Over 400 MBBS seats remain vacant even after the special stray vacancy round; high fees prove to be a hurdle..

Due to the rising cost of medical education in the country and the exorbitant fees charged by private colleges, more than 400 MBBS seats remain vacant even after the 'special stray vacancy round' conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). A total of 948 vacant MBBS seats were included in the seat matrix for this special round; of these, only 537 seats could be allocated, leaving 411 seats unallocated.

43% of seats remained vacant
According to the available data, 57% of the total vacant seats were allocated, while 43% remained unfilled. A senior official from the Ministry of Health noted that only 60 to 70 seats had remained vacant the previous year. Despite conducting a fifth round of counselling—following Supreme Court directives, in addition to the standard four rounds—over 400 seats still remain vacant.

Exorbitant fees pose a challenge for parents
Experts believe that the steep fees charged by private medical colleges have become a major burden for students and their parents. Fees at some institutions, which were previously around ₹15 lakh, have now climbed to between ₹25 lakh and ₹30 lakh per annum. While seats in government medical colleges and reputed private institutions are filled immediately, seats in private colleges—often characterized by high fees and inadequate infrastructure—remain vacant. Officials point out that if fees continue to rise at this rate, increasing the number of seats will be pointless, as students are simply unable to afford them.

80% of candidates failed the FMGE exam
Furthermore, approximately 80% (4 out of every 5) of foreign medical graduates failed the 'Foreign Medical Graduate Examination' (FMGE), which is mandatory for practicing medicine in India. Out of the 31,539 candidates who appeared for the examination, only 9,354 passed, resulting in a total pass percentage of just 22.9%. Student organizations have expressed dissatisfaction regarding the examination pattern and the failure to properly implement the recommendations.

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