NMC Updates MBBS Seat Matrix 2026-27: 450 New Seats, 3 More Colleges Added, Total Crosses 1.4 Lakh

Overview

The National Medical Commission (NMC), through its Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), has once again revised the MBBS Seat Matrix for the Academic Year 2026-27. The latest update, issued via a Public Notice dated 21st September 2026 (reflecting approvals as on 18th September 2026), adds 450 new MBBS seats and brings 3 additional medical colleges into the matrix — pushing the total number of MBBS seats in India to 1,40,664, across 839 medical colleges.

This is not a one-time revision — the seat matrix for this academic session has already been updated multiple times as new colleges receive approval and existing institutions get permission to raise their intake, and this latest notice reflects the most current figures available for NEET UG 2026 counselling.

Type

• This is an official update to the NMC MBBS Seat Matrix, applicable nationwide for the 2026-27 academic session.

• It excludes Institutes of National Importance (INIs) such as AIIMS, JIPMER, and PGIMER, which are governed separately.

• The matrix reflects seats approved through MARB, the 1st Appeal Committee–NMC, and the 2nd Appeal Committee–MoH&FW, meaning it consolidates decisions from multiple levels of review.

State / Authority

• Issued under the authority of the Government of India, through the National Medical Commission.

• The matrix directly governs how many MBBS seats each recognised medical college can offer for admission through NEET UG 2026 counselling, conducted by the MCC and respective state counselling authorities.

Provider

• Released by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of NMC, in continuation of earlier Public Notices dated 14th July 2026 and 10th September 2026.

• The notice was communicated to all medical colleges and institutions by Dr. Raghav Langer, NMC Secretary.

• The Commission has clarified that the enclosed matrix remains subject to further revision, depending on decisions from the Appeal Committees or any other competent authority.

Key Highlights of This Update

• 450 new MBBS seats added, taking the national total from 1,40,214 seats (across 836 colleges) to 1,40,664 seats (across 839 colleges) — a rise of exactly 3 colleges.

• Of the total 1,40,664 seats, 1,27,028 are renewed seats (unchanged from the previous update) and 13,636 are increased-intake seats — up from 13,186 in the prior version of the matrix.

• Government medical colleges now account for 64,121 seats, made up of 61,185 renewed seats and 2,936 increased seats.

• Private medical colleges account for the remaining 76,543 seats, meaning private-sector seats continue to outnumber government seats nationally.

How This Fits Into the Broader 2026-27 Seat Expansion

This 450-seat addition is the latest in a series of upward revisions to the seat matrix this year. Earlier in the cycle, the original NEET UG 2026 seat matrix reflected around 1,36,939 seats, including roughly 63,296 Government and 73,643 Private MBBS seats — itself a jump of nearly 9,911 seats over the previous year's figures. Since then, the matrix has been revised further, including a mid-September update that pushed the total past 1.4 lakh seats for the first time. This latest 450-seat, 3-college addition builds directly on that trajectory, reflecting NMC's continued approval of new colleges and additional intake capacity even after the counselling process is well underway.

Why This Matters for NEET UG Candidates

Every time NMC revises the seat matrix mid-cycle, it has a direct, practical effect on ongoing counselling:

• More seats generally means improved chances for candidates in later rounds — Round 2, Round 3, and Stray Vacancy rounds typically benefit most from these additions, since newly approved seats often enter the pool after earlier rounds have already been conducted.

• Choice-filling deadlines can shift when the seat matrix changes significantly, as counselling authorities sometimes extend windows to let candidates factor in newly available options.

• Cutoffs in the affected colleges and states can move, since additional seats change the supply-demand balance for that specific institution or region.

• Candidates should always verify their preferred college's current approved seat count against the latest matrix before finalising choices, since seat numbers approved earlier in the year may no longer reflect the current, updated figure.

What Candidates Should Do

1. Check the latest NMC seat matrix directly rather than relying on earlier versions or third-party summaries, since figures have changed multiple times this year.

2. Track your state's MCC or state counselling authority notices for any resulting changes to round schedules or choice-filling windows.

3. Re-verify seat availability at colleges you're targeting, especially if you had shortlisted them earlier in the counselling cycle, since intake numbers may have increased since then.

For the official notice and the complete updated seat matrix, candidates should check the "What's New" section of the National Medical Commission's official website.