NMC Announces 1.37 Lakh MBBS Seats for 2026–27; Karnataka Leads Surge in Private Medical College Capacity
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released the undergraduate (UG) medical seat matrix for the 2026–27 academic session, notifying a total of 1,36,939 MBBS seats across government and private medical colleges in India. The announcement comes as aspirants continue to await the revised NEET UG 2026 results. According to the latest seat matrix, 63,297 seats are available in government medical colleges, while 73,643 seats are offered by private institutions. This marks an overall increase of 7,913 MBBS seats compared to the previous academic year. However, education experts believe the effective increase could exceed 9,900 seats, as several newly approved colleges were not operational last year due to pending state-level clearances. Private medical colleges have accounted for the majority of the expansion this year. While government institutions added 1,739 seats, private colleges contributed 6,175 additional seats, highlighting the growing role of the private sector in expanding medical education infrastructure. Karnataka has emerged as the biggest contributor to this growth, increasing its total MBBS seats from 13,944 to 15,395, the highest among all states. The state continues to hold the top position in terms of total medical undergraduate seats nationwide. Other states that recorded notable increases include Tamil Nadu with 949 additional seats, Rajasthan with 750, Telangana with 710, West Bengal with 701, and Uttar Pradesh with 575 new seats. Despite already having a large medical education network, Maharashtra added 275 seats this year. Admission experts have cautioned that not all seats listed by the NMC may be available during the counselling process. Although colleges have received approval from the NMC, they must also secure clearances from their respective state authorities and affiliated universities before admissions can begin. Similar delays last year resulted in several approved seats remaining unavailable during counselling. Among the states with the largest MBBS capacity are Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Maharashtra, each offering over 10,000 undergraduate medical seats. In contrast, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland have the lowest intake, with only 100 MBBS seats each. Other regions with limited capacity include Chandigarh (200 seats), Goa (250 seats), and Manipur (250 seats). Source: Indian Express
