For the IIT Kharagpur MD courses, the seats will become available in Round 2 of counselling. The MCC provides information on how many seats are available as vacant, virtual and new seats.
Total seats available per specialization are as follows:
| MD Specialisation | Number of Seats |
|---|---|
| General Medicine | 2 |
| Radiology | 2 |
| Physiology | 2 |
| Pathology | 2 |
| Community Medicine | 2 |
| Biochemistry | 2 |
| Total number of seats | 12 |
According to the MCC's revised Round 2 newly added seats matrix dated November 12, 2026, all 12 seats are listed under the All India quota. The matrix also specifies category-wise allocations for each specialisation. Candidates should refer to the latest MCC seat matrix for applicable category requirements and seat availability before filling in their choices.
MCC will release separate lists covering clear vacancies, virtual vacancies and newly added seats on its dedicated portal. On 7 November, MCC revised the Round 2 NEET-PG 2026 counselling schedule. This was following the addition of postgraduate medical seats. The revised dates are as follows:
Registration: 7 November, 2026 to 14 November, 2026, till 3 PM
Choice Filling: 10 November, 2026 to 15 November, 2026, till 11:55 PM
Choice Locking: 14 November, 2026 (4 pm) to 15 November, 2026 (11:55pm)
Provisional Allotment Results: 16 November, 2026
Final Allotment Results: 17 November, 2026
Reporting: 18 November, 2026 to 24 November, 2026
Candidates willing to apply to IIT Kharagpur should ensure including the mentioned course and specializations in their choice list.
According to The Telegraph, IIT Kharagpur Director Prof. Suman Chakraborty said the institute hopes to begin classes for the inaugural MD batch in early January 2027. This is the institute's expected commencement timeline, not a separately confirmed academic calendar.
Candidates that have a valid NEET-PG 2026 qualification and meet the following criteria, will be eligible for the courses:
Must have an MBBS degree/provisional pass certificate.
Must be permanently/provisionally registered with the National Medical Commission (NMC), formerly known as Medical Council of India or State Medical Council.
Must have completed the Mandatory 1-Year Rotating Internship by 30th September 2026 (NEET-PG 2026 cut off date).
Candidates must complete the counselling process with the MCC, producing the relevant documents. International medical graduates may have additional requirements.
The latest seat matrix, counselling notifications and updates can be found on the MCC PG Medical Counselling website.
This is not the first time IIT Kharagpur has entered the medical scene. In 2001, the institute launched the School of Medical Science and Technology (SMST) and has since developed courses that bring medical knowledge and technology together.
The school offers the three-year Master of Medical Science and Technology (MMST) program for MBBS graduates, alongside other interdisciplinary programs in medical science and technology, including M.Tech in Biomedical Engineering. IIT Kharagpur previously offered an M.Tech in Medical Imaging and Informatics from 2007 to 2016, before introducing the M.Tech in Biomedical Engineering in 2017.
However, the new MD courses will be different, as they are recognized by the NMC as postgraduate clinical qualifications.
Also Read: Nearly 2,000 MBBS Seats Remain Vacant in India as High Private College Fees Deter NEET Aspirants
The new courses will utilize the medical facilities available at IIT Kharagpur.
The academic program will be based at the Dr. B.C. Roy Medical College on the IIT Kharagpur campus. The institute's clinical training infrastructure includes the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Super Speciality Hospital, developed by IIT Kharagpur at Balarampur, on the outskirts of the campus.
The institute has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Eastern Railway Hospital, Kharagpur. According to Director Prof. Suman Chakraborty, the hospital's infrastructure will also be used for student training, alongside the institute's super speciality hospital.
The curriculum focuses on various projects combining engineering and medicine. This includes clinical decision-making using artificial intelligence, advanced medical imaging, computational pathology, biomedical devices, molecular diagnostics and precision medicine.
According to the reports, IIT Kharagpur’s Director, Professor Suman Chakraborty, said, "The vision is to create an ecosystem where clinical experts can collaborate with engineering, AI and translational research to train medical graduates who can be part of the innovation in healthcare and solve critical healthcare challenges."
IIT Kharagpur is not the only IIT to look into the relationship between medicine and technology. Many other IITs have launched courses or research opportunities in the field:
IIT Madras offers a BS in Medical Sciences and Engineering.
IIT Delhi supports postgraduate research in biomedical engineering with their Centre for Biomedical Engineering.
IIT Jodhpur offers courses in medical technologies. These include projects with AIIMS Jodhpur.
IIT Guwahati offers a BS in Biomedical Science and Engineering.
IIT Kanpur is developing their Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology and will be expanding their medical education and research.
Most of these projects are focused around biomedical sciences.
However, the new courses offered by IIT Kharagpur are unique as they offer NMC-recognised clinical MD qualifications.
Rh/MF/MSM