NBEMS has lowered the NEET-PG 2025 qualifying cut-off to zero percentile for reserved categories.
The move follows over 18,000 PG medical seats remaining vacant after Round-2 counselling.
NEET-PG 2025 merit rankings remain unchanged, with admissions to continue through centralised counselling only.
The National board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has reduced the minimum qualifying percentiles for NEET-PG 2025 counselling amid an increase in the number of vacant postgraduate medical seats across the country. Officials sources from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that the cut-off for the reserved categories has been slashed to zero percentile.
This was done after seeing over 18,000 PG seats going vacant even after the completion of Round-2 counselling in government and private medical colleges throughout the country. This comes after a formal request of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to revise the qualifying cut-off on January 12, citing the urgent need to prevent seat wastage and strengthen healthcare services. The previous percentile thresholds had restricted the pool of eligible candidates despite the availability of seats.
Sources said, “The revision aims to ensure optimal utilisation of available seats, which are vital for expanding India’s pool of trained medical specialists. Leaving such seats vacant undermines national efforts to improve healthcare delivery and results in the loss of valuable educational resources.”
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The NEET-PG examination serves as a ranking mechanism that facilitates a transparent, merit-based allocation of seats through centralised counselling. It has also been clarified that there would be no changes in the NEET-PG 2025 ranking which was published earlier although the qualifying cut-off has been lowered.
The board released an official notice stating, “Eligibility is provisional and will be verified through MBBS/FMGE aggregate marks, Face ID, or biometric checks at the time of admission.”
The revised criterion reportedly will facilitate widening the pool of eligible candidates without compromising academic standards and altering merit rankings. The easing of the percentile thresholds along with retaining merit-based allocations would help strike a balance between transparency and the urgent need to strengthen India’s healthcare workforce.
With Inputs from IANS
(SY)
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