Major Relief for Medical Aspirants: The Union government on Thursday informed the Supreme Court of India that it has decided to reduce the qualifying cutoff percentile for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) from the existing 50th percentile to the 30th percentile. The Supreme Court Bench led by Justice P.S. Narasimha considered the submission during proceedings on unfilled super speciality medical seats across the country.
The policy decision was reached following extensive consultations with key stakeholders to prevent high-level super-speciality seats from lying vacant and to maximize available clinical training capacity in medical institutions.
Under this revised eligibility criterion, a proposed Special Stray Vacancy Round will be conducted to fill remaining seats. Furthermore, as part of the agreement, 40 vacant in-service super-speciality seats belonging to Tamil Nadu will be returned to the state for local seat allocation.
Key Updates from NEET-SS Supreme Court Hearing
Parameter / Decision | Details |
Hearing Date | September 17, 2026 |
Supreme Court Bench Head | Justice P.S. Narasimha |
Previous Qualifying Cutoff | 50th Percentile |
New Reduced Qualifying Cutoff | 30th Percentile |
Purpose of Cutoff Reduction | Proposed Special Stray Vacancy Round |
In-Service Seats Returned to Tamil Nadu | 40 Seats |
Objectives of Lowering the Cutoff Percentile
Preventing Vacancies: Ensures specialized higher medical education seats across various disciplines do not go unutilized due to stringent initial cutoff limits.
Optimal Infrastructure Utilization: Maximizes training capacity and hospital resources in clinical super-specialty departments nationwide.
State Seat Restoration: Allows states like Tamil Nadu to reclaim reserved in-service seats for state-level medical professionals
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