As PG medical seats go up, vacancies spike by nearly 6K from 2021 to over 17K in 2025, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• Vacant post-graduate (PG) medical seats in India have risen from 11,629 in 2021 to 17,619 in 2025 after the first counselling round.
• The number of PG seats increased from 40,858 in 2020 to 62,584 in 2025, as the government aims for 75,000 more UG and PG seats over five years.
• Maharashtra recorded the highest number of vacant seats, increasing from 1,868 in 2021 to 2,801 in 2025 after round one.
• Cut-offs for NEET PG were reduced to zero percentile for reserved categories to fill seats.

Detailed Insights:

• The increase in vacant seats is attributed to the rise in PG seats and the high fees in private medical colleges.
• Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu account for a third of the total PG seats in the country and recorded the highest vacancies.
• Many students are avoiding seats in private colleges due to infrastructure concerns and high fees.
• Top subject choices are general medicine and radio-diagnosis, while non-clinical subjects like anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry are less preferred.
• In 2023, the cut-off percentile was reduced to zero for all categories, with the last general category candidate securing a seat with just 11 marks.
• The reduction in qualifying percentile aims to fill seats in private medical colleges, potentially compromising merit.

Key Concepts Involved:

• NEET PG: A national-level entrance exam for postgraduate medical courses in India.
• Medical Counselling Committee (MCC): Responsible for conducting counselling for NEET PG seats.
• All-India Quota: Seats available for candidates across the country, filled through central counselling.