NMC Removes 150 MBBS Seat Cap, Introduces 10 Km Distance Rule Between College And Hospital

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released a notification on the official website stating that it is making the following amendments under the "Guidelines under Regulation 10 of the Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulation 2023 in short (UG-MSR 2023)”. 

The notification states that it is introducing key changes in the MBBS Seats. The changes have been officially published in the Gazette of India, making them legally valid.

The amendment modifies provisions in the UG-MSR 2023 (Undergraduate Medical Education Regulations) with the goal of making it easier for medical colleges to expand and operate efficiently.

Check Official Notification Here

No Limit on MBBS Seats

One of the biggest changes is the removal of the 150 MBBS seat cap. Earlier, medical colleges were not allowed to admit more than 150 students in MBBS courses. With this rule now deleted, colleges can increase the number of seats beyond 150, subject to approval. The notification stated, “The following objective in the UG-MSR 2023 ‘Colleges seeking an increased number of seats cannot exceed a total of 150 MBBS students from the Year 2024-25’ shall be deleted”.

Population-Based Rule Removed

The NMC has also removed the previous requirement that states maintain a ratio of 100 MBBS seats per ten lakh population. This means that seat allocation will no longer be based solely on population size, allowing for greater flexibility in the establishment and expansion of medical colleges. 

The notification stated that "The proviso under the Objective in the UG-MSR 2023 'Provided that a medical college shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population in that state/U.T.,' shall be deleted." 

Revised Distance Rule Between College and Hospital

Another important change is related to the distance between a medical college and its attached hospital. Previously, the rule required the hospital to be within 30 minutes of travel time from the college.

Now, this has been replaced with a fixed distance rule:

Maximum 10 km distance between the college and hospital

For North-Eastern and Himalayan states, the limit is 15 km

The official notification reads as "The distance between the plots of college and hospital shall have a travel time of a maximum of 30 minutes" and shall be read as"The maximum distance between the plots of college and hospital shall be 10 km, and in the case of Northeastern Region States and Himalayan States, the maximum distance between the plots of college and hospital shall be 15 Km 

What This Means

Overall, these changes are expected to increase the number of MBBS seats and facilitate the establishment and expansion of medical institutions in India. This could help to improve access to medical education while also meeting the country's growing demand for healthcare professionals.

Rise in Medical Seats

As per a Times of India (TOI) report, last year witnessed around 22.76 lakh registrations competing for nearly 1.29 lakh MBBS seats across the country, highlighting the extremely high level of competition among medical aspirants.

The report further notes that, according to sources in the National Medical Commission (NMC), there has been a sharp increase in applications for starting new MBBS courses, as well as proposals from existing medical colleges seeking permission to expand their intake capacity.

“There will be a substantial increase in seats. The exact numbers are likely to be announced in the coming days,” a source told The Times of India.

Published on: Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 04:04 PM IST