India proposes NEET-SS cut-off reduction to fill vacant seats

The Indian government has proposed reducing the qualifying percentile for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) from the current 50th to the 30th percentile to fill 1,857 vacant super-speciality medical seats. The proposal was submitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday, September 18, 2026, as part of ongoing proceedings. The Centre's note, filed before a bench led by Justice P.S. Narasimha, stated the decision was made after reconsidering the issue in consultation with stakeholders. The primary aim is to ensure that available super-speciality seats do not remain vacant and that training capacity in medical institutions is optimally utilised. The vacancies emerged after the second round of NEET-SS counselling, with 1,094 D.M. & M.Ch. seats and 763 D.N.B. Super Speciality seats remaining unfilled. A substantial number of these positions are in highly specialised medical and surgical disciplines. The proposed special stray vacancy round would be conducted strictly under existing rules for such rounds. A key restriction is that candidates who have already taken admission in earlier rounds would not be permitted to participate.