Centre agrees to lower NEET-SS eligibility bar following Supreme Court directive, paving the way for a Special Stray Vacancy Round to fill over 1,800 vacant super-speciality medical seats
In a significant relief for super-speciality medical aspirants, the Central Government has agreed to reduce the NEET-SS (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super Speciality) qualifying cut-off from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile. The decision comes for the proposed Special Stray Vacancy Round, following a directive from the Supreme Court asking the Centre to reconsider the eligibility criteria.
Why the Cut-off Was Reduced
The move follows a large number of unfilled super-speciality seats after the second round of NEET-SS counselling concluded. As many as 1,857 super-speciality seats — spanning several highly specialised medical and surgical disciplines — remained vacant despite two rounds of counselling.
Recognising the scale of the shortfall, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that lowering the qualifying threshold to the 30th percentile could make approximately 6,000 additional candidates eligible to participate in counselling, significantly widening the pool of applicants for these critical seats.
Tamil Nadu’s In-Service Seats to Get a One-Week Round
Alongside the national cut-off revision, the government also addressed a state-specific issue. It announced that 40 vacant in-service seats in Tamil Nadu would be reverted to the state government for a dedicated one-week Stray Vacancy Round. Any seats that remain unfilled after this round will be pooled back into the Medical Counselling Committee’s (MCC) allocation for the upcoming Special Stray Vacancy Round.
What This Means for Candidates
For thousands of NEET-SS aspirants who narrowly missed the earlier 50th percentile cut-off, this revision opens a fresh opportunity to compete for a super-speciality medical seat. With super-speciality disciplines already facing a shortage of qualified specialists in India, filling these vacant seats is seen as a step toward addressing the broader gap in advanced medical care.
Candidates are advised to keep a close watch on official notifications from the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) for the exact schedule, revised eligibility details, and registration process for the Special Stray Vacancy Round.
