NEET-PG Seat Cutoffs Slashed as Specialist Doctor Vacancies Pile Up
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences has taken decisive action to tackle a critical shortage of specialist doctors across India. With over 18,000 postgraduate medical seats remaining vacant after counseling rounds, the regulator has dramatically lowered NEET-PG eligibility cutoffs. This move opens counseling opportunities to thousands more qualified doctors.
Drastic Reduction in Eligibility Percentiles
Officials familiar with the decision confirm significant changes to cutoff marks. The eligibility percentile for the unreserved category has been reduced from 50 to just 7. For SC, ST and OBC categories, the cutoff has been lowered from 40 to zero.
This means any student who appeared for the NEET-PG exam from reserved categories now qualifies for counseling. The scale of this adjustment represents one of the most substantial reductions in recent years.
"To ensure these seats do not go unfilled, we had to take this necessary step," explained one official who requested anonymity. "Leaving such a massive number of seats vacant undermines national efforts to improve healthcare delivery."
Addressing Healthcare Resource Wastage
The decision comes after the second round of NEET-PG 2025 counseling revealed alarming vacancy numbers across 541 government and private medical colleges. Medical training infrastructure represents substantial national investment that was being underutilized.
"This revision reflects a pragmatic approach to human resource management within healthcare," noted another official. "We must ensure our medical college infrastructure is fully utilized to meet growing demand for specialized care."
The Indian Medical Association formally requested this action on January 12, 2026, citing urgent need to prevent seat wastage. NBEMS issued the official notice lowering cutoffs the following day.
Maintaining Academic Standards
Officials emphasize this measure does not indicate dilution of academic standards. All NEET-PG candidates are already MBBS-qualified doctors who have completed mandatory internships.
"The entrance exam serves as a ranking mechanism for already-qualified doctors," clarified the first official. "Previous thresholds had unintentionally restricted the pool of eligible candidates despite seats being available."
Dr. Dilip Bhanushali, President of the Indian Medical Association, supported the decision. "This measure is consistent with past academic years, where similar adjustments proved effective in ensuring seat utilization while maintaining academic integrity."
Merit-Based Allocation Continues
Despite lowered cutoffs, admissions remain strictly merit-based. Allotments will continue through authorized, transparent counseling mechanisms based on NEET-PG ranks and candidate preferences.
"There is no provision for direct or discretionary admissions," officials stressed. Choice-based allocations will continue to guide seat distributions across medical institutions.
This approach follows historical precedent. Last year, the percentile was reduced to 5 for the unreserved category. In previous years, it had even been brought down to zero to ensure seats were not left vacant.
The government aims to provide more doctors with opportunities to participate in remaining counseling rounds and secure specializations. This strategic adjustment seeks to optimize medical training resources while strengthening India's healthcare system through fair, merit-driven processes.
