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MBBS Admission 2026: The National Testing Agency (NTA) recently released the results for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2026. Prior to this, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had already released the MBBS seat matrix, indicating an increase in MBBS seats for the current year. Candidates are now anticipating the commencement of MBBS admission counseling. It is expected that All India Quota counseling will begin in August, followed by the State Quota counseling process. Consequently, candidates are keenly focused on the availability of MBBS seats in government medical colleges.

In this context, let us explore the cutoff scores required for General category candidates to secure an MBBS seat in a government medical college. We will also examine the changes observed in the NEET UG qualifying marks this year and how experts are interpreting them.

What score is required for a government medical college?
Regarding the score needed to secure a seat in a government medical college through NEET UG 2026, TV9 Bharatvarsh Digital spoke with Nabin Karki, a director at a private NEET coaching institute. NEET expert Nabin Karki notes that while the NEET UG re-exam paper was difficult this time, the qualifying score has increased.

The NEET UG 2026 qualifying score stands at 213, which is higher than in previous years. He explains that this will impact admissions to MBBS seats in government medical colleges. For instance, the cutoff for General category candidates seeking admission via the All India Quota could be around 565. This means that General category candidates scoring 565 marks in NEET UG 2026 could secure an MBBS seat in a government medical college. Meanwhile, under the State Quota, General category candidates might secure an MBBS seat in a government medical college with a score of 539. It is important to note that cutoff marks vary by state under the State Quota system.

NEET UG 2026 Expert
What did the expert say about the NEET UG score? Increase of Over 9,000 MBBS Seats
The National Medical Commission (NMC) recently released the MBBS seat matrix for the 2026-27 academic session, under which admissions will be granted to a total of 136,939 MBBS seats. These seats are distributed across 823 medical colleges, including four newly opened ones. In the previous session, counseling was conducted for admission to 128,875 MBBS seats across 819 medical colleges.

Two Types of Counseling for MBBS Admission
While various counseling processes take place for MBBS admissions in the country, they primarily fall into two categories: All India Quota counseling and State Quota counseling. Each state organizes its own counseling process, resulting in multiple state-level counseling sessions. Let us understand these counseling processes in detail.

All India Quota Counseling: Counseling for the All India Quota is conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Based on this counseling, MBBS seats are allocated in central medical colleges such as AIIMS and JIPMER. Additionally, 15 percent of the MBBS seats in state medical colleges are allocated through the All India Quota counseling process.

State Quota Counseling: The second type of counseling for MBBS admissions is known as State Quota counseling. This is organized by the respective state's Directorate of Health Services or an associated agency. Each state government conducts its own separate counseling process. Through this counseling, admissions are granted to 85 percent of the MBBS seats in state government medical colleges.

Four Rounds of Counseling for MBBS Admission
Four rounds of counseling are conducted for admission to MBBS seats. This four-round structure applies to the counseling processes for both the All India Quota and the State Quota. Let us understand what happens in each round of counseling.

First Round of Counseling: In the first round, candidates must first register. This is followed by the choice-filling process. Seat allocation is carried out based on these choices. Candidates can accept admission to the allocated seat, opt to upgrade the seat if they are not satisfied, or freeze the seat while still participating in the subsequent round.

Second Round of Counseling: The second round of counseling involves the allocation of seats remaining after the first round of MBBS counseling.

Mop-up Round Counseling: The mop-up round is also referred to as the third round of counseling. It is conducted to fill seats that remain vacant after the first and second rounds.

Stray Round Counseling: Stray round counseling is conducted to fill seats that remain vacant after the mop-up round. In many instances, admission is granted in this round even with very low scores.

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