824 MBBS seats remain vacant in deemed universities after NEET UG counselling

More than 800 MBBS seats remained vacant in deemed universities across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry after NEET UG 2026 counselling. Educationists and experts blamed high tuition fees, saying financially constrained candidates were unable to afford seats despite qualifying through merit

Chennai: More than 800 medical seats remained vacant across deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry after the final round of counselling for NEET UG 2026, sources said on Thursday.

High tuition fees have led to the situation, according to educationists and industry experts.

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According to Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) sources, of the 837 unfilled MBBS seats across the country, including All India Quota seats, 824 were in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry alone.

Educationists criticised the lack of a fee cap for deemed universities and pointed out that high-scoring NEET candidates were being forced to forgo these seats because they could not afford the exorbitant fees. This, they said, defeated the core purpose of conducting a merit-based national entrance examination.

Senior educationist and State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) general secretary P B Prince Gajendra Babu told PTI that high-scoring NEET candidates whose financial circumstances did not permit them to join private institutions charging high fees simply opted out. Such candidates did not apply for counselling, he said.

“The lesser scorer who is financially sound applies and secures the seat,” he said, adding, “NEET failed in both of its objectives — neither ensure merit nor curb commercialisation of medical education.”

He said all private medical education institutions, including deemed universities, that could not reduce their fee structures and continued to leave seats unfilled should be closed.

“The state governments should be encouraged to open an adequate number of medical colleges wherever needed,” he added.

Industry experts cited excessive annual tuition fees as the main reason for the low intake.

A Srinath, a higher education career counsellor for students in the city, said annual MBBS fees at deemed universities across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry ranged from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh.

“Students have to pay hostel and mess fees of between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh per year in private institutions. In contrast, the average annual fee at private institutions in other parts of India 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 held. The MCC will take a decision on the matter, Srinath said, adding that the situation remained unclear.