NEET PG Counselling 2026: NMC releases seat matrix with over 50,000 seats

The National Medical Commission (NMC) released the seat matrix for postgraduate courses for NEET PG Counselling 2026 on September 29, 2026. The matrix, available on the NMC’s official website nmc.org.in, provides candidates with information on available postgraduate seats for the 2026-27 academic year.

Over 50,000 seats are listed across the country for various postgraduate courses, including 58,000 MD/MS seats. This represents an 11% increase from the 52,173 positions available in the previous academic year, reflecting the NMC’s ongoing effort to expand postgraduate medical education capacity.

Overview of Seat Distribution and Increase

The 2026-27 NEET PG seat matrix lists 58,000 postgraduate MD/MS seats, an increase of 5,827 seats from the 52,173 positions available in the 2025-26 academic session. Government institutions account for the largest share of these postgraduate seats, with 29,447 seats in government medical colleges, approximately 15,500 in private medical colleges, and around 7,000 in deemed universities.

Branches with increased seat allocation for 2026-27 include Anaesthesia, Ophthalmology, ENT, Pathology, Psychiatry, and Respiratory Medicine. Karnataka has the largest overall seat volume with 8,061 seats, followed by Maharashtra (6,514), Tamil Nadu (6,239), and Uttar Pradesh (5,806). A total of 10,756 colleges have been listed for admission across India in the seat matrix.

Instructions for Stakeholders and Warning Against Violations

The NMC has directed all stakeholders, including medical colleges, institutions, and counselling committees, to carefully examine the published seat matrix. Any discrepancies, errors, omissions, or inconsistencies must be brought to the notice of the President, MARB, or the Director, MARB.

Medical colleges and institutions have been warned against admitting students beyond their approved intake capacity. Such admissions will be considered a violation of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, and its regulations, potentially inviting appropriate regulatory and penal action against the defaulting institution.

Key Dates for Candidates and Counselling Process

The NEET PG result was declared on September 24, 2026, following the exam held on August 30, 2026, and a re-test conducted on September 5, 2026. The NEET PG 2026 answer key and individual candidate response sheets will be released on or after October 1, 2026. Scorecards will also be available from October 1, 2026, through the applicant login section on natboard.edu.in.

Counselling registration for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) candidates will begin on October 1, 2026. PwD candidates must visit the Primary Medical Assessment Board between October 1 and October 9, 2026, up to 5 pm. The Appellate Medical Assessment Board will conduct reassessments of PwD candidates from 10 am on October 5 through 5 pm on October 12, 2026. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) PG counselling page currently states that NMC and NBEMS seat matrices are awaited.

Further reading

• NEET PG Counselling 2026 seat matrix released: 5,827 more seats this year
• NEET PG 2026 seat matrix released with 58,000 MD/MS seats; PwD portal opens October 1
• NEET PG cutoff: previous closing ranks and marks Next step
• INI CET July 2026 session online seat allocation schedule released
• FMGE October 2026 application correction link active: edit forms by September 30
• NEET UG 2026: Uttarakhand opens Round 3 NRI quota MBBS registration until 5 October Applications open

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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