The National Medical Commission (NMC) has officially integrated over 170 newly approved postgraduate medical seats into the ongoing counselling system as of January 24, 2026. Following successful appeals by various medical colleges, these MD and MS seats are now available for choice filling in Round 3. This update ensures that aspirants can access expanded clinical vacancies without waiting for individual Letters of Permission.

As of January 24, 2026, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has taken a decisive step to maximize seat utilization for the current academic session. The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) has issued a public notice confirming that additional postgraduate seats, granted through the First Appeal Committee, must be integrated into the counselling software immediately. This move ensures that the revised seat matrix reflects the most current data, providing a significant boost to candidates participating in the third round of admissions.

• Bypassing Administrative Delays: In a shift from standard protocol, the commission has directed that authorities need not wait for individual Letters of Permission (LoPs) to include these seats in the system.
• Specialty Distribution: The newly added seats cover a wide range of high-demand clinical branches, including General Medicine, Radio Diagnosis, and Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
• Appeal Success: These vacancies were created after various medical colleges successfully challenged previous assessment decisions, leading to an expansion of their authorized intake capacity.
• Legal Validity: The NMC has clarified that the official list uploaded on its portal serves as a legally valid document for all state and central allotment processes.

Impact on Round 3 Vacancy and Candidate Eligibility

The integration of these additional seats comes at a crucial time as the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) prepares the final seat matrix for Round 3. This expansion is expected to alter the cutoff trends, particularly for students who were previously on the borderline for clinical specialties. By increasing the total intake across 22 medical colleges, the government aims to reduce the number of vacant seats that often remain at the end of the traditional admission cycle.

• Increased Options: Candidates now have access to 171 more opportunities in the MD/MS streams than were available during the second round of the counselling process.
• Geographic Spread: The additional seats are distributed across multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, benefiting students in both the All India and State quotas.
• Revised Cutoffs: With the recent reduction in the qualifying percentile, this expansion further ensures that a larger pool of eligible doctors can secure a specialized residency.

Branch-Wise Breakdown of Newly Integrated PG Seats

Conclusion

The 2026 postgraduate admission cycle is witnessing a high level of administrative flexibility aimed at strengthening India’s medical workforce. By integrating these seats directly into the counselling portals, the NMC is ensuring that the system remains responsive to the needs of both institutions and aspirants. This proactive approach prevents the loss of valuable training spots due to procedural timelines. As the final rounds of the system proceed, the focus remains on ensuring that these additional resources are utilized to their full potential, ultimately leading to a higher number of specialists entering the healthcare sector by the end of the spring.