Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number of vacancies at 686, followed by Puducherry with 186, officials told HT.India NewsBesides Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, vacancies in deemed universities are concentrated in Karnataka (25), Maharashtra (10) and Telangana (4), among other states. Andhra Pradesh accounts for the highest number of vacant seats in government medical colleges, with five.The special round will run from November 2 to 16.

Registration closes on November 4 at 3pm, with payment open until 6pm. Choice filling and locking will continue until 11am on November 5, followed by seat-allotment processing on November 5 and 6.

Results will be declared on November 7, and candidates must report to their allotted colleges by November 16.MCC has held additional rounds in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. This year’s counselling follows the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, which led to cancellation of the May 3 exam and a retest on June 21.Under the Directorate General of Health Services, MCC handles 15% All India Quota seats in state government colleges, all deemed-university seats and MBBS seats at central institutions such as AIIMS, JIPMER and BHU.

States handle the remaining government-college seats and counselling for private colleges affiliated with state universities.India has 140,664 MBBS seats for 2026-27, including 64,121 in government colleges and 76,543 in private institutions, according to the National Medical Commission’s seat matrix. MCC’s counselling pool comprised 27,292 seats, including 16,975 in deemed universities and 10,317 in other institutions.Concerns over high feesThe large number of vacancies in deemed universities has renewed concerns over the cost of medical education.

Annual tuition at several such institutions ranges from ₹25 lakh to ₹35 lakh. Students pay tuition for 4.5 years of the five-and-a-half-year MBBS programme, which includes a compulsory one-year internship.Dr Lakshya Mittal, chairperson of the United Doctors Front, said fee disparities were forcing even high-scoring NEET candidates to forgo seats. “In one state, MBBS fees are around ₹5 lakh, while in another state like Tamil Nadu, they are around ₹20 lakh.

Why is there such a huge difference when the education is the same?” he said, calling for fee rationalisation through an effective regulatory mechanism.Private medical colleges are generally trust- or society-run, affiliated with state universities and regulated by state fee committees. Deemed universities, granted status under Section 3 of the UGC Act, can award degrees independently and have greater fee-setting flexibility, subject to regulations.The difference can be substantial.

Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College in Perambalur, established in 2011, was previously affiliated with Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University. After obtaining deemed-university status for 2026-27, its annual MBBS tuition rose to ₹24 lakh, from earlier state-regulated fees of ₹5.4 lakh for state-quota seats and ₹16.2 lakh for management-quota seats.

Tuition for 4.5 years is estimated at ₹1.09 crore, excluding hostel and mess charges.In March 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that fees for half the seats in private medical colleges would be at par with government colleges. NMC guidelines issued that year provided for government-college-equivalent fees for 50% of sanctioned seats, with preference to candidates allotted government-quota seats.

The NMC separately directed deemed universities to implement the provisions from the 2022-23 academic session.The Association of Health Sciences Institutes, representing unaided private medical and nursing institutions in West Bengal, challenged the guidelines in 2022, arguing that fee fixation was a state-level responsibility. The Supreme Court transferred similar petitions to itself in January 2024 and admitted them for final hearing in April.

Proceedings have since been deferred.In June 2026, the Supreme Court refused to entertain an EWS medical student’s plea to reduce his ₹18.9-lakh annual fee at a private Rajasthan college, but left the broader question of the NMC’s fee-parity guidelines open.The NMC did not respond to HT’s queries. A senior official said fee fixation was ultimately a state-level matter and the recommendations had not been adopted uniformly. “Among the states, only Telangana is following the recommendations, with 50% of seats being charged at par with government medical colleges in the respective state,” the official said, requesting anonymity.Sanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance.

Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions.

His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024.

Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET.

He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read MoreRidhima Gupta is a Principal Correspondent at Hindustan Times, where she covers healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and public health policy.

Her reporting centers on Delhi’s major hospitals (AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lok Nayak), the state health department, and emerging medical trends. Ridhima is particularly interested in reporting on healthcare issues through the lens of women, children, and persons with disabilities.

Her work often explores the intersection of healthcare and public policy, examining how these factors shape access health care. Based in New Delhi, many of her reports have led to direct government action over the years, in different city.

Earlier this year, she completed a media training workshop on the Impact of Extreme Heat on Health, organised by the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), further strengthening her interest in reporting on the intersection of climate change and public health. A postgraduate from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Ridhima has around a decade of experience in journalism.

She began her career as a trainee television reporter with Mirror Now in Mumbai and has since worked across multiple cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, contributing to both print and broadcast newsrooms. She is a recipient of the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022) for her reporting on education, disability, and women’s issues.

Before joining Hindustan Times, Ridhima worked with The Times of India, New Indian Express and News18. A native of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Ridhima completed her undergraduate studies in Biotechnology.

And when she is not working as a journalist she likes to paint and go on nature hikes.Read More