The National Medical Commission (NMC) has revised the MBBS seat matrix for the 2026-27 academic session, taking the total number of approved undergraduate medical seats in the country to 1,40,664. The updated matrix includes 13,636 additional MBBS seats across government and private medical colleges. The revised seat matrix, notified by the NMC's Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), covers 839 medical colleges across India. It excludes seats at Institutes of National Importance (INIs). Of the total seats, 64,121 are in government medical colleges and 76,543 are in private institutions. The latest update comes as the NEET UG 2026 counselling process progresses. The NMC has asked medical colleges to admit students only against the seats approved and notified in the revised matrix. According to the revised matrix, 3,850 of the additional MBBS seats come from 41 newly established medical colleges. This includes 13 government medical colleges with 850 seats and 28 private medical colleges accounting for 3,000 seats. The remaining increase comes from higher intake approved for existing medical colleges through the regulatory and appeal process. The NMC said the matrix may be revised further depending on decisions taken by the relevant appeal committees or other competent authorities. Among states, Karnataka has recorded the highest increase, with 1,650 additional MBBS seats. Tamil Nadu follows with 1,250 seats, while Bihar has added 1,290 seats. Uttar Pradesh has 1,200 additional seats and Rajasthan 1,100. West Bengal has added 1,025 MBBS seats, taking its total to 7,400. Telangana has 1,060 additional seats, taking its total to 10,500. Maharashtra's total stands at 13,399 seats after an increase of 700. NMC Warns Colleges Over Admissions Beyond Approved Intake The NMC has directed all medical colleges to ensure that admissions for the 2026-27 academic session are made strictly against the seats approved in the updated MBBS seat matrix. The regulator has also indicated that the current matrix is not necessarily final and may undergo further changes based on decisions by competent authorities. For NEET UG 2026 candidates participating in counselling, the revised matrix is therefore an important reference for checking the latest seat availability across medical colleges. The Medical Counselling Committee's Round 3 registration is currently underway, with seat allotment scheduled for September 30, according to the latest counselling update. Lakshima Sareen is a Senior Copy Editor with the Digital Education Desk at Times Now, specialising in education news, exam updates, and policy reporti... View More