Total MBBS seats in India stand at 1,18,148 as per the NMC data (2024), divided among three main institution types – government, private, and deemed. In the 2025 Union Budget, the Government of India proposed adding 10,000 more seats, which could raise the total to 1,28,148, however, these counting of seats are yet to be confirmed by the NMC.
Determining total MBBS seats in India is a big deal for medical aspirants in India. Finding seats in the medical institutes of India is a huge challenge for the Indian medical aspirants who want to pursue the MBBS program. But the road to the next phase is not easy because the competition and economic conditions are not aligned with what the aspirants are aiming for. Among a lakh of these aspirants are choosing to study MBBS abroad because it is relatively easy and offers international exposure on a relatively similar scale to what is currently being offered in India.
We will discuss further in more depth while discussing the total MBBS seats in India as well.
The MBBS seats in India have been increased from the last year of count. The government will be adding more capacity for new seats to allow more medical aspirants to join and study the MBBS. This announcement was made by the minister of finance during the Annual Budget 2025. It is important to note that the number of seats available for students is not official at this point, but it is possible that the number of seats will increase. However, this brings the total MBBS seats in India to 1,18,190, while PG seats are at 74,306.
According to the official figures of the National Medical Commission (NMC), the total MBBS seats in India 2024 are 1,18,148 for all institutions. There are a total of 780 colleges in India which are offering both undergraduate degrees and postdoctoral programs for students in both majors. These total seats are allotted to each institution by the National Medical Commission. Let’s get a closer look into how these are allocated for each institution type.
Among the total MBBS seats in India, a majority of seats are allocated to government colleges and universities. According to the latest figures from the NMC, total government MBBS seats in India are about 55,000 in all of 386 government colleges.
There are a total of 335 private colleges in India that have a higher level of academic and technical education than the government, but they are also very expensive compared with government colleges. The total number of seats in private colleges in India is currently about 48,990.
The total MBBS seats in India for deemed colleges have increased to over 10,000. These seats are available in more than 50 colleges (59 as per the latest data from the sources).
To get an MBBS admission in India and secure the seats in a medical institution for medical aspirants begins with the NEET exam, which is a requirement for admission and further education and/or starting the career path for medical professionals in India (including the medical graduates from a foreign university). We will talk about the required scores in the exam for securing admission to a medical college, but first, we must understand how many total MBBS seats in India are available for students taking the NEET exam.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) oversees the exam for different types of tests and has been involved with the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education in India. The NTA has certain criteria to ensure students are going to get a seat as per their merit, keeping a fair balance between their academic performance and the academic standards of the NEET system. The criteria for determining how many marks are required in NEET for MBBS students are based upon the following criteria:
There are different sets of requirements in India to determine how a student will secure a seat and get admission to any institution of higher learning to pursue the MBBS. The government has a different requirement for the NEET score than the minimum marks required in NEET for MBBS in private colleges.
To secure seats for pursuing MBBS, the government colleges require an average of 550+ NEET scores per year. The total government MBBS seats in India are available for students who qualify in the following categories:
Total MBBS seats in India for private medical colleges stand at 48,990 count. To distribute these MBBS seats among the MBBS aspirants in India at the private colleges, the minimum marks required in NEET for MBBS in private colleges are in the following range:
Admissions in low-tier colleges based on the NEET cutoffs also depend on management and NRI admission quotas. In addition to this, the aforementioned general range of NEET scores for admission to private colleges in India is an exception for a few cases where the requirement for admission has a higher NEET cutoff for private colleges. This includes states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, along with Jamia Milia Islamia college in Delhi.
Total MBBS seats in India for deemed colleges are the lowest among all the three different types of institutions offering admission to pursue an MBBS in India. However, these are autonomous institutions, centralised by the central government but operating entirely independently. The average NEET cutoff required for admission to deemed colleges in India is 200 or higher.
There are a limited number of seats available for lakh of students who qualify for the NEET exams in India. On average, 20-24 lakh students in India register for NEET every year, among which only about 8-13 lakh students qualify for admission. However, do each of these students secure a seat for themselves among the total MBBS seats in India? Not every student gets an MBBS seat in a public university (the most affordable and demanding choice).
Considering the cost of MBBS in India at the private and deemed colleges, about 25-30 thousand students choose to study MBBS abroad. Since there are many top universities which are approved by India’s NMC, Indian medical aspirants can comfortably get an MBBS degree from a foreign university, and after clearing the FMGE in India, they can practice medicine in India.
If you wish to learn more about how you can pursue an MBBS in different countries, get in touch with a professional at Education Vibes. Register now to get started!
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