NEET SS 2025 cutoff to be reduced to 30%, 40 vacant seats returned to Tamil Nadu

The Union government today, September 17, 2026, informed the Supreme Court of its readiness to reduce the qualifying percentile for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) 2025 admissions. This development comes as the Centre also agreed to return approximately 40 vacant super speciality seats to Tamil Nadu, specifically those earmarked for in-service government doctors.

The decision addresses a long-standing issue concerning a large number of unfilled super speciality medical seats, both in Tamil Nadu and across the country. The Supreme Court has been actively involved in the matter, urging the Centre to reconsider its initial stance against reducing the cut-off to ensure these critical medical positions are filled.

Centre to Reduce NEET-Ss Qualifying Percentile

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, submitted to the Supreme Court that the qualifying percentile for super speciality admissions would be reduced. While the exact quantum of this reduction has not yet been finalised, the Centre is expected to inform the apex court of its decision on September 8, 2026. This move is anticipated to benefit 111 candidates in Tamil Nadu who have been awaiting such a reduction.

The eligibility test for super-speciality admissions for the 2025-2026 academic year was completed in December 2025, with results announced in January 2026. Despite this, around 1,800 of the more than 4,000 super-specialty medical seats nationwide remained vacant even after two rounds of counselling, prompting the Supreme Court to ask the Union government to consider lowering the cutoff marks.

Vacant Seats Returned to Tamil Nadu

The Union government confirmed its willingness to revert all vacant NEET-SS seats for in-service government doctors to Tamil Nadu. This includes approximately 40 seats that remained unfilled out of 152 seats initially transferred by Tamil Nadu to the All India Quota. The Centre had agreed to return all remaining vacant seats to Tamil Nadu on September 3, 2026.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association had challenged the “premature diversion” of these 152 seats, which were earmarked for in-service government doctors under G.O. Ms. No. 462 dated November 7, 2020. Tamil Nadu had initially earmarked 219 super speciality seats for in-service candidates for the academic year 2025-2026, but after two rounds of counselling, only 68 candidates had joined, leaving 152 seats vacant.

Supreme Court’s Intervention and Ongoing Legal Issues

The Supreme Court has played a pivotal role in this matter, consistently highlighting the concern over vacant super speciality seats and their impact on public health infrastructure. On July 28, 2026, the court had directed the Tamil Nadu government to revert 151 unfilled NEET-SS seats to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) by July 29, 2026. The court also ordered the second round of NEET-SS counselling to proceed with the existing qualifying percentile, with a provision that if the percentile was reduced later, 50% of such seats would be returned to Tamil Nadu, and the remaining 50% filled by the DGHS.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association next filed an interlocutory application seeking modification of this order. Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe had previously observed that quite a few seats remaining unfilled was a compelling reason to reconsider the decision on reducing the cut-off percentile. Justice BV Nagarathna also orally observed that the cut-off for in-service candidates should be lower, emphasising their role in public health. A related plea seeking to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from surrendering 152 vacant in-service Super Speciality medical seats is next listed for consideration on July 15, 2026.

Further reading

• NEET SS Counselling 2025: Doctors Demand Additional Round for 1,700 Vacant Seats; Official Update Awaited at mcc.nic.in
• MCC NEET SS 2025 Round 2 Final Allotment Out at mcc.nic.in; Reporting by August 20
• INI CET January 2027 registration begins for postgraduate medical admissions
• NEET PG application form: eligibility, dates and how to apply
• NEET SS: complete exam guide

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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