NEET PG counselling 2026: deemed university tag brings 1,471% fee hike

In short

Four Tamil Nadu medical colleges, recently granted deemed-university status, have increased PG medical course fees by up to 1,471%.
The MD Radiodiagnosis course at DY Patil University in Navi Mumbai is now the costliest PG course, with an overall programme cost of Rs 2.61 crore.
Twelve out of 54 deemed university medical schools participating in MCC NEET PG counselling 2026 will charge over Rs 2 crore for three-year MD/MS programmes.
The National Medical Commission warned deemed medical universities on September 12, 2026, against charging fees beyond published schedules.
The Supreme Court mandated pre-counselling fee disclosure by all private and deemed universities for NEET-PG on May 22, 2025.

The first seat allotment for the Medical Counselling Commission (MCC) NEET PG counselling 2026 is set for October 24, 2026. This counselling cycle is marked by substantial fee hikes at several private medical colleges and deemed universities, with some institutions increasing postgraduate medical course fees by up to 1,471%.

These fee increases, particularly at institutions that have recently acquired deemed-university status, have reignited discussions about the regulation of medical education costs. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has previously issued warnings regarding adherence to published fee schedules, citing Supreme Court guidelines.

Significant Fee Increases in Deemed Universities

Four medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, which were granted deemed-to-be university status this year despite opposition from the state government, have implemented fee increases for PG medical courses by almost 16 times. The fee structures for clinical branches at these four Tamil Nadu colleges now range from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 55 lakh per annum in tuition fees. For pre- and para-clinical streams (non-clinical), the annual tuition fees range from zero to Rs 15 lakh.

In Maharashtra, DY Patil University’s medical college in Navi Mumbai recorded a single-year 24% hike in its MD Radiodiagnosis fee. The MD Radiodiagnosis course at this institution is now the most expensive PG course, with an overall programme cost of Rs 2.61 crore. Across India, 12 out of 54 medical schools under deemed universities participating in MCC NEET PG counselling 2026 will charge over Rs 2 crore in overall tuition fees for their three-year MD/MS programmes. These fee figures include cumulative tuition fees for the three-year course and major one-time admission charges, but exclude hostel and mess facilities. Fees for the 15% non-resident Indian (NRI)-quota seats are significantly higher across institutes.

Category	Annual Tuition Fee (Deemed Universities)	Annual Fee (TN Fee Fixation Committee – Govt. Quota)	Annual Fee (Management Quota)
Clinical Branches	Rs 25 lakh – Rs 55 lakh	Rs 3.5 lakh	Rs 16 lakh
Pre- and Para-Clinical Streams (Non-Clinical)	Rs 0 – Rs 15 lakh	Rs 3 lakh	Rs 5 lakh

Regulatory Scrutiny and Past Trends

The National Medical Commission (NMC) Vigilance Cell issued a warning on September 12, 2026, to all Deemed Medical Universities, stating that charging fees beyond the published schedule on mcc.nic.in constitutes an infringement of Supreme Court guidelines. The NMC also indicated that additional developmental charges would attract regulatory derecognition. This follows a Supreme Court mandate on May 22, 2025, requiring pre-counselling fee disclosure by all private and deemed universities for NEET-PG. Direct complaints regarding fees can be lodged via the NMC grievance portal.

Historically, fee increases have been a recurring issue. In August 2016, MBBS course fees in Tamil Nadu’s private colleges and deemed universities increased by almost 100%. The average cost of studying MBBS at a premier college in Tamil Nadu was Rs 1.85 crore in August 2016, including up to Rs 1 crore tuition fee and Rs 85 lakh capitation fee. SRM Medical College, Chennai, for instance, saw its MBBS course fee rise to Rs 21 lakh in 2016 from Rs 9 lakh in 2014 and Rs 10 lakh in 2015.

Year	Tuition Fee
2014	Rs 9 lakh
2015	Rs 10 lakh
2016	Rs 21 lakh (includes Rs 2 lakh development fee, Rs 1 lakh curriculum fee)

Impact in Karnataka and Student Protests

Karnataka has also experienced significant fee hikes and their consequences. On February 23, 2019, private medical colleges in Karnataka reached a consensus with the state government to increase PG medical fees by 15%. Reports indicate that hefty fees for PG medical courses in Karnataka range from Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore. This has contributed to a notable number of vacant postgraduate medical seats in the state, with 2,027 seats left unfilled between 2014 and 2018, including 306 in 2018 and 1,129 in 2017.

MR Jayaram, President of the Karnataka Professional Colleges Foundation, stated, “We have made a detailed presentation explaining all our expenditure to show why a fee hike is inevitable.” Students, however, have protested against these increases. A member of the Medical Students’ Struggle Committee indicated that the committee would protest if the Karnataka State government increased fees again. Students are also protesting against the state government’s proposal to introduce Non-Resident Indian quota in government medical colleges, where NRI quota seats in private medical colleges cost between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 45 lakh.