NMC relaxes eligibility criteria for MBBS admission

AHMEDABAD: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently introduced changes to its rules, particularly regarding eligibility criteria for undergraduate medical courses. According to a notification issued on June 2, the minimum requirement for MBBS admission, which was previously a 50% score in Class 12 science results, has been removed. Now, students who have passed their Class 12 exams can secure admission in medical undergraduate courses based solely on their NEET-UG score.
However, for dental, ayurvedic, homeopathic, and nursing courses, the eligibility criterion of 50% in Class 12 science results still applies, as these courses fall outside the purview of the NMC. Admission to these courses is conducted by state-level admission committees, regulated by respective councils at the Centre. It is worth noting that the physiotherapy course is currently the only exception, as it allows students who passed Class 12 without requiring a minimum score of 50%.
The removal of the 50% minimum score criterion for MBBS admissions by the NMC may result in a preference for MBBS courses, potentially leaving many seats vacant in other branches. In the state, there are 12 dental colleges with 1,200 seats, 40 ayurvedic colleges with 2,700 seats, 42 homeopathic colleges with 4,000 seats, nursing colleges with 25,000 seats, and 65 physiotherapy colleges with 5,300 seats.
Sources indicate that this year, 42,986 students have passed the Class 12 science exams under Group B. Among these students, around 17,000 have secured less than 50% marks. If the state admission committees do not revise the minimum 50% marks criteria, a significant number of seats may remain vacant.