The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), representing clinicians and academicians committed to ensuring high standards in medical education and patient care, said it is seriously concerned about the repeated reduction in the NEET-PG qualifying percentile. It also called for the rationalisation of postgraduate medical fees to protect merit and ensure patient safety.
NEET-PG is a national, merit-based examination intended to ensure minimum academic competence for entry into postgraduate medical training. The association stated that lowering qualifying thresholds dilutes meritocracy, compromises academic rigour, and raises legitimate concerns regarding the quality of specialist training and patient safety.
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The association emphasised that the NEET-PG Information Bulletin already provides a structured and transparent algorithm for filling vacant seats, including category conversion and sequential counselling rounds. These mechanisms must be strictly followed and exhausted before any lowering of qualifying standards is considered.
Responding to the Centre’s claim that the percentile was reduced to address vacant seats in medical colleges and hospitals, the association said the real reason for vacancies is not lack of merit but the very high and unaffordable fees charged by many private and deemed universities.
"Postgraduate fees running from tens of lakhs to several crores effectively convert specialist education into a pay-to-enter system. Lowering qualifying percentile risks creating a system where financial capacity outweighs competence," said the association in a press release.
According to the association, postgraduate medical education is not merely about seat occupancy; it is about training competent specialists who will serve the nation for decades. Therefore, it added that the dilution of entry standards coupled with unchecked commercialisation threatens academic excellence, professional dignity, and public trust.
Following this, the association urged the NMC to review and withdraw repeated policies of reducing the qualifying percentile in NEET-PG, ensure strict adherence to counselling and seat-conversion rules as per the Information Bulletin, urgently regulate postgraduate medical fees, and consult speciality societies and academic stakeholders before making policy decisions with long-term impact.
"FOGSI reiterates its commitment to safeguarding merit, affordability, academic excellence, and the dignity of the medical profession—in the larger interest of patients and public health," said the association.
NBE in a notice dated 13.01.2026, reduced the minimum qualifying percentile cut-off for counselling of the third round of National Eligibility-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2025-2026 for various categories of candidates.
As per the revised qualifying percentiles for NEET-PG 2025, for the academic session 2025-2026, for the General/EWS, General PwBD, SC/ST/OBC(Including PwBD of SC/ST/OBC) categories, the revised qualifying cut-off is 7th, 5th, and 0th percentile, respectively. Therefore, the revised cut-off score after lowering the cut-off percentile is 103 for General/EWS, 90 for General PwBD, and -40 for SC/ST/OBC(Including PwBD of SC/ST/OBC) categories, respectively.
Strongly opposing this decision, the medical fraternity had pointed out that after the cut-off reduction, even those who scored -40 marks in the exam will be eligible to take admission in the highly sought-after clinical specialities, which, according to doctors, will compromise merit.
Also read- Supreme Court issues notice to NBE, NMC on plea challenging NEET PG 2025 reduced cutoff
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