New Delhi: In a significant move aimed at filling thousands of vacant postgraduate medical seats across the country, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has sharply reduced the qualifying percentile for NEET-PG 2025. The decision follows directions from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and is intended to widen eligibility for candidates participating in the third round of counselling.
As per the revised criteria, the qualifying percentile has been lowered across all categories, with the most drastic reduction seen in the SC, ST and OBC categories, where the cut-off has been brought down to the 0th percentile. This effectively means that candidates from these categories, even those who have secured negative marks due to negative marking—up to a score of minus 40—are now eligible to take part in the counselling process.
The general and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories have also seen a substantial relaxation, with the qualifying percentile reduced from the earlier 50th percentile to just the 7th percentile. Similarly, for candidates under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category in the general pool, the cut-off has been lowered from the 45th percentile to the 5th percentile.
Officials indicated that the unprecedented reduction reflects a shift in policy from a strictly competitive merit-based threshold to a more inclusive approach focused on ensuring that all available postgraduate medical seats are filled. Nearly 18,000 MD and MS seats reportedly remained vacant after the completion of the second round of counselling, prompting the government to intervene.
The Health Ministry has maintained that the move does not compromise basic medical competence, as all eligible candidates have already completed their MBBS degrees. Instead, the step is seen as an effort to optimise national medical resources and address the growing shortage of specialist doctors in the healthcare system.
NBEMS has clarified that the revised qualifying percentiles apply only for eligibility to participate in the counselling process and do not guarantee admission. Seat allotment will continue to depend on merit rank, choice filling and availability of seats during the subsequent counselling rounds.
The decision has sparked debate within the medical community, with some experts welcoming the move as a pragmatic solution to unfilled seats, while others have raised concerns about maintaining academic standards in postgraduate medical education.
