What does the Centre’s latest decision on NEET-SS seats entail? | Explained

The story so far: On September 17, 2026, th e Union government agreed to the Supreme Court’s suggestion of reducing the qualifying percentile for the 2025 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) from 50% to 30%. Following this, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has commenced a stray round from September 25 to fill the remaining 1,857 vacant seats. The Centre also agreed to give the 40 vacant in-service seats in Tamil Nadu back to the State.

The NEET-SS is the only entrance examination for admission to DM (Doctorate of Medicine), MCh (Master of Chirurgiae), and DrNB (Doctorate of National Board) super-speciality courses in India. It is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), an autonomous body under the Union Health Ministry. There are over 7,000 seats in the country, with around 15,000 applicants every year.