NEET-PG 2025: Govt slashes qualifying percentile to fill 18,000 vacant MD, MS seats
The ministry has justified the decision by highlighting the country’s growing shortage of medical specialists
PTC Web Desk: In an unprecedented move to address the large number of vacant postgraduate medical seats, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has sharply reduced the qualifying percentile for NEET-PG 2025 across all categories.
The decision follows a directive from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), which aims to widen the pool of eligible candidates for the third round of counselling and ensure optimal utilisation of postgraduate medical seats.
As per the revised criteria, the qualifying percentile for General and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates has been lowered from the earlier 50th percentile to just the 7th percentile. For Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) under the General category, the cut-off has been reduced from the 45th percentile to the 5th percentile.
The most striking change applies to candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). Their qualifying percentile has been brought down from the 40th percentile to zero. According to the official notification, this means that candidates with negative scores, up to -40 due to negative marking, are now eligible to participate in the counselling process.
Officials say the move was driven by the urgent need to fill nearly 18,000 MD and MS seats that remained vacant even after the completion of the second round of NEET-PG counselling. The steep reduction in cut-off marks marks a significant departure from previous years, where eligibility was based on competitive merit thresholds.
The ministry has justified the decision by highlighting the country’s growing shortage of medical specialists. It has emphasised that doctors appearing for NEET-PG have already qualified MBBS and completed mandatory training, and therefore lowering the percentile does not amount to compromising basic medical competence.
“This step is aimed at strengthening the healthcare system by ensuring that valuable postgraduate seats do not go unutilised,” sources said, adding that expanding eligibility is critical to meeting India’s long-term specialist workforce requirements.
However, the move has sparked debate within the medical community. While some experts have welcomed it as a practical solution to manpower shortages, others have raised concerns over academic standards and the long-term impact on postgraduate medical education.
With counselling for the next round set to begin soon, the revised criteria is expected to significantly increase participation and lead to higher seat occupancy across medical colleges nationwide.