Is India lowering the NEET-PG cut-off to keep hospitals running?

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences has sharply reduced the qualifying cut-off for NEET-PG 2025 admissions across all categories, triggering strong resistance from sections of the medical community. The move allows candidates with extremely low, even negative, scores to participate in further counselling rounds for postgraduate medical seats.

As per the revised criteria, the general category cut-off has been lowered from the 50th percentile to the 7th percentile, while SC, ST and OBC candidates now face a zero percentile threshold. Persons with benchmark disabilities have a qualifying cut-off of the 5th percentile. The decision was taken after the second round of counselling, with over 18,000 postgraduate seats reportedly remaining vacant nationwide.

Medical associations have termed the decision “unprecedented and illogical,” warning that it could severely compromise the quality of postgraduate medical education and patient care. Doctors’ bodies have argued that allowing candidates with negative marks to qualify undermines the credibility of NEET-PG, a national-level examination regarded as a key benchmark for producing future specialists.

In letters to the Union Health Minister, organisations representing doctors expressed concern that the revised cut-off sets a dangerous precedent by prioritising seat occupancy over merit. They cautioned that diluted entry standards could directly impact patient safety, particularly in government and teaching hospitals that serve vulnerable populations.

Officials, however, have defended the move, stating that the revision aims to ensure optimal utilisation of available seats and strengthen healthcare delivery by expanding the pool of trained specialists. They have maintained that admissions will remain merit-based through centralised counselling and that academic standards will not be diluted, even as eligibility has been broadened.