NEET PG Cut-Off Reduced Again Amid Vacant Postgraduate Medical Seats

NEET PG cut-offs have been lowered once again as thousands of postgraduate medical seats remain vacant despite an acute shortage of specialist doctors in India. Authorities have allowed candidates with scores as low as –40 marks in some categories to participate in the third round of NEET PG counselling. The move has triggered renewed debate on medical education quality, affordability and long-term healthcare impact.

Why PG Medical Seats Remain Vacant in India?

Medical experts say the issue is not a lack of aspirants but structural flaws in postgraduate education. According to doctors’ associations, a large share of vacant seats lies in private medical colleges where MD and MS course fees often range between INR 25 lakh and over INR 1 crore. DNB and super-specialty programmes can cost even more.

India currently has over 67,000 PG medical seats, including MD, MS and diploma courses. Since 2014, more than 20,000 seats have been added to address specialist shortages. Despite this expansion, counselling authorities reported around 18,000 vacant PG seats nationwide, mostly in private colleges and less preferred specialties.

Doctors point out that poor infrastructure, inconsistent stipend payments, limited clinical exposure and postings in underserved locations further discourage candidates from opting for these seats.

Repeated NEET PG Cut-Off Reductions Explained

Lowering eligibility thresholds has become a recurring measure to deal with vacant seats. In 2023, the qualifying percentile was reduced to zero for all categories. In 2024, it was fixed at the 5th percentile. For the 2025 NEET PG cycle, the cut-offs were revised as follows:

• General/EWS: from 276 to 103 out of 800
• General PwBD: from 255 to 90 out of 800
• SC/ST/OBC: from 235 to –40 out of 800

Medical professionals argue that repeated cut-off reductions highlight deeper policy failures rather than solving the core problem of seat distribution and cost regulation.

Concerns Over Academic Standards and Training Quality

The latest revision has raised concerns about academic standards, especially allowing candidates with negative scores to enter counselling. Senior faculty members say this reflects gaps in undergraduate medical training and assessment systems. Others believe private colleges push for lower cut-offs to avoid financial losses from vacant seats.

Doctors also warn that lowering cut-offs may temporarily fill seats but could weaken the quality of specialist training. Concerns have been raised about poor evaluation standards and near-zero failure rates in some institutions.

What Aspirants and Experts Are Demanding?

Many NEET PG aspirants say that marks are not the real barrier. High fees remain the biggest challenge, even after qualifying. Doctors’ bodies have called for strict fee regulation, expansion of government PG seats, uniform bonding policies and affordable financing options.

As counselling continues under revised eligibility rules, experts question whether filling seats at any cost will strengthen India’s healthcare system or delay much-needed reforms in medical education.