Archive · 17 Sep 2026
Centre proposes 30% NEET-SS cutoff, returns 40 Tamil Nadu seats
The government wants more doctors to be able to compete for empty advanced medical training seats.
It proposed lowering the NEET-SS qualifying mark from 50% to 30%.
This could allow about 6,000 more candidates to take part in a special counselling round.
There were 1,857 empty Super Speciality seats after two counselling rounds.
These included seats for DM, MCh and DrNB-SS courses.
Tamil Nadu had some seats reserved for doctors already working in its government health service.
The Centre agreed to return 40 still-empty seats to Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu will hold its own short counselling round for those seats before any remaining seats return to the national pool.
Doctors who already joined seats generally will not be allowed to change them in the national round.
The Centre proposed lowering the NEET-SS qualifying percentile from 50% to 30%.
The reduction could make about 6,000 additional candidates eligible for a special stray vacancy round.
After the second counselling round, 1,857 Super Speciality seats remained vacant, including 1,094 DM/MCh and 763 DrNB-SS seats.
The Centre agreed to return 40 vacant in-service seats to Tamil Nadu for a separate one-week counselling round.
Candidates already holding seats generally cannot upgrade them nationally, but upgrades will be allowed in Tamil Nadu’s state round.
- Who
- The Union government, the Supreme Court of India, Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association are involved.
- What
- The Centre proposed reducing the NEET-SS cutoff to 30% and agreed to return 40 vacant in-service seats to Tamil Nadu.
- When
- The proposal was made on Thursday after the second round of NEET-SS counselling; the article refers to NEET-SS 2025 seats.
- Where
- The matter was heard by the Supreme Court of India, and the Centre’s submission was filed in New Delhi.
- Why
- The Centre said the changes would help fill vacant Super Speciality seats and use available training capacity more fully.
Tamil Nadu’s position
Centre’s position
Disposition of vacant seats
Tamil Nadu’s position
The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association argued that seats reserved for doctors serving in the state health service should be returned to Tamil Nadu and filled through its in-service quota.
Centre’s position
The Centre had diverted vacant seats to the All India counselling pool, but agreed to return the 40 seats still vacant at the latest hearing for a separate Tamil Nadu round.
Filling remaining national seats
Tamil Nadu’s position
Tamil Nadu’s approach prioritises giving the state an opportunity to fill seats earmarked for its serving doctors.
Centre’s position
The Centre proposed a national special stray vacancy round and a lower cutoff to bring more candidates into the process and prevent Super Speciality seats from remaining vacant.
- Existing cutoff
- 50th percentile
- Proposed cutoff
- 30th percentile
- Additional eligible candidates
- About 6,000
- Total vacant seats
- 1,857 after the second counselling round
- Vacant seat breakdown
- 1,094 DM/MCh seats and 763 DrNB-SS seats
- Seats returned to Tamil Nadu
- 40 vacant in-service seats
- Tamil Nadu in-service reservation
- 50% of Super Speciality seats in government medical colleges