NEET UG 2023: Competition for medical seats in Maharashtra likely to get tougher as 1.3 lakh qualify exam

“There will be a tough competition to grab the medical seats as the number of students who have qualified NEET is significantly higher this year," said Brijesh Sutaria, a parent.

NEET, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, mumbai medical seats, Mumbai news, Maharashtra, Indian Express, current affairs

“The government had announced the construction of medical colleges at 14 locations. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has already carried out inspections for colleges in Ratnagiri and Parbhani, and the applications are in process,” said Sutaria.

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

The competition for admission to medical colleges is going to be tougher this year as a higher number of students have qualified the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)–results of which were declared late Tuesday night–but there has been no significant change in the number of medical seats available as that of last year.

In Maharashtra, a total of 131,008 students have qualified the national entrance test, much higher than the 79,974 students who had qualified last year. After Uttar Pradesh, which has the highest number of students qualifying for NEET at 139,961, Maharashtra stands second among the state with the highest number of qualified students.

NEET UG 2023 | Majority of top 50 rankers relied on coaching; only one chose self-study

“There will be a tough competition to grab the medical seats as the number of students who have qualified NEET is significantly higher this year,” said Brijesh Sutaria, a parent.

Sudha Shenoy, another parent, said, “This year, there is not much gap in scores of ranks. For example, Maharashtra has All India Ranks of 7 and 27 but there is little difference in their percentile score. This is seen in almost all ranks. Due to this, many students have gotten lower ranks because even if their scores are good, many students are falling in the bracket of good scorers. For example, if a candidate secured the 1000th rank last year with X score, their rank may be 1,200 this year with the same score. This is definitely going to lead to high cut-offs in colleges.”

However, the high number of NEET qualifiers is unlikely going to make any significant changes on the number of medical seats that will be made available this year. Last year, Maharashtra had a total of 10,345 seats for MBBS and dentistry combined, including government as well as private colleges.

NEET UG 2023 Toppers | AIR 1 | AIR 3 | AIR 4| AIR 5 | AIR 8 | AIR 7 | AIR 10 | AIR 11 | Overall result | Twins from Kashmir | Tie-breaker | Analysis

Story continues below this ad

Meanwhile, the NMC has issued a revised notification about change in lower-age criteria. In the graduate medical education regulations 2023 gazette declared earlier, the lower age criterion was that candidates should have completed the age of 17 years as on or before January 31 of the year that the candidate appears for the NEET- UG examination.

However, after many candidates flagged the error in date, the date to be taken into consideration for the lower-age mark has been changed to December 31, with an amendment.

Pallavi Smart

Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra. Expertise Senior Role: As a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, her designation reflects her seniority, specialized knowledge, and the editorial rigor applied to her reporting. Core Authority & Specialization: Pallavi Smart is the definitive voice for Education news in the region. Her coverage scope is comprehensive: Policy and Regulatory Changes: Reports on major shifts in educational policy, including the restructuring of entrance exams (e.g., MHT-CET adopting the JEE Main model), the draft regulatory framework for coaching classes, and revised teacher recruitment processes. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Provides in-depth reporting on prestigious institutes like IIT Bombay and TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), covering institutional initiatives, administrative debates (e.g., renaming IIT Bombay), and student welfare programs (e.g., mandatory mental health courses). Teachers and Eligibility: Covers crucial issues affecting the teaching fraternity, such as the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers and related controversies and application numbers. Student Welfare & Rights: Focuses on issues concerning students, including the rollout of government scholarships, the financial strain on schools due to midday meal reimbursement delays, and instances of child rights violations (e.g., the Powai studio hostage crisis). Admissions and Vacancy: Tracks the outcome of centralized admission processes (e.g., MBBS, BPharm) and analyzes vacancy concerns, providing essential data-driven insights for parents and students. Credentials & Trustworthiness Dedicated Beat: Her consistent focus on the "KG to PG" education beat allows her to develop unparalleled subject matter knowledge, ensuring her reports are accurate, detailed, and contextualized. Proactive Reporting: Her articles frequently break news on policy and institutional planning, providing the public with timely, essential information about a sector that directly impacts millions of families. She tweets @Pallavi_Smart ... Read More