The recent rounds of NEET PG counseling have revealed an unusual admission pattern in government medical colleges, where candidates secured postgraduate seats in various specialties in government institutions with exceptionally low scores.
In one of the most striking examples, an MS Orthopedics seat in a government medical college in Rohtak was allotted to a candidate who secured only 4 marks out of 800, (Representative Image/Unsplash)It has raised questions because it includes key clinical and surgical disciplines across several states.
This sharp change was particularly noted during the third round of counseling for the 2025-26 academic session, where multiple disciplines recorded seat allocation in single-digit and low double-digit scores.
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What’s going on?In one of the most striking examples, an MS Orthopedics seat in a government medical college in Rohtak was allotted to a candidate who secured only 4 marks out of 800, an NDTV report said.
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In a government medical college in Tamil Nadu, a candidate with minus 12 score was allotted a physiology seat. Meanwhile, a premier Delhi medical institution saw an obstetrics and gynecology seat allotted at number 44, while a general surgery seat was filled at number 47, the report added.
How can low scores lead to top colleges?These results followed the Union Health Ministry’s decision to significantly lower the NEET-PG eligibility thresholds for the 2025-26 academic session.
Under the revised criteria, the cut-off score for the general category has been reduced to 103 from the earlier 276, the report said.
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For SC, ST and OBC categories, the cut-off was brought down to minus 40 from the earlier score of 235, allowing candidates with extremely low – and in some cases negative – scores to qualify for counselling.
The impact was visible across disciplines. Seats were allotted 10 marks in Transfusion Medicine, 11 marks in Anatomy and even minus 8 marks in Biochemistry, especially under the Reserved and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category.
Why might low score selection be a problem?According to a PTI report, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to explain the sharp drop in the eligibility cut-off percentage for NEET-PG 2025-26.
“Then the argument would be that standards are being lowered and the counter argument is that seats are being wasted. So, there has to be a balance somewhere,” the bench observed.
Who is raising the issue?Medical bodies including Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) and Federation of Doctors Associations (FORDA) raised an issue. Second round of counselling.
In a letter addressed to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, FAIMA President Dr Rohan Krishnan said that reducing the qualifying percentage to zero sets a dangerous precedent for the future of India’s medical education system.
