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Karnataka Medical Seats Vacant: A First in Five Years
26 Oct
Summary
- 191 medical seats remained vacant in Karnataka after the counselling concluded.
- Colleges are offering deep discounts to fill management seats, some at Rs 80 lakh.
- Karnataka has the highest number of MBBS seats in India, with 10,559 in 2025.
For the first time in five years, Karnataka's medical colleges are grappling with 191 vacant seats following the conclusion of counselling on Monday night. This situation marks a stark contrast to previous years where no medical seats were left unfilled. In response, educational institutions are aggressively trying to fill these management quota seats by offering significant discounts, some as low as Rs 80 lakh for the 4.5-year course, including hostel fees.
The Directorate of Medical Education has requested the National Medical Commission to lower the entry percentile requirement to attract more candidates. Karnataka, which has the highest number of MBBS seats in the country, saw 10,559 seats available across 66 colleges in 2025. The introduction of the NRI quota in government colleges last year is also cited as a factor for the sluggish uptake due to fee differences.
Multiple rounds of counselling, including a last-minute session by the Karnataka Examinations Authority, have been conducted in an attempt to fill the remaining 273 seats after Sunday's stray vacancy round. Despite these efforts, the high fees for management quota seats and changing student preferences are significant deterrents, with some colleges experiencing substantial vacancies.
