CHENNAI: Counselling for MBBS and BDS admissions for the academic year 2026-2027 began on Thursday. Offline counselling was conducted for the special category and 7.5% reservation for government school students at the Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate. Health Minister KG Arunraj distributed allotment orders to students, including candidates who secured seats under the 7.5% quota.
Speaking at the event, Arunraj said all seats under the sports quota (15 seats) and the quota for wards of ex-servicemen (11 seats) were allotted; however, in the Persons with Disability (PwD) quota, of the 224 seats, just 108 seats were allotted, as only that many candidates had applied for it.
Similarly, under the 7.5% reservation for government school students, of the 641 total seats, only 614 were filled, as the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University is yet to give approval for six self-financing medical colleges. These colleges already got National Medical Commission (NMC) approval. The remaining seats under the 7.5% quota will be allotted in the second round of counselling.
Many students under the 7.5% reservation are NEET repeaters, including all top 10 rankers in the merit list released for the 7.5% quota. Many students said they attended a private coaching centre where they were charged Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3. lakh for a year.
According to the selection committee data, of the total eligible applications received for government quota seats, as many as 23,319 candidates were NEET repeaters.
Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh
Many students who preferred private coaching centres after their first attempt said that the coaching centres charged around Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh a year