CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: New Delhi. Lakhs of students preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) to become doctors compete for admission to medical colleges across the country. Even so, after the final counselling process for the academic session 2026-27, more than 800 MBBS seats remained vacant in India.
The situation highlights challenges linked to the rising cost of medical education and the financial capacity of students and their families. According to reports, after the final stray vacancy counselling for NEET-UG 2026, a total of 837 MBBS seats could not be allotted. Of these, 824 seats were in 14 deemed medical universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In addition, one seat remained vacant at AIIMS Madurai and 12 seats at Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute in Kolar, Karnataka.
Annual fees running into lakhs of rupees are being seen as a major hurdle behind the vacant seats. The high fees charged by private deemed universities are considered a key reason. In several institutions in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the annual MBBS tuition fee is reported to be around Rs 23 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. Hostel, food, examination and other expenses can further increase the overall budget for students.
As a result, even after qualifying NEET, many families find it difficult to bear the cost of private medical colleges. Students have to assess not only the possibility of getting admission, but also the expenses for the four-and-a-half-year academic course and the internship that follows.
Experts believe that the gap between the cost of medical education and the financial capacity of families can lead to some seats remaining vacant. However, the figures for vacant seats alone do not establish that fees were the reason behind every vacant seat.
According to the report, some medical colleges recorded a significantly high number of vacant seats. Sri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, had 188 vacant seats. Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, Kanchipuram, had 117 vacant seats, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, had 92 seats unallotted, and Sri Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, had 82 seats that could not be allotted.
These figures indicate that despite demand for medical education, filling all seats in institutions with expensive fee structures can be challenging.
Qualifying NEET and being able to pay college fees are separate challenges. Success in NEET-UG is the first step toward admission to medical education. After that, students have to choose options according to their rank, reservation category, available seats, college fees and counselling rules.
Compared with government medical colleges, the fees of many private deemed universities are much higher. In such circumstances, even students with better ranks may avoid admission to some colleges for financial reasons. In some institutions, meanwhile, the admission process continues until the final counselling rounds in an effort to fill seats.
The vacant-seat situation has attracted attention this year also because the NEET-UG 2026 examination process remained in the news. According to media reports, the examination was cancelled and held again after an incident involving a question paper leak.
Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha MP P. Wilson, citing vacant medical seats, had urged the central government to consider possible relaxation in the minimum qualifying percentile and an additional counselling round. This is his demand and should not be treated as an approved government decision.
There is discussion about the possibility of an additional counselling round after more than 800 seats remained vacant. However, fresh counselling can take place only if the relevant authority issues formal permission and guidelines.
Students should not assume, solely on the basis of media reports, that applications for admission have reopened. Candidates should keep track of notices and eligibility-related rules issued on the official website of the Medical Counselling Committee.
The vacant MBBS seats are not merely an admission-process issue; they also raise questions about access to and affordability of medical education. On one hand, a large number of students dream of becoming doctors. On the other, high fees can put available seats in some institutions beyond the reach of students.
According to experts, wider consideration is needed on fee structures, scholarships, education loans and the availability of government medical colleges, so that eligible students are not deprived of opportunities for economic reasons and available academic resources can be used more effectively.
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