TN to Add 350 MBBS Seats in Second Round Counselling for 2025-26 Academic Year

Tamil Nadu is set to increase its medical college intake significantly this year by adding 350 MBBS seats during the second round of counselling for the 2025-26 academic session. This move follows recent approvals by the National Medical Commission (NMC), allowing two self-financing colleges and two state private universities to each add 50 seats. Additionally, three deemed universities in the state received nods to expand their MBBS intakes by 50 seats each under the same approval. With this expansion, the qualifying NEET-2025 candidates in Tamil Nadu will have greater opportunity to secure MBBS seats. Registration for the second round of counselling begins on September 16, with candidates able to fill and lock their choices between September 19 and 22. Virtual vacancies will be displayed from September 19, allotments will be announced on September 23, and results published on September 24. Admitted students are expected to join their allotted colleges by September 30. The seat increase isn’t just in private or deemed institutions; several self-financing and state private colleges are getting approval to expand, reflecting a push to improve the reach of medical education. The expansion also aims to address imbalances in medical seat availability in semi-urban and rural regions. Tamil Nadu’s total MBBS seats in the previous academic year stood at 117,750. With these additions, the state contributes significantly to the national total, which has increased to 123,700 seats for 2025-26 under the recent NMC directives. This aligns with ongoing national efforts to improve healthcare workforce capacity, especially in light of growing demand in public health services. Authorities have emphasized that the deadline for joining the allotted colleges remains strictly by end-September. For government school students, parallel counselling sessions will be held. Deemed universities and self-financing/private universities must comply with NMC regulations for intake expansion. This expansion has been welcomed by students and education activists as a step in the right direction, especially since there has been growing competition and anxiety among applicants due to limited seats in certain districts. However, some concerns remain about infrastructure readiness in colleges that are increasing seats—faculty, labs, clinical exposure, and accommodation will be areas to watch. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has also launched social welfare schemes: Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced “Anbu Karangal”, a monthly assistance scheme of ₹2,000 for orphaned children or those without parental care or whose surviving parent is unable to support them. The benefit continues until they turn 18, with more support once they seek college admission or vocational training. Around 6,082 children have been identified as beneficiaries so far. Overall, the twin announcements—adding seats and boosting welfare—underline the state government’s efforts to expand educational access and social support ahead of forthcoming health and education challenges.