NEET UG 2026 Counselling: Over 800 MBBS Seats Lie Vacant In TN, Puducherry Amid High Fees | Education and Career News
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NEET UG 2026 Counselling: According to sources in the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), 837 MBBS seats remain unfilled across the country, including All India Quota seats.
Annual MBBS tuition fees at deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry range from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. (Representational/File Photo)
More than 800 MBBS seats remain vacant in deemed universities across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry following the final NEET UG 2026 counselling round, sources said on Thursday. Educationists and industry experts have attributed the low intake to the high tuition fees charged by these institutions.
According to sources in the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), 837 MBBS seats remain unfilled across the country, including All India Quota seats. Of these, 824 vacant seats are in deemed universities located in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Educationists have raised concerns over the absence of a fee cap for deemed universities, arguing that high-scoring NEET candidates from financially weaker backgrounds are unable to take admission despite qualifying on merit. They said the situation undermines the purpose of a national entrance examination intended to ensure merit-based admissions, reported PTI.
P B Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of the State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN), told PTI that candidates with high NEET scores often stay away from counselling because they cannot afford the fees charged by private institutions.
“The lesser scorer who is financially sound applies and secures the seat,” he said, adding, “NEET failed in both of its objectives — neither ensure merit nor curb commercialisation of medical education.”
“The state governments should be encouraged to open an adequate number of medical colleges wherever needed,” he added.
Gajendra Babu also called for the closure of private medical institutions, including deemed universities, that cannot lower their fees and continue to leave seats vacant. He urged state governments to establish an adequate number of medical colleges wherever required.
Higher education experts have also identified high annual tuition fees as a major reason for the vacant seats.
A Srinath, a higher education career counsellor, said annual MBBS tuition fees at deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry range from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. Students must also pay hostel and mess charges ranging from Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh annually.
In comparison, the average annual fee at private medical institutions in other parts of the country is around Rs 17 lakh, Srinath said. This difference can add significantly to the overall cost of completing the four-and-a-half-year MBBS course.
With hundreds of seats still vacant after the final counselling round, another round of counselling may be considered. However, Srinath said the MCC has yet to clarify whether an additional round will be conducted, and the final decision rests with the committee.
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Ask News18Following the final NEET UG 2026 counselling round, a total of 824 MBBS seats remain vacant in deemed universities located across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
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October 23, 2026, 09:30 IST
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