NEW DELHI: For the second consecutive year, govt has sharply lowered the qualifying cut-off for postgraduate dental admissions, against the backdrop of vacant seats in Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) programme. The qualifying percentile for NEET-MDS 2026 has been reduced by 20.576 points across categories, following a reduction of 19.863 points in 2025.A senior Union health ministry official estimated that around 1,200 MDS seats remained vacant nationwide. The official said state-wise vacancy figures were not available and explained that the estimate was based on division of seats between All India quota, which accounts for 50%, and state counselling, which covers the remaining 50%.Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has listed 460 clear vacancies and 762 virtual vacancies for Round 2 of MDS counselling this year. The seats are spread across govt and private institutions, which together account for 7,716 seats in 287 colleges. Of these, 46 govt colleges have 1,103 seats, while 241 private colleges account for 6,613 seats.
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Virtual vacancies are not confirmed vacancies, as these seats are currently allotted to candidates who may opt for upgradation. If they move to another seat, their existing seats could become available for allotment to other candidates.General/EWS qualifying score has been reduced from 308 to 234 out of 960, while General-PwBD score has fallen from 289 to 218 and SC/ST/OBC score from 271 to 200. In 2025, the respective scores were reduced from 261 to 197, 244 to 182 and 227 to 168.National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), in a notice, said the 2026 revision followed a letter from the ministry dated Oct 12 and was made under the relevant MDS regulations. The notice did not explicitly state that vacant seats prompted the decision.NEET-MDS 2026 results were declared on June 2. NBEMS has clarified that the cut-off revision will not change candidates’ ranks.