New Delhi:In significant news for medical aspirants across the country, the total number of MBBS seats in India has officially crossed the 1.36 lakh milestone, registering a solid 7 per cent growth compared to the previous year. According to the newly released data by the National Medical Commission, the available capacity has expanded to 136,939 seats across 823 medical colleges for the upcoming 2026-27 academic session. This marks a substantial increase from the 128,976 seats available across 818 colleges during the 2025-26 period, providing an additional 7,963 opportunities for engineering healthcare careers. The total institutional breakdown for this session features 441 government and 382 private medical colleges nationwide.
The complete breakdown published by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board reveals a structured seat distribution between renewed intakes and newly approved expansions. Out of the overall pool, 127,028 seats have been sustained through the renewal system, while 9,911 completely fresh seats have been added to the national grid. Government medical colleges are set to offer 63,296 total seats, consisting of 61,185 renewed and 2,111 newly introduced capacities. Meanwhile, private medical institutions hold a larger share this year with 73,643 seats, comprising 65,843 renewed and 7,800 new additions.
The detailed statistics have been formalised in the highly anticipated Seat Matrix for Undergraduate Courses released by the apex medical regulator. Crucially, this matrix excludes the intakes from Institutes of National Importance like AIIMS, JIPMER Puducherry, and PGI Chandigarh, which typically contribute about 2,900 additional spots combined. The separate availability of these premier seats brings further relief to lakhs of candidates gearing up for the competitive central and state counselling rounds.
A core driver behind this educational expansion is the approval of 25 newly established medical colleges, which collectively inject 2,400 fresh seats into the system. This includes 400 seats distributed across 7 new government setups and 2,000 seats spanning 18 new private colleges. Prominent among the newly approved institutions are Alva’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Karnataka, APS Medical College in Tamil Nadu, Sikkim Government Medical College, Sido Kanhu Medical College and Hospital in Jharkhand, and Sanskaram School of Medical Sciences in Haryana.
Regionally, Karnataka leads the country with the highest concentration of medical training spots at 15,395 seats. Uttar Pradesh follows closely with 14,000 seats, ahead of Tamil Nadu at 13,999, Maharashtra at 13,099, and Telangana rounding out the top five with 10,250 seats. Other major states include Rajasthan with 8,080 seats, Gujarat with 7,750, Andhra Pradesh with 7,465, and Madhya Pradesh offering 6,020 slots. In the northern region, Haryana provides 2,960 medical education berths, Punjab accommodates 1,850 aspirants, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh accounts for 200 seats.
