New Delhi, January 15, 2026 — The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have revised the qualifying criteria for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2025, following two rounds of counselling that left a significant number of MD/MS and postgraduate medical seats unfilled.
The revision aims to open eligibility to a broader group of MBBS-qualified doctors for the third round of counselling scheduled for the 2025–26 academic session. The decision was taken after over 18,000 postgraduate medical seats remained vacant across government and private medical colleges in India.
According to official counselling data, a large share of these vacancies were reported from private medical colleges and non-clinical specialties such as anatomy, pharmacology, and microbiology.
Under the revised criteria, the qualifying percentiles and corresponding scores are now set significantly lower than earlier thresholds. For candidates in the general and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) categories, the qualifying percentile has been reduced from the 50th to the 7th percentile, which corresponds to a cut-off score of approximately 103 out of 800 marks. Candidates in the general category with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) now qualify at the 5th percentile (approximately 90 marks). Candidates in the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories have had their qualifying percentile reduced to zero, meaning even candidates with a score as low as minus 40 marks due to negative marking can participate in counselling. This change marks the first time that the qualifying percentile has been reduced to zero for reserved categories in NEET-PG counselling.
The Centre has also fixed a uniform qualifying score of 40 out of 800 for certain categories to widen the eligibility pool and ensure maximum seat utilisation.
The NEET-PG examination is a mandatory national entrance test for admission to postgraduate medical courses including MD, MS, and DNB programmes. Scores and rank lists for NEET-PG 2025 were declared earlier in August 2025 and remain unchanged. The cut-off revision affects eligibility for counselling only. The merit list and candidate ranks will not be altered under the revised policy.
Officials within the Health Ministry and NBEMS stated that the move seeks to fill vacant training positions and ensure optimal utilisation of available postgraduate medical seats. They clarified that admission will continue to be based on centralised counselling conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). Allotment of seats will be determined by rank, choice preference, and merit order, without any discretionary admissions outside the authorised process.No separate relaxation has been announced for individual colleges.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had formally requested a revision of the qualifying cut-off criteria in early January, citing the urgent need to prevent seat wastage and bolster India’s healthcare services by making more doctors available for specialist training. The association stated that unfilled seats result in a loss of training opportunities and affect the future availability of specialist doctors.
While the qualification threshold has been lowered, candidates must still meet all other eligibility conditions, including verification of MBBS degree credentials and any required biometric or documentation checks at the time of counselling and admission. Candidates will also need to comply with state-specific eligibility rules where applicable.
Registration for the third round of NEET-PG counselling is expected to open soon on the official MCC website after the revised eligibility criteria are formally published. NBEMS has advised candidates to regularly check official portals for updated schedules and counselling instructions.
