The crucial third round of counselling for Postgraduate (PG) medical seats for the 2025 academic session has been abruptly put on hold. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has decided to pause the process to revise the qualifying percentile, a move that directly impacts thousands of aspiring doctors across India.
Official Directive Halts Proceedings
The MCC has issued formal instructions to all state medical education departments and university vice-chancellors, directing them to suspend all activities related to the third round of counselling. The committee has stated that the proceedings must remain on hold until a revised official schedule is announced. This development makes it highly improbable for the third round to begin before January 15.
The delay is rooted in the committee's plan to alter the eligibility criteria. The MCC has clarified that the schedules for both the All-India Quota (AIQ) and state-level counselling will be published online only after the competent authority gives its final approval to the new qualifying percentile.
Gujarat Grapples with Significant Seat Vacancy
The postponement comes at a critical juncture, particularly for the state of Gujarat, which is confronting a substantial shortage of filled PG medical seats. The state currently has a staggering 635 postgraduate seats lying vacant.
A detailed breakdown of this vacancy reveals multiple contributing factors:
- 163 seats became vacant due to candidates who were allotted these seats failing to report and join their respective colleges.
- An additional 354 seats were already unoccupied from previous counselling rounds.
- Furthermore, approval was recently granted for 118 new PG seats, which have now been added to the pool of available vacancies.
Potential Restart and Pending Decisions
Sources close to the development indicate that if the qualifying percentile is indeed lowered, the MCC might opt to completely restart the Round 3 counselling process. This step would be taken to allow a fresh pool of candidates, who become eligible under the revised criteria, to participate and apply for the available seats.
Adding another layer to the ongoing process, the Union Health Ministry is conducting hearings until January 10. These hearings are addressing appeals from various state-run medical colleges requesting an increase in their sanctioned number of PG seats. The outcomes of these appeals could potentially alter the total number of seats available in the counselling pool.
This series of events has created a period of uncertainty for medical graduates awaiting their PG admissions. All stakeholders are now awaiting the MCC's official notification regarding the revised percentile and the new counselling schedule to understand the way forward.
