New Delhi: The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), has lowered the cutoff percentile for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024 admissions. General and EWS candidates scoring 15 percentile and above, as well as SC/ST/OBC/PwD candidates scoring 10 percentile and above, are now eligible to participate in the counselling process.
In an urgent notification sent to medical colleges, MCC stated, “As per the decision taken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in consultation with the National Medical Commission (NMC), the percentile for NEET PG counselling 2024 has been reduced.”
Revised NEET PG 2024 Percentile
- General/EWS: 15th percentile and above
- SC/ST/OBC/PwD: 10 percentile and above
Previously, the cutoff was the 50th percentile for the General category, the 45th percentile for General-PwBD candidates, and the 40th percentile for SC/ST/OBC (including PwBD of SC/ST/OBC) candidates.
Delhi High Court's Role in the Decision
On January 3, 2025, the Delhi High Court approved the reduction in the percentile for subsequent rounds of NEET PG counselling for MD, MS, and DNB admissions for 2024. Justice Anish Dayal’s bench noted that the relaxation addressed the petitioners' grievances and disposed of the case.
The decision followed pleas from physically disabled medical aspirants who challenged the conversion of vacant PwD postgraduate seats to general category seats during the third round of counselling.
Earlier, petitioners highlighted that many PwD-reserved seats remained vacant after two counselling rounds due to a lack of qualified candidates. The government’s counsel informed the bench on December 30, 2024, that a decision on relaxing the percentile cutoff was under consideration and that an extension for the third counselling round might be sought.
On January 3, 2025, the Union Government confirmed its decision to reduce the cutoff percentile for MD/MS/DNB admissions. However, MCC, the National Board of Examinations (NBE), and the National Medical Commission (NMC) have yet to officially notify the revised cutoff.
Resignation Deadline Extended
Meanwhile, MCC has extended the resignation deadline for candidates allotted seats in NEET PG Round 1 or Round 2 counselling. Students can now resign with forfeiture of their security deposit until January 4, 2025, at 6:00 PM. Initially, this deadline was set for December 26, 2024.
Candidates are advised not to delay the resignation process and complete it promptly to avoid complications.
This reduction in percentile aims to fill vacant seats and ensure greater participation in postgraduate medical programs, offering a significant opportunity for aspirants.
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