150-Seat Limit Remains on Hold
New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has extended the abeyance of the 150-seat upper limit for MBBS courses per medical college for another academic year. This move provides flexibility to medical institutes to admit more students than previously allowed under regulations.
Background of UG-MSR 2023 Guidelines
In August 2023, NMC had released the “Guidelines for Undergraduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023” in the official Gazette. The guidelines had originally capped new medical colleges at 150 MBBS seats from the academic year 2024-2025.
Seat Ratio and Population Norms
Chapter I of UG-MSR 2023 stated that colleges seeking increased intake could not exceed 150 MBBS students, with a prescribed ratio of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population in the state or Union Territory. This provision was intended to regulate the distribution of medical seats nationwide.
Previous Abeyance for 2025-26
Last year, the Apex Medical Commission decided to keep the 150-seat cap on abeyance for the 2025-2026 academic year. Recently, NMC invited online applications for new medical colleges and for increasing intake in existing institutions for the academic year 2026-27, maintaining the relaxation.
Conditions for Increasing MBBS Seats
Along with the notice, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) outlined conditions for establishing new medical colleges, clarified the online application process, and provided guiding documents. Eligible colleges can now apply for more MBBS seats if they meet benchmarks for faculty strength, infrastructure, and clinical exposure.
Impact on Southern States
The original UG-MSR guidelines had restricted the issuance of Letters of Permission for new medical colleges to annual intake capacities of 50, 100, or 150 seats. As a result, several southern states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Telangana, were rendered ineligible to apply under the population-based cap.
Union Government Clarification
The Union Government later clarified that the NMC directive to cap MBBS seats based on state population norms will not be enforced for the academic years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. This provides relief to states and colleges planning to expand undergraduate medical education.
Minister Confirms Deferred Implementation
Union Health Minister JP Nadda informed the Rajya Sabha that “The implementation of capping MBBS seats by the National Medical Commission (NMC) has been deferred for the academic years 2024-25 and 2025-26.” This extension ensures that medical institutes can continue to increase student intake without restrictions for another year.
