The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved the addition of 171 postgraduate (PG) medical seats for the academic year 2025–26, a move aimed at accelerating the admission process and expanding opportunities for medical graduates.
The decision follows deliberations by the NMC’s First Appeal Committee during meetings held on December 22 and 23. The committee reviewed appeals filed by medical colleges against earlier decisions of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) under Section 28(5) of the NMC Act, 2019. Based on these appeals, the committee sanctioned additional seats across multiple institutions and specialities.
In a public notice issued to stakeholders, the NMC confirmed that the approved list of seats will serve as the official reference for upcoming counselling rounds. This is intended to ensure clarity and transparency for both applicants and institutions during the admission process.
The newly sanctioned seats cover a broad range of clinical, pre-clinical and para-clinical disciplines, including General Medicine, General Surgery, Anaesthesiology, Radiodiagnosis, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Psychiatry, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, and allied specialities. Medical colleges across several states and Union Territories—such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh—are set to benefit from the expansion.
To avoid procedural delays, the NMC has instructed counselling authorities not to wait for the formal issuance of Letters of Permission (LOPs) before including these seats in the counselling process. The commission clarified that LOPs will be issued shortly and that the published list of approved seats should be treated as a valid document for counselling purposes.
In a communication to heads of medical institutions, NMC Secretary Dr Raghav Langer emphasised that the attached list carries official validity and must be recognised by counselling bodies. This step is expected to prevent bottlenecks and ensure that admissions proceed smoothly within the competitive PG timeline.
The public notice and the supplementary seat list have also been shared with state and Union Territory medical education departments, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), and state counselling authorities. This will allow the expanded seat matrix to be promptly reflected in ongoing and upcoming counselling rounds for 2025–26.
Overall, the NMC’s decision signals a more flexible and streamlined approach to postgraduate medical admissions, while maintaining regulatory oversight. The move is expected to provide timely relief to aspirants and strengthen postgraduate medical education capacity across the country.
