NEET-PG to Move from Percentile Cut-offs to a Rank-based Merit System: What Changes and Why
A 12-member expert committee set up by the Union government told the Supreme Court that NEET-PG (the entrance exam for MD/MS seats) should stop using a "qualifying percentile" and use a rank-based merit system instead. The same change is proposed for NEET-SS (the exam for super-speciality seats such as DM and MCh).
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved the shift "in principle". It will issue a draft regulation for public comments before making it final. Reports say the new system is planned from 2027.
The committee was formed after petitions challenged the deep cut in NEET-PG 2025-26 qualifying cut-offs. In January 2026, the General/EWS cut-off was lowered from the 50th percentile (276 marks out of 800) to the 7th percentile (103 marks). For SC/ST/OBC, it fell from the 40th percentile (235 marks) to the 0th percentile (minus 40 marks).
The committee also suggested: a floor so that candidates with very poor or negative scores are not admitted, a shorter gap between counselling rounds, lower fees for non-clinical courses, KYC or biometric checks to stop "seat blocking", and fee payment only once at final admission. Reports say it also asked states to look at gaps in stipends (monthly pay for resident doctors) between clinical and non-clinical branches.
A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe took the report on record on November 3, 2026, and gave the parties time to respond. The court has not yet ruled on the merits.
NEET-PG and Medical Postgraduate Education
NEET-PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate courses) is the single national exam that MBBS doctors take to get admission into postgraduate medical courses such as MD (Doctor of Medicine), MS (Master of Surgery) and PG Diploma. It is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which works under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Your NEET-PG rank decides which college and which branch (for example, Medicine, Surgery, Radiology or Anatomy) you can get.
Repeated cuts in the qualifying percentile, ending in a zero and negative-mark cut-off for 2025-26, led to petitions in the Supreme Court. The expert committee formed in response now proposes dropping the percentile gate for a rank-based merit list with a minimum floor, along with fee, stipend and counselling reforms.
National Medical Commission (NMC)
The National Medical Commission (NMC) is India's top regulator for medical education and medical practice. It decides how medical colleges are approved, what is taught in MBBS and PG courses, how many seats a college can have, and the rules of ethics that doctors must follow. It is a statutory body, which means it is created by a law passed by Parliament: the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. It replaced the old Medical Council of India (MCI) on September 25, 2020.
The NMC, through its PG Medical Education Regulations, sets the qualifying percentiles for NEET-PG. It has now given in-principle approval to replace the percentile gate with a rank-based merit system, and will notify a draft regulation for stakeholder comments.
- Expert committee: 12 members, set up by the Union government on the Supreme Court's direction
- Proposal: rank-based merit system for NEET-PG and NEET-SS, reportedly from 2027; no percentile to be declared
- NMC approval: in principle; draft regulation to follow for consultation
- NEET-PG 2025-26 cut-off cut (notice dated January 13, 2026): General/EWS 276 → 103 marks; General-PwBD 255 → 90 marks; SC/ST/OBC 235 → −40 marks
- More than 18,000 PG seats were vacant after round 2 of NEET-PG 2025 counselling
- Supreme Court bench: Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe; case Harisharan Devgan & Ors v. Union of India (W.P. (C) No. 136/2026)
- NEET-PG: 200 questions, 800 marks, conducted by NBEMS