Sharp seat increase, long counselling cycle, high fees: 783 seats remain vacant in Karnataka after NEET PG admissions

Bengaluru: After the completion of postgraduate medical admission counselling conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), 783 seats out of the 4,773 available PG medical seats in Karnataka have reportedly remained vacant.

This year, nearly 14,400 candidates registered for the counselling, and over 10,000 students filled their choices for PG medical courses through KEA, as per TOI media report. 

According to experts, the large number of vacant seats is mainly due to a sharp increase in seat numbers - 967 seats have been added in a single year, long counselling cycles, and high fees for management quota seats in private colleges. 

Most of these seats are under management quota with annual fees ranging from Rs 25,000 for an anatomy seat to Rs 1.3 crore for a dermatology seat in private colleges, which makes it unaffordable for many doctors. 

Vacancies even in popular specialities

Unlike previous years, some seats in several popular clinical branches have also remained vacant this year. For instance:

1. General Medicine: 37 out of 500 seats vacant

2. Radiodiagnosis: 35 out of 287 seats vacant

3. General Surgery: 11 out of 425 seats vacant

4. Dermatology: 15 out of 196 seats vacant

5. Paediatrics: 25 out of 362 seats vacant

However, pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects saw the highest number of vacancies.

Also read- NEET PG Admissions 2025: 16 PG medical seats vacant in Karnataka

Only 8 students joined Anatomy out of 119 seats. Similarly, 20 students opted for Physiology, 21 for Biochemistry, and 70 for Pharmacology. Students showed better interest in pathology, with 226 students opting for it.

The vacancy percentage has increased compare to the previous academic year. In 2024-25, a total of 3,806 PG medical seats were available through KEA counselling, of which 3,378 were filled, leaving 428 seats vacant, around 10% of the total seats.

All the vacant seats that year were in pre- and para-clinical programmes. The trend was the same in 2023 too, when 478 seats were vacant, all from pre and para-clinical.

Commenting on the situation, Bhagavan BC, vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences told TOI, "This time, there was an increase in the number of seats. Most vacant seats are in the management quota. These fees are so high that it is out of reach for many students. It is sad that seats are going vacant even when there are hundreds of students repeating the exam, vying for those seats. One way to do it is to subsidise the management seats and make it more affordable for the students."

Meanwhile, Islavuddeen Gadyal, Administrative Officer at KEA, said, "All the rounds of counselling are over, unless the National Medical Commission permits more."

Also read- KEA invites applications for NEET PG stray vacancy round, 817 PG medical, 14 DNB seats available