The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 13,186 additional MBBS seats for the 2026-27 academic year, taking the total MBBS seats in India to 1,40,214 across 836 medical colleges. This comes at a time when the NEET UG 2026 counselling is underway. However, students should note that the final allotment will depend on the counselling process and the approved seat matrix.
Private Medical Colleges Add Most New Seats
Most of the seats have increased in Private medical colleges, as 10,400 new MBBS seats were added in 391 private medical colleges. On the other hand, 2,786 seats were added across 445 colleges.
With this increase, the total number of government MBBS seats now stands at 63,971, while private colleges account for 76,243 seats. This total number of MBBS seats has increased by 10.4 per cent from 1,27,028 seats earlier.
Karnataka Gets The Biggest MBBS Seat Increase
Karnataka has increased the most number of new MBBS seats, as it will now have 1,650 seats. The total intake now has reached 15,745 seats across 76 medical colleges. Tamil Nadu comes second with 1,250 additional seats, taking its total to 14,299. Bihar is also not far behind and added 1,240 new MBBS seats, and now the total seat count has reached 4,660. Uttar Pradesh has received 1,200 new seats, taking its tally to 14,400.
Then comes Rajasthan, which has added 1,100 new seats, and Telangana has received 1,010. West Bengal and Maharashtra have also added 975 and 550 seats respectively.
Seven States And UTs See No Increase
The latest MBBS seat matrix covers 27 states and Union Territories. However, seven regions have recorded no increase. These include Delhi, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Some states received only small additions. Himachal Pradesh added one seat, while Manipur received 25. Chandigarh, Goa, Punjab and Tripura added 50 seats each.
What The New Seats Mean For NEET UG 2026 Students
This will help NEET UG 2026 aspirants with a larger pool of MBBS seats during the ongoing counselling process. However, all students have been advised not to assume that every new seat would be available in every counselling round.
The NMC has directed counselling authorities to follow the approved seat matrix. Any discrepancy must be referred to the Medical Assessment and Rating Board. Medical colleges have also been warned against admitting students beyond their approved intake. Violations can lead to regulatory action. With the provisional Round 2 allotment process underway, the revised MBBS seat matrix could play an important role for students still waiting for a medical seat.
Sudeep Singh Rawat is a Copy Editor at NewsX Digital with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He covers national and international news, with a focus on politics, crime, technology, public affairs, and trending topics. Before joining NewsX Digital, he worked with Business Standard, The Sunday Guardian, and other digital media organisations. His reporting focuses on breaking news, enterprise stories, and explainers that inform readers through accurate, balanced, and context-driven journalism.
