The NEET UG 2025 exam intensified India’s chronic medical education bottleneck: only about 4.4% of over 21 lakh test-takers secured an MBBS seat, highlighting the fierce competition and limited availability.

India currently offers approximately 1.18 lakh MBBS seats across 780 medical colleges, including government, private, and semi-government institutions. Despite this, the total falls drastically short of demand, with only around one in twenty aspirants able to enter the field.

Factors exacerbating the issue include tougher exams and stricter cut-offs. Notably, no candidate achieved a perfect score of 720 this year, with the top score falling to 686—much lower than last year—leading to reduced qualifying marks overall. In Gujarat specifically, around 7,000 fewer students qualified compared to the previous year, fueling expectations of cut-off drop and giving additional chances to lower-ranked applicants.

While states like Maharashtra saw 11 students enter the top 100 and local qualifiers nearing 52%, the national picture remains stark: over 23 lakh applicants vie for a relatively small number of seats. As counselling approaches in early July, students are advised to consider allied fields like BDS, AYUSH, and paramedical courses due to the intense competition for MBBS admissions.