NEW DELHI: More than 800 medical seats are lying vacant across deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry after the final counselling for NEET UG 2026, a PTI report citing sources said.
Educationists and industry experts blame it on the high tuition fees.
According to Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) sources, 824 of the total 837 unfilled MBBS seats across the country (including All India Quota seats), were vacant in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry alone.
Educationists blamed the lack of a fee cap for deemed universities for the situation, saying that high-scoring NEET candidates were forced to forgo these seats because they could not afford the exorbitant fees.
The scenario defeats the key purpose of conducting a merit-based national entrance examination, they said.
Senior educationist and State Platform for Common School System, Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) general secretary P B Prince Gajendra Babu said that the high scorer in NEET, whose financial position did not permit them to get admitted to private institutions charging exorbitant fees, opted out. Such candidates did not even apply for the counselling.
“The lesser scorer who is financially sound applies and gets the seat,” he said, adding, “NEET failed in both of its objectives of ensuring merit and curbing commercialisation of medical education,” he said.
Meanwhile, industry experts cite the excessive annual tuition fees as the main driver behind the low intake.
A Srinath, a higher education career counsellor for the students in the city, claimed annual MBBS fees in deemed universities across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry range between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 35 lakh per year.
“The students have to pay hostel and mess fees between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh per year in private institutions. In contrast, the average annual fee across other parts of India in private institutions stands at around Rs 17 lakh, resulting in a substantial fee disparity over the four and a half year duration of the course,” he said.
With the seats remaining unfilled, an additional round of counselling may be expected. The MCC will take a decision in this regard. “However, it is unclear till now,” he added.