Maharashtra NEET PG 2026: private college seats now open to all-India candidates
By TUF News Desk · Published 20 October 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Maharashtra students who did their MBBS in the state have lost a quiet advantage. The institutional quota seats in private and minority medical colleges, which for years went mostly to local candidates, are now open to aspirants from across India and abroad.
The change is in the Maharashtra State CET Cell’s 2026-27 admission brochure, released on Monday. Under the new rules, every institutional and NRI quota seat in private medical colleges will be filled through centralised online NEET PG counselling run by the CET Cell. Colleges can no longer hold their own offline admission rounds at the campus level.
Who can apply now
The eligibility list for institutional quota seats has widened sharply. Maharashtra domicile holders can apply even if they completed their MBBS outside the state. Candidates from other states can register for institute-level vacant quota seats in private medical institutions. Foreign medical graduates are also eligible. Earlier, students who had finished their MBBS from colleges in Maharashtra held a clear advantage in this quota.
The framework behind the change is the Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission) Rules, 2026, notified on October 5. The notification scraps the institution-level round entirely. Even the stray vacancy rounds, which colleges used to run themselves offline, now go through the official CET Cell portal.
Why state students are upset
Medical students and parents in Maharashtra see the change as a direct hit on local chances. “The new rules are unfair because other states do not allow such an opportunity to Maharashtra candidates,” medical admission counsellor Sudha Shenoy told the Hindustan Times. “We already have limited seats, and this decision will make it more difficult for our students to secure admission.”
Shenoy said students and parents will take up the matter with the CET Cell and plan to meet medical education minister Hasan Mushrif to seek a review.
What the government says
Mushrif has said the revised rules aim to make the entry process quality-based and secure for students, and that admissions will now run on merit. The government has presented centralised counselling as a way to remove opaque campus-level allotments, where seat trading and unaccounted allocations have long been a concern. The new rules also carry strict compliance requirements. Candidates must submit full documentation before the registration period closes. Those who fail to do so, or who do not join seats allotted to them, can be barred from state-level admissions for two years.
What to do before registering
The CET Cell portal is now the single point of contact for every round, so a missed document can cost a candidate the whole cycle. Keep scanned originals of your NEET PG scorecard, MBBS degree, internship completion certificate, registration certificate and category documents ready in the prescribed format, and check each against the brochure’s list before the registration window closes. Our admission documents checklist walks through the usual paperwork for counselling registrations. Students weighing private colleges against state-run ones should also read central vs state vs private university to see how quotas, fees and reservation rules differ across institution types.
Frequently asked questions
Who can now apply for institutional quota seats in Maharashtra’s private medical colleges? Along with Maharashtra candidates, non-domicile candidates from other states and foreign medical graduates can now register for institutional quota seats in private medical institutions. Maharashtra domicile holders who completed MBBS outside the state can also apply.
How will institutional and NRI quota seats be filled for NEET PG 2026 in Maharashtra? Every seat, including institutional and NRI quotas and the stray vacancy rounds, will be filled through centralised online counselling run by the State CET Cell. Private colleges can no longer hold their own offline admission rounds.
What happens if a candidate fails to complete documentation? Candidates must submit all required documents before registration closes. Those who skip documentation or do not join allotted seats can be barred from state admissions for two years.
Frequently asked questions
Who can now apply for institutional quota seats in Maharashtra's private medical colleges?
Along with Maharashtra candidates, non-domicile candidates from other states and foreign medical graduates can now register for institutional quota seats in private medical institutions. Maharashtra domicile holders who completed MBBS outside the state can also apply.
How will institutional and NRI quota seats be filled for NEET PG 2026 in Maharashtra?
Every seat, including institutional and NRI quotas and the stray vacancy rounds, will be filled through centralised online counselling run by the State CET Cell. Private colleges can no longer hold their own offline admission rounds.
What happens if a candidate fails to complete documentation?
Candidates must submit all required documents before registration closes. Those who skip documentation or do not join allotted seats can be barred from state admissions for two years.
Sources: Hindustan Times, Shiksha, Jagran Josh