NMC revises rules for PDCC, post doctoral fellowship admissions in medical colleges

New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has revised the rules regarding admission of Post-Doctoral students in medical colleges.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has specified that a medical college can admit either one Post Doctoral Certificate Course (PDCC) student or one Post Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) student every year in a unit, and this will be over and above the already sanctioned or eligible seats in that unit.

The commission further stated that in departments where a unit structure does not exist, medical colleges can still admit either one PDCC or one PDF student every year for every five sanctioned or eligible seats in that department.

These conditions have been specified by the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the Commission in the recently released revised Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMSR) 2023. The Commission asked all medical colleges and institutions across the country to comply with the updated rules with immediate effect.

Issuing a public notice on 11.03.2026, the PGMEB informed that the standards for running postgraduate medical courses have now been amended as of February 20, 2026. These norms define the minimum requirements that institutions must meet to start and run PG medical programmes in the country.

The document included the mandatory requirements for a PG medical institute to start a PG medical course, the clinical material/investigation workload required for post-graduate, the ratio of eligible post-graduate faculty to the number of students, the number of minimum and maximum beds in a Unit, the faculty and senior resident requirements for the number of PG seats in different specialities, and the list of functional departments mandatory in a specific medical college etc.

Earlier, the PGMSR 2023 regulations stated that one PDCC or PDF student could be admitted over and above the sanctioned or eligible seat in a unit. In departments without a unit structure, one additional seat could be permitted for every five sanctioned or eligible seats. If there is any vacancy, then the remaining number of PDCC or PDF candidates can be admitted. 

However, under the amended PGMSR 2023, the Commission has clarified, "Either one Post-Doctoral Certificate Course (PDCC) or one Post-Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) student can be admitted every year over and above the sanctioned/eligible seat in a Unit. In a department where a unit structure is not there, either One Post-Doctoral Certificate Course (PDCC) or one Post-Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) student can be admitted every year, up to every five sanctioned/eligible seats."

To view the PGMSR 2023 notice, click on the link below:

Also read- NMC amends Minimum Standard Requirements for running PG medical courses, here are key takeaways