Private medical colleges see major cut-off dip for 2025; rank falls to 26,378
The management quota cut-off for MBBS admissions in private colleges dropped sharply in 2025 due to added seats, removal of the NRI-lapsed category and high fees in self-financing colleges. Despite higher tuition, many students preferred deemed universities for better infrastructure and transparent costs influencing rank movement and lowering cut-offs.
New Delhi: The management quota cut-off for the Master of Business Administration (MBBS) admissions in private medical colleges has fallen drastically in the year 2025. The last admitted student under the management quota this year had a NEET rank of 26,378 (154 marks), a huge dip compared to 6,907 (387 marks) in 2024 and 9,274 (222 marks) in 2023.
The sudden decline has surprised many students and parents especially as the cut-off trend sharply contrasts with previous years when deemed universities despite the high fees usually recorded the lowest cut-offs. In 2025, deemed universities had a higher cut-off of 175 marks, compared to 135 in 2024 and 107 in 2023.
Merit-based allocation, preferences, reservation system influence rank movement
Experts say the fall in cut-offs is not just because fewer students scored high marks this year. In NEET 2025, only 34 students scored above 600 marks, compared to 773 in 2024 and 314 in 2023. However, student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam clarified that this is not the main cause of the rank surge.
Seats are allotted based on merit, student preferences, and the 69 per cent reservation system, which also influences rank movement. Many high-scoring students avoided choosing self-financing colleges due to their high tuition fees of around Rs 15 lakh per year, pushing the cut-off lower for management quota seats.
More seats added, NRI lapsed category removed
A key reason behind the drop was the addition of 650 new seats during the last phase of state counselling. Many students, unsure if these seats would become available earlier, had already opted for admission in deemed universities.
Another major change was the removal of the ‘NRI lapsed’ category. Previously, these seats were priced higher than management quota seats but lower than the NRI fee. This year, all lapsed NRI seats were shifted to the management quota, increasing the number of lower-cost seats available. 'This allowed more students who couldn’t afford deemed university fees to secure seats in private colleges,' explained NEET coach R Sathish.
Why students prefer deemed universities
Despite higher fees up to Rs 30 lakh per year many students and parents said they chose deemed universities over private medical colleges for better infrastructure and faculty, especially when compared to newer or smaller private colleges, as per a TOI report. Moreover, a transparent fee structure with no hidden charges is also one of the reasons deemed universities are preferred. Parents say self-financing colleges often demand an additional Rs 9 to 15 lakh per year for hostel, mess and other charges.