An expert panel set up by the Centre has suggested using ranks instead of percentile cut-offs to decide eligibility for NEET-PG and NEET-SS admissions. The Supreme Court was informed of the proposal on November 3. The National Medical Commission (NMC) approved the change in principle, but the regulations are yet to be finalised, LiveLaw reported.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe was hearing a petition against the decision to lower the qualifying cut-offs for NEET-PG 2025-26. The judges adjourned the hearing to study the panel's report and give the concerned parties time to respond. The Centre formed the panel following the court's recommendation.
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The panel is of the view that the proposed system would reduce the gap between the second and third rounds of counselling. The NMC secretary has written to the Directorate General of Health Services about the change. Those involved in the admission process will be consulted before the rules are finalised.
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The decision follows a January 13, 2026 notice from the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which lowered the cut-offs for the third round of NEET-PG counselling. For General and EWS candidates, the qualifying percentile was reduced from 50 to seven. This brought the required score down from 276 to 103 out of 800.
The petitioners have questioned how candidates with negative scores could be allowed to qualify. They argue that the decision is arbitrary and violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. They also said that lowering admission standards could put patient safety and general public health at risk.
In a hearing on February 6, the court sought an explanation for the lower cut-offs. Justice Narasimha noted that a balance was needed between maintaining standards and ensuring that medical seats did not remain vacant.
The Centre argued that NEET-PG is meant to rank doctors for the postgraduate seats available. It told the court that candidates had already established their basic medical competence by completing MBBS and were licensed to practise. It said postgraduate students undergo three years of supervised training and must score at least 50% separately in theory and practical exams to pass their final MD/MS examinations.
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In a separate court filing, the NBEMS said it had not decided to lower the qualifying percentile. Its role, it said, was to conduct the exam and provide the results to the counselling authority.
The expert panel has cautioned against lowering eligibility requirements extensively as candidates with very poor or negative scores can become eligible for admission. It said minimum standards in postgraduate medical education must be maintained.
The panel has suggested fixed timelines for applications to start new courses, renew permissions and increase seats, as well as for entrance exams and counselling. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is working to move more of the counselling process online to reduce manual work and improve transparency.
The report highlights "Freeze" and "Float" options on the counselling portal. Candidates choosing Freeze would report in person at their allotted institution, while those choosing Float would accept their seats online. If a candidate gets an upgraded seat, release from the earlier seat would be handled online. The report proposes a one-time payment when candidates finalise their admission.
The NMC has been included in the counselling software to help check the seat details submitted by institutions. This is intended to make the list of available seats more accurate and help MCC keep to its counselling schedule.
The committee is considering KYC and biometric checks to prevent seat blocking. It is also looking at sharing exam results online with state counselling authorities and medical education departments. States have been advised to upgrade their computer systems to support this.
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