NEET PG Counselling 2025: Qualifying cut-offs slashed to ensure PG seats do not remain vacant, says minister

NEW DELHI: Consistent with past academic years which had proved effective in ensuring maximum seat utilisation, the government reduced the qualifying percentile for eligibility to PG Counselling 2025 to ensure that precious PG medical seats do not remain vacant, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) conducts counselling for postgraduate medical courses according to the scheme laid down by the Supreme Court of India, Patel said in a written reply.

The NEET PG counselling conducted by MCC covers 50 per cent of all India quota seats and 100 per cent seats of the central and deemed universities across the country. Counselling for state quota PG seats is conducted by the respective state governments and counselling for private medical colleges comes under the purview of the state counselling authorities, she said.

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NEET PG 2025 cut-offs reduced

The decision to revise the qualifying percentiles follows the completion of the round-2 counselling by the MCC in which it was reported that of the 29,476 seats offered by MCC for counselling, 9,621 seats remained vacant, Patel explained. Further, as counselling for 50 per cent seats is conducted by the respective state authorities, it was assessed that approximately 20,000 seats, including Diplomate of National Board (DNB) seats, were vacant after two rounds.

"Hence, consistent with past academic years which had proven effective in ensuring maximum seat utilisation, the government reduced the qualifying percentile for eligibility to PG Counselling 2025 to ensure precious PG medical seats do not remain vacant," Patel said in the written reply.

Listing the revised qualifying percentiles for NEET PG 2025 , Patel said that under the unreserved (UR) category, the eligibility has been reduced to above seven percentile under the UR-Persons with Disability (PwD) category, the eligibility has been reduced to above five percentile and all candidates are declared qualified for the Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe/ Other Backward Classes (SC/ST/OBC) categories.

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The fee structure for medical courses in government and private medical colleges varies across states and is determined in accordance with the guidelines issued by the respective state fee regulatory authorities. The fee structure in the government medical colleges is subsidised to enhance accessibility, Patel said.

Also, guidelines for the determination of fees and other charges in respect of 50 per cent of seats in the private medical institutions and deemed-to-be universities were framed under clause (i) and sub-section (1) of section 10 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, and were issued by the National Medical Commission on February 3, 2022. However, these guidelines have been challenged before various courts and the matter is sub judice, she said.