3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 10, 2026 07:15 PM IST
The Union government has approved 11,682 MBBS seats and 8,967 postgraduate (PG) seats for the academic year 2025–26, while 43 new medical colleges have been established across the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed the Rajya Sabha.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said the data was shared by the National Medical Commission (NMC). The figures include seats in medical colleges as well as institutions such as AIIMS and other Institutes of National Importance (INIs).
According to the ministry’s data placed in Rajya Sabha, India’s medical education capacity has expanded significantly in the past decade. The number of medical colleges has increased from 387 in 2014 to 818 at present. During the same period, UG (MBBS) seats rose from 51,348 to 1,28,976, while PG seats increased from 31,185 to 85,020.
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The ministry said the NMC processes applications from medical colleges every year for setting up new institutions and increasing undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) seats. Applications are submitted online and evaluated within the same academic year for which they are filed.
Assessments are carried out by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) under the NMC. The board determines the mode of inspection before granting approval. This may include verification of digital documents, Aadhaar-based attendance records, hospital management information system (HMIS) data, photographs, video feeds, or surprise physical inspections and video conferencing.
Based on the assessment, the commission issues either a Letter of Permission (LoP) or a Letter of Disapproval (LoD) in accordance with regulations governing the establishment of medical institutions and minimum standards for UG and PG courses.
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The ministry also highlighted the centrally sponsored scheme for establishing new medical colleges attached to existing district or referral hospitals, aimed particularly at underserved regions and aspirational districts. Under the scheme, 157 medical colleges have been approved in three phases with a total cost of Rs 41,332.41 crore.
Of this, the Centre’s share is Rs 26,715.84 crore, out of which Rs 23,246.10 crore has already been released, the ministry told the Rajya Sabha. The funding pattern is 90:10 between the Centre and states for northeastern and special category states, and 60:40 for other states.
The ministry added that it regularly engages with the NMC to ensure timely processing of applications and appeals related to medical seats, and that approved seat matrices are made available before the commencement of counselling.
(With PTI inputs)
