The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 13,186 additional MBBS seats for the 2026-27 academic year, taking the total approved undergraduate medical intake to 1,40,214 seats across 836 medical colleges, excluding seats at Institutes of National Importance (INIs). The updated seat matrix, as of September 1, includes permissions for new medical colleges and increases in the annual intake of existing colleges. The total approved intake has increased from 1,27,028 renewed seats to 1,40,214, representing an increase of about 10.4%.

The expansion comes as NEET-UG counselling for the 2026-27 MBBS batch is underway. The counselling schedule has pushed back the start of the academic session, with subsequent rounds, including the stray vacancy round, expected to continue into October. Private Colleges Account for Nearly 79% of New Seats The increase is largely driven by the private…