NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved approximately 450 additional postgraduate (PG) medical seats for the 2025–26 academic session through its appeal mechanism. As per a report in TOI, the commission has also implemented a non-refundable one-time registration charge of Rs 2 lakh plus 18% GST for institutions aiming to establish new MBBS colleges or expand undergraduate seats starting from the 2026–27 academic year. Additionally, the previous restriction limiting applications for an increase of up to 100 MBBS seats at a time has been removed.
Dr M K Ramesh, president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), stated that the approvals granted by the first appeal committee for PG seats are cumulative and ongoing. Earlier notifications mentioned 171 and then 262 additional seats, but the total number cleared through appeals has now reached around 450, with the possibility of further increments.
These extra PG seats, generally small increases of one to four seats per program, cover high-demand specialties such as general medicine, radiodiagnosis, dermatology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, and general surgery across medical colleges nationwide. Most of the new seats have been allocated to private medical colleges, although some government institutions are also included according to the available list.
The MARB has instructed counselling authorities to incorporate the newly approved PG seats without waiting for individual Letters of Permission (LoPs), accepting the consolidated list published on the NMC website as an official document for counselling purposes. Officials noted that publishing the consolidated appeal approvals online was introduced to expedite admissions and enhance transparency.
Separately, the NMC has introduced a one-time, non-refundable registration fee of Rs 2 lakh plus 18% GST for institutions applying to start new MBBS colleges or increase undergraduate seats from the 2026–27 academic year onward. Dr Ramesh explained that this fee is intended to ensure genuine commitment and accountability, emphasizing that establishing a medical college should not be treated as a routine business decision.
He clarified that this registration fee is distinct from the existing application fee of Rs 5 lakh for 50 MBBS seats, which increases with higher intake, and only partially covers the expenses related to inspections, including travel and accommodation for three to five assessors conducting multi-day evaluations. The fee applies equally to both government and private colleges, generates a unique registration number for tracking applications, and must be paid again only if an institution reapplies in a subsequent academic year, as reapplications within the same year are not allowed.
Regarding MBBS seat expansion, Dr Ramesh noted that the previous cap restricting applications to a maximum increase of 100 MBBS seats at a time was removed because it lacked explicit support in existing regulations and could not be legally upheld. Although the cap aimed to prevent sudden large increases from 50 to 250 seats, it was withdrawn after being found unsupported by law. New medical colleges may apply for up to 150 MBBS seats, while existing colleges with 150 seats can seek expansion up to 250 seats, with applications evaluated on an all-or-nothing basis. Inspections will be intensified for institutions requesting substantial single-cycle expansions.
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