3 medical colleges get deemed university status, TN plans SC challenge after 650 MBBS seats exit state quota

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government is planning legal action, including a possible move to the Supreme Court, after three private medical colleges were granted deemed university status, a decision that has reportedly shifted around 650 MBBS seats out of the state's seat matrix.

Several MBBS seats will move out of Tamil Nadu's state seat matrix this academic year after three private medical colleges were granted deemed university status.

With the change, admissions to these colleges will no longer be conducted through the Tamil Nadu state selection committee. Instead, students will have to participate in the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC)'s All India counselling, where they will compete with candidates from across the country and pay Rs 20 lakh per annum tuition fees.

This will make medical admissions tougher and significantly more expensive for aspiring students. Commenting on this, health department officials said the number of seats could double, as at least three more medical colleges are awaiting University Grants Commission (UGC) approval for deemed university status.

As per the National Medical Commission (NMC) website, St Peter's Medical College (250 seats), Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Institute of Medical Sciences, and Srinivasan Medical College (400 seats) have been granted deemed university status, together accounting for around 650 MBBS seats.

Until now, these colleges shared 50-65% of their MBBS seats with the state government for admission under the Government quota, including seats reserved under the 7.5% quota for government school students.

A senior health department official said the state is expected to lose at least 350 Government quota MBBS seats, including around 25 seats under the 7.5% government school quota. If three more colleges receive deemed university status, the loss could exceed 700 Government quota seats, including nearly 50 seats reserved under the 7.5% school students quota.

As per TOI media report, Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre has announced deemed status on its website, though NMC’s official records still list it as affiliated to Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.

According to the existing fee structure, the annual MBBS tuition fee for Government quota seats in self-financing medical colleges and state private universities ranges from Rs 4.35 lakh to Rs 5.40 lakh, while students admitted under the management quota pay between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 16.20 lakh per year. The tuition fees of students admitted to Government medical colleges are borne by the State Government. In contrast, the Centre has not fixed a tuition fee for deemed universities, which charge anywhere between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 35 lakh a year.

On this, State health officials said "We would write to Centre stating that deemed university status has been granted to affiliated colleges despite objections from the state university. Ever since the TN Dr MGR Medical University vice-chancellor stepped down in May, the university has been managed by a five-member committee."

"No objection certificate from the university is mandatory for processing applications for deemed university status. We have not issued it to anyone,” said Dr S Pushkala, member of the university’s administration committee.

However, officials from St. Peter Institute of Higher Education and Research said the institution secured deemed university status following a legal battle. The institute had approached the Delhi High Court after the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University rejected its proposal to convert its Hosur medical college into an off-campus centre.

In 2025, the High Court ruled in favour of the institution, observing that although the university's refusal letter was dated within the mandatory 60-day period, it was communicated to the college six days after the deadline had expired. The court held that the university's consent would be treated as granted by default and subsequently quashed both the UGC's rejection and the university's refusal to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

"We have gone on appeal against this order. We don’t know how other colleges got deemed university status," Dr Pushkala said.

State to pursue legal action

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has decided to challenge the grant of deemed university status to these institutions. State officials said the government is considering approaching the Supreme Court early next week after consulting legal experts.

Officials questioned how the colleges were granted deemed university status, pointing out that the University Grants Commission (UGC) prescribes eligibility criteria such as high NAAC grades across three assessment cycles, NBA accreditation for two-thirds of programmes, or consistent top rankings in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

While a legal challenge may take months to resolve, student counsellors and academicians have urged the govt to rein in fees at deemed institutions, as directed by Madras high court. The state has no control over fees charged by deemed universities, since they fall outside the state fee committee’s purview.

Speaking to TOI, a senior health department official said, "While 650 MBBS seats are likely to be removed from the state’s seat matrix since allotments to deemed universities are handled by the Centre, three more colleges have told govt they are expected to be added to the list soon. These institutions will no longer be obligated to reserve seats for students admitted through the state’s counselling process. This will mean at least 700 govt-quota seats, and more than 50 seats meant for govt-school students, will be affected."

The state medical university, meanwhile, is appealing to the UGC and NMC, stating that it never issued a no-objection certificate for the change in affiliation to these institutions.

Also read- NEET 2025: 36 deemed universities hike fees, MBBS now costs over Rs 1 crore at 32 institutes