NEW DELHI: The NEET-PG and NEET-SS are expected to a rank-based merit system from the existing percentile-based qualifying system as a 12-member expert committee formed to review the NEET admission system has recommended it.
The committee, in its report submitted to the Supreme Court, has said that admissions should be based on candidates’ ranks rather than the existing percentile-based eligibility system.
NMC gives in-principle approval
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has already given in-principle approval to the proposal, with the implementation of the new system proposed from 2027. The detailed rules, however, are yet to be finalised.
The committee has pointed out that the minimum eligibility standards should not be lowered merely to fill vacant postgraduate medical seats.
Key recommendations
Among the other recommendations of the panel are lower fees for non-clinical postgraduate courses and exemptions from service bonds for candidates taking pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects. The committee has suggested measures to address delays in counselling and the recurring problem of vacant seats.
The Supreme Court has granted the petitioners time to file their responses to the report.
The recommendations follow a dispute over repeated reductions in the NEET-PG qualifying cut-off to fill vacant seats during counselling.
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In 2023, the qualifying percentile was reduced to zero across categories. This allowed candidates with negative marks to become eligible for counselling. The cut-off was lowered again in 2024, when it was brought down to 15 percentile for General and EWS candidates and 10 percentile for reserved categories.
The issue came up again during the 2025-26 admission cycle. In January, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) issued a revised cut-off for the third round of NEET-PG counselling.
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The qualifying percentile for General category candidates was reduced from the 50th to the 7th percentile.
The decision was taken after a large number of postgraduate medical seats remained vacant. According to figures placed before the Supreme Court, 95,913 additional candidates became eligible for counselling following the reduction.
The move was challenged before the Supreme Court by petitioners who questioned whether such a sharp reduction in eligibility standards was consistent with maintaining the quality of postgraduate medical education.
In May 2026, the Supreme Court, while raising concerns over the effect of reducing qualifying standards on medical education, called for an institutional mechanism to address the recurring problem of cut-off reductions.
Following the proceedings, the Centre informed the Court in August that it had constituted a 12-member committee headed by the Director General of Health Services. The panel was asked to examine the existing admission system, identify its shortcomings and suggest measures that could be implemented.