NEW DELHI — The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has officially opened applications for undergraduate MBBS, BDS, and B.Sc. Nursing courses for the 2026–27 academic session, targeting dependents of insured workers under the ‘Ward of Insured Person’ (Ward of IP) quota. This initiative offers 783 seats across 22 ESIC and select state government institutions, aimed at providing affordable professional medical education.
Seat Allocation and Subsidised Fee Structures
The 783 allocated seats are divided into 695 MBBS, 28 BDS, and 60 B.Sc. Nursing places. These seats are highly affordable, with annual tuition fees set at roughly ₹24,000 for MBBS/BDS and ₹10,000 for nursing, with no capitation fees allowed.
Key Eligibility and Deadlines
To qualify, applicants must have a parent who was an active ESI insured person by September 30, 2025. Candidates must have appeared for NEET (UG) 2026, and males must not be over 21 years of age as of March 8, 2026, while this age limit is waived for unmarried female wards.
The crucial ‘Ward of IP Certificate’ must be applied for through the ESIC Portal by a strict deadline of June 21, 2026.
Relevance for Indian Healthcare
This quota is designed to provide access to medical education for working-class families and helps ensure a diverse, community-oriented healthcare workforce. After certification, admission proceeds through the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) for a transparent, centralized merit-based selection.
