Overview
- A 12-member committee chaired by the Director General of Health Services submitted a report to the Supreme Court on November 3, 2026, recommending that NEET-PG and NEET-SS admissions use rank-based merit instead of percentile-based eligibility.
- The National Medical Commission has given in-principle approval to the shift and the Supreme Court has adjourned the case to allow petitioners time to file responses.
- The committee reported that repeated sharp cuts to qualifying percentiles in past cycles greatly increased eligible candidates and left many seats vacant, prompting the move to a system that does not rely on ad-hoc threshold changes.
- To reduce seat blocking and improve uptake, the panel proposed operational fixes such as lower fees for non-clinical seats, exemption from service bonds for some subjects, extra counselling rounds, KYC and biometric checks, and closer integration between the MCC and NMC.
- Final rules, stakeholder consultations and coordination with state counselling bodies and medical colleges are still required before any rollout, with implementation proposed from 2027 and direct effects expected for candidates and institutions during next admission cycles.