3 min readNew DelhiJul 16, 2026 10:21 AM IST
Private medical colleges have added far more seats than government colleges this year, with Karnataka alone accounting for the single largest increase among all states and emerging as the state with the highest number of medical seats in the country.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) declared the seat matrix for medical undergraduate (UG) admissions on Wednesday, even as the re-NEET result remains awaited. India now has 1,36,939 seats in government and private medical colleges for the academic year 2026-27.
According to the NMC, there are now 63,297 in government colleges and 73,643 in private colleges, an increase of 7913 seats over last year. But experts say the actual increase is higher, potentially crossing 9,911 seats, as several colleges had not started operations last year while awaiting regulatory approvals from their respective states.
Private medical colleges recorded a higher jump, compared to their government counterparts (NMC data)
Compared with last year’s seat matrix, the increase in MBBS seats has been far sharper in private medical colleges than in government institutions. Government medical colleges have added 1,739 seats, taking the total from 61,558 last year to 63,297 this year. In contrast, private medical colleges have added 6,175 seats, with the total rising from 67,468 to 73,643.
Karnataka has recorded the largest increase in MBBS seats, with the total rising from 13,944 last year to 15,395 this year. It has also retained its position as the state offering the highest number of medical seats in the country.
Among other states witnessing a significant increase in the number of seats available this year, compared to last year, are Tamil Nadu (949 seats increased), Rajasthan (750), Telangana (710), West Bengal (701), and Uttar Pradesh (575). Even as Maharashtra is among those states having a significant number of seats for medical UG courses, this year only 275 seats have increased.
State-wise growth of medical seats (NMC data)
However, this increase in the number of seats may not automatically mean that the seats are available for admission this year. Medical admissions counsellor from Mumbai, Sudha Shenoy, explained, “Although NMC approval is granted, which is why these seats are included in its seat matrix, they also require approval from concerned regulatory bodies in their respective states, for example, in Maharashtra, each medical college will require approval from the Maharashtra University of Health Science (MUHS), along with NMC approval.”
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She continued, “Last year, too, some of the seats from NMC’s seat Matrix remained unavailable eventually at the time of admissions due to pending approval from the respective state authorities. This is the reason why, despite the comparison of figures on paper showing that merely 7913 seats have increased, the actual increase is more than 9000 seats.”
States such as Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Maharashtra each have more than 10000 seats. Whereas North Eastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland have the lowest number of seats, with each offering merely 100 seats in medical UG courses. Other states with fewer than 500 seats for medical UG education include Chandigarh (200), Goa (250), and Manipur (250).