CHENNAI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 50 additional MBBS seats for Tamil Nadu, marking the state’s first gain in government medical college seats in five years. The seats have been allocated at Government Medical College and Hospital in Namakkal and the Government Medical College and Hospital in Tiruppur from the 2026-27 academic year.
The approval raises the annual intake at both colleges from 100 to 150 seats and takes the total number of MBBS seats across the State's 36 government medical colleges to 5,150, reinforcing Tamil Nadu's position as one of the country's largest providers of publicly funded medical education.
The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the NMC issued the Letters of Permission to both institutions on July 10 under the provisions of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. Both colleges are affiliated with the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.
DME officials said the State is also awaiting approval for an additional 50 seats at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Tiruvallur, which would further expand the intake if sanctioned before the commencement of admissions.
The latest approvals mark the first enhancement in government MBBS capacity since 2021, when the then AIADMK government established 11 new government medical colleges across the State.
Later that year, Coimbatore Medical College received the approval for 50 additional seats. Since then, there has been no increase neither in the number of government medical colleges nor their sanctioned intake.
Officials said the expansion would strengthen clinical exposure, improve faculty-student ratios and create more opportunities for students seeking affordable medical education.
"An increase in government medical seats means better clinical material, improved teaching standards and lower-cost medical education for meritorious students," a senior official told DT Next.
The additional seats are also expected to benefit more government school students admitted under Tamil Nadu's 7.5% horizontal reservation.
Admissions will be carried out by the state selection committee based on the NEET-UG 2026 merit.