NEET UG 2026: two colleges move Supreme Court as 837 MBBS seats stay vacant
By TUF News Desk · Published 10 November 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Two medical colleges have gone to the Supreme Court asking for the NEET UG 2026 qualifying percentile to be lowered. Hundreds of MBBS seats are still empty after every round of counselling, and the colleges say a lower cut-off would let more candidates take them.
The petitioners are Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute and Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute. They have filed against the Union of India, the Directorate General of Health Services, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and the National Medical Commission (NMC).
The matter came up before Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Alok Aradhe on November 5. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the colleges, pointed to Clause II(b) in chapter 8 of the NEET UG 2026 information bulletin, which lets the competent authority reduce the required percentile. The court has not ordered any cut. It has issued notice, and the respondents are expected to reply when the matter is heard next on November 16.
837 seats still empty after the last round
MCC data shows 3,426 MBBS seats were vacant after the third round of all-India counselling this year, against 802 at the same stage last year. Even after the stray vacancy round, 837 MBBS seats remained unfilled.
The special stray vacancy round did not clear the backlog. MCC’s provisional allotment list recorded 537 MBBS allotments against 946 reported vacancies, with 208 BDS and 66 BSc Nursing allotments taking the total to 811.
This is not the first time the demand has been raised. In October, DMK MP P Wilson wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for the same relief, pointing out that 4,068 seats in all were lying vacant. The number of candidates who qualified fell from 12,36,531 in 2025 to 11,21,185 in 2026, Wilson noted. The Supreme Court had dismissed a petition by students seeking the same relief, he said, but the decision to relax the percentile rests with the Union government.
The bulletin itself gives the government that room. It says the government, in consultation with the NMC, can lower the minimum qualifying marks for a particular academic year where not enough candidates qualify. The government has done this before, cutting the percentile by 10 points for NEET PG 2023, NEET Super Speciality 2026 and NEET MDS 2026.
Fees are the sticking point
The vacancies are concentrated in private colleges. Of the 837 MBBS seats left after the final round, 824 were in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where annual MBBS fees run from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh.
Colleges have started cutting fees to fill seats. Deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and private institutions in Rajasthan offered concessions during the later stages of counselling. One aspirant got a 40 percent cut in annual tuition at a deemed university in Tamil Nadu, from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Another student received a Rs 4.5 lakh concession on a Rs 94.5 lakh course fee at a self-financed college in Rajasthan.
Maharashtra reported 138 MBBS and BDS seats vacant after six rounds of centralised counselling, 84 MBBS and 54 BDS. The state ended institution-level counselling this year and routed all admissions through the CET Cell after complaints of admission denial and excessive fee demands in college-level rounds.
What happens on November 16
The next hearing is on November 16. Until then, nothing changes for candidates. The qualifying percentile stays as it is, and no fresh round has been announced. Students hoping for a fresh round should keep their admission documents ready.
Candidates should also be careful about what they read online. In October, MCC warned that a notice circulating on social media claiming the percentile had already been cut was fake, and said no such decision had been taken. The committee said mcc.nic.in is its only website, and any genuine update will appear first on the official MCC portal.
Frequently asked questions
Has the Supreme Court lowered the NEET UG 2026 qualifying percentile?
No. The court has only issued notice to the Union government, the DGHS, the MCC and the NMC. The matter is listed for hearing on November 16.
How many MBBS seats are still vacant after NEET UG 2026 counselling?
837 MBBS seats remained unfilled after the stray vacancy round. After the third round, 3,426 MBBS seats were vacant, against 802 at the same stage last year.
What is Clause II(b) of the NEET UG 2026 bulletin?
It is the provision in chapter 8 of the information bulletin that lets the competent authority reduce the minimum qualifying percentile for an academic year where not enough candidates qualify.
Where should candidates check for genuine updates on the percentile?
On the official MCC portal, mcc.nic.in. The MCC has warned that a notice circulating on social media about a percentile cut was fake.
Frequently asked questions
Has the Supreme Court lowered the NEET UG 2026 qualifying percentile?
No. The court has only issued notice to the Union government, the DGHS, the MCC and the NMC. The matter is listed for hearing on November 16, and the percentile stays unchanged until a decision is taken.
How many MBBS seats are still vacant after NEET UG 2026 counselling?
837 MBBS seats remained unfilled after the stray vacancy round. After the third round of all-India counselling, 3,426 MBBS seats were vacant, against 802 at the same stage last year.
What is Clause II(b) of the NEET UG 2026 bulletin?
It is the provision in chapter 8 of the information bulletin that lets the competent authority reduce the minimum qualifying percentile for an academic year where not enough candidates qualify.
Where should candidates check for genuine updates on the percentile?
On the official MCC portal, mcc.nic.in. The MCC has warned that a notice circulating on social media about a percentile cut was fake.
Sources: Careers360, The New Indian Express