The Medical Counselling Committee has made an unexpected announcement stating that the eligibility for the vacant seats this year has been set to zero percentile. The MCC is responsible for the allocation of post-graduate medical education seats through NEET-PG exam and has now eliminated the eligibility cut off.

The doing away with the eligibility cut off has happened for the first time since the exam replaced other medical entrance tests in 2017. Currently, more than 13,000 post-graduate medical seats across the nation remain unoccupied even after two rounds of counseling.

According to an official notice from MCC, the qualifying percentile for NEET PG Counselling 2023 has been reduced to ‘ZERO’ across all categories by MoHFW. Regarding this matter, it is stated that a new opportunity for Fresh Registration and Choice Filling will be made available for Round-3 of PG Counselling. This will apply to candidates who have now become eligible following the reduction of the percentile requirement.

Does this imply that all NEET-PG examinees will now be eligible for these vacant seats?

In essence, yes. With the elimination of the eligibility cut-off, any candidate who has taken the NEET-PG test, including those who obtained negative marks, is now eligible to apply for post-graduate medical courses. However, experts caution that candidates scoring zero or negative marks are unlikely to secure a seat, as seat allotment will still be based on the ranking they receive.

An official from the Union Health Ministry said to the Indian Express that only because people are eligible with zero marks or negative marks does not mean that they will get seats. Approximately 2.25 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET-PG test, but there are only about 68,000 post-graduate seats available in the country. Only a limited number of students can and will be admitted.

Preparation of merit list

A merit list is automatically generated for all candidates nationwide based on their test scores. This list is used to allocate 50% of the post-graduate seats available under the all-India quota. The list can be expanded when eligibility criteria change, with the cut-off typically lowered by five or ten percentile points toward the end of the counseling process if seats remain vacant.

A health ministry official mentioned that the government invests a significant amount, approximately Rs 1.25 crore, with state contributions totaling Rs 2 crore, to establish each post-graduate seat in government colleges.

Each state also prepares a similar merit list for the remaining 50% of post-graduate seats, which are allocated by the states themselves. In cases where two candidates score the same or zero marks, the National Board of Examination, responsible for assigning ranks at the all-India level, uses four tie-breaker criteria: preference is given to candidates with more correct responses, fewer incorrect responses, greater seniority, or higher aggregate marks in their MBBS exams.

Is this the first time such a change has occurred?

Although the eligibility cut-off has never before been reduced to zero since the introduction of NEET, senior medical professionals point out that this move is not entirely unprecedented. Before the advent of NEET, eligibility for inter-state post-graduate courses was determined by MBBS final scores. Essentially, anyone who had passed MBBS before NEET was eligible for post-graduate courses. The purpose of NEET was to establish a standardized method for determining inter-state and national-level merit lists, as examination standards varied across states.

Why has this decision been made?

Sources suggest that the primary motive behind this decision is to address the issue of vacant post-graduate seats. Typically, MCC conducts three rounds of counseling and a stray vacancy round to fill these seats. However, despite these efforts, a significant number of seats have remained vacant over the years.

In the previous academic years, there were 3,744 vacant seats after all rounds of counseling in 2021-22 and 1,425 seats in 2020-21. This year, there are at least 13,245 vacant seats following the first two rounds of counseling. The results for the third round will be announced by the end of the month, reflecting the new eligibility criteria.

The health ministry official highlights that most of the vacant seats are in non-clinical specialties, such as anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, and pharmacology—areas that do not directly involve patient treatment. However, medical colleges face difficulties in finding faculty for these subjects, which are essential for starting an MBBS course, without students pursuing further studies in these fields.

Contrary to this assertion, a look at the available seats before the third round of counseling reveals a different picture. There are 181 vacant microbiology seats, 144 pharmacology seats, 81 biochemistry seats, and 33 anatomy seats. In contrast, more popular “clinical” subjects, like general medicine (1,743), general surgery (723), Obstetrics and Gynecology (1,459), and Anesthesia (1,604), have more vacant seats.

How has the increase in post-graduate seats affected these vacancies?

Experts suggest that the sudden increase in the number of post-graduate seats may also contribute to the high number of vacancies.

The professor quoted earlier notes that the substantial increase in post-graduate seats could be a factor in the current high vacancy rate. While it may appear advantageous in the short term, in the long run, this could result in a demand-supply mismatch, similar to the situation faced by engineering graduates.

For instance, in the 2020-21 academic session, there were 55,495 post-graduate seats with 1,425 remaining vacant after mop-up and stray rounds of counseling. In 2021-22, with 60,202 seats, 3,744 seats went unfilled. Data from the Union Health Minister indicates that the number of post-graduate seats increased to 64,059 for the 2022-23 session and further to nearly 68,000 for the current session.

What will be the impact on seats at private medical colleges?

The change in eligibility is likely to result in affluent candidates gaining admission to private colleges, even if their scores are lower than those of other applicants. A professor from a government college points out, “While annual fees for post-graduate programs in government colleges may be as low as Rs 5,000 to 10,000, fees at private colleges can reach up to a crore. This means that meritorious students who cannot afford the high fees may be left behind, while those with lower scores can secure admission to private colleges if they have the financial means. This situation resembles a reverse economic quota.” It’s worth noting that 2,298 of the vacant seats are paid or management quota seats.

Dr. Rohan Krishnan, an assistant professor at ESI Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, warns that this change could lead to increased trading of seats in private medical colleges. He predicts that there will be a trade in seats at private colleges, which will become more prevalent with the zero percentile eligibility. Some students who fail to secure their preferred seat or subject may decide to defer their admission for a year.

The removal of the eligibility cut-off for NEET-PG has raised significant questions and concerns in the medical education community. While it opens up opportunities for a wider range of candidates, challenges such as seat availability, potential disparities in admissions, and the impact on private colleges need to be carefully considered and addressed to ensure the fairness and effectiveness of the medical education system.