What is MBBS?
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, often abbreviated and widely known as MBBS, is an undergraduate degree programme for medical aspirants in India to become certified allopathic medical practitioners. MBBS course duration is five years and six months, including one year of rotatory internship in hospitals or other certified health centres. Upon completion of the programme, one can choose to pursue a postgraduate degree [Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)/ Master of Surgery(M.S.)] in any of the specialisations like Anatomy, Dermatology, Anesthesia, etc.,
Why MBBS?
Studying MBBS comes with plenty of advantages. A few of them are:
- A prestigious career that is valued very highly by society.
- MBBS is a universally recognised degree, and doctors are treated with great respect across the world. An MBBS doctor can move to any of the world’s countries and resume their career from wherever they left.
- The range of specialisations offered by colleges for MBBS is diverse. Students have the freedom of choice to navigate their career direction.
- MBBS gives you a chance to learn about our very own selves – the human anatomy.
- Being a doctor is more than a white-collar job. It is a highly paid profession across the world and comes with a sense of pride and gratification.
MBBS – Course Duration
A Person wanting to study MBBS will have to complete 5.5 years of study that includes one year of mandatory rotatory internship in a government recognised health centre.
| Name of the Course | MBBS |
| Duration | 5.5 Years (Including internship) |
| Internship Duration | 1 Year Internship |
MBBS – Eligibility Criteria
- Class 12 Pass (10+2) with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English as a subject
- Lower age limit – 17 years
- No Upper Age limit
- The Minimum Score for general/EWS category – 50%, reserved category (OBC/SC/ST) – 40% in their class 12 (HSC) board examinations.
- Clearing the respective entrance exam (NEET) is mandatory for admission into MBBS in medical institutions across India.
MBBS Admission Process
The admission process for MBBS is elaborated on below.
- When NTA opens the registration window for NEET, log on to their official website. Enter the details and submit the application form after thoroughly checking the details you’ve given.
- Candidates can download the hall ticket/admit card from NTA’s official website once it is released.
- With the admit card/hall ticket and all relevant documents, candidates will have to appear for the NEET exam (only) on the exam day at the centre allotted to them.
- NTA will release the NEET result and merit list on its official website. Candidates can download the results by entering their application id and password.
- Candidates can now choose to apply for the All India Quota counselling (15%) (AIQ – for medical colleges/institutions across India) or the State Quota counselling (85%) (for medical colleges/institutions in their state).
- The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) will release the All India Quota (AIQ) merit lists for all candidates. In contrast, the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) of state governments will release the state merit list for the respective states.
- Based on the merit list, MCC will call the candidates for AIQ counselling, where they must fill their choices for college/institution and the course.
- MCC will then conduct the Mock seat allotment process to ascertain if the candidate will get a seat at his/her preferred college choice.
- Candidates will then be asked to lock their choices. They will have to wait until the seat allotment process gets over. Once locked, the candidate cannot change the preferences later at any further stages.
Reservation Policy for MBBS Admission
To ensure effective deliverance of social and economic justice as envisaged in the constitution of India, the government of India has been following a community-based reservation policy. Accordingly, to admission into all the Central Universities and Institutions (for 15% AIQ seats), the following reservation formula is being followed.
| Category (Community) | Reservation Percentage |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Other Backward Class – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) | 27% |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 10% |
In the case of seats filled under State Quota (85%), the reservation policy of the respective state government shall apply. (differs from state to state)
Counselling instructions for MBBS:
- The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will conduct the counselling for All India Quota seats (15%) for undergraduate medical admissions into central universities and institutions across the country (like JIPMER, AIIMS, PGIMER etc.,)
- Information about the same will be made available on MCC’s official website (mcc.nic.in). Candidates are advised to read all the counselling related information carefully and judiciously to avoid any mishaps in the future.
- Candidates can forward any queries about the same to the following authorities.
- For MBBS/BDS Courses: The Assistant Director-General, Directorate-General of Health Services, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi-110 108.
E-mail: aiqpmt mcc@nic.in
- For BAMS//BUMS/BHMS Courses: The Director (SRKV), Ministry of AYUSH, AYUSH Bhawan, B-Block, GPO Complex, New Delhi-110023
E-mail:Counselling-ayush@gov.in
Documents Required for NEET Counselling
Shortlisted candidates (based on the merit list) shall be eligible to attend the NEET counselling along with the following documents.
- Class 12 Mark Sheet and Passing Certificate
- Class 10 Mark Sheet and Passing Certificate
- NEET 2021 Admit Card
- NEET 2021 Rank Card
- Community Certificate (if applicable)
- Conduct Certificate
- Passport-size Photographs
Entrance Exams for MBBS
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is the standard, one-stop entrance examination for admission into all medical-related undergraduate programmes in India. Previously, few central institutes like the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) had entrance exams for MBBS admissions. However, in 2019 the government had done away with separate entrance examinations for both these institutes. Since then, NEET has become the sole entrance exam for MBBS admissions into colleges across India.
MBBS Syllabus
| Semester(s) | Subjects |
| Semester 1&2 (Pre-Clinical) | Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology |
| Semesters 3 to 5(Para-Clinical) | Community Medicine, Forensic Medicine, Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Clinical postings in Wards |
| Semesters 6 to 9(clinical) | Community Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medicine and allied subjects, Surgery and allied subjects, Pediatrics, Clinical postings |
MBBS Cut-off (including previous year trends)
| Category | NEET Cut-off marks for MBBS (2020) |
| General | 720-147 |
| General – PwD | 146-129 |
| SC/ST/OBC | 128-113 |
| SC/ST/OBC – PwD | 128-113 |
Category | NEET Cut-off marks for MBBS | ||
| 2019 2018 2017 | |||
| General | 701-134 691-119 697-131 | ||
| General – PwD | 133-120 118-107 130-107 | ||
| SC/ST/OBC | 133-107 118-96 130-118 | ||
| SC/ST/OBC – PwD | 133-107 106-96 130-107 |
What happens after qualifying NEET?
Once a candidate has been shortlisted, he/she stands eligible to attend the Central (AIQ) and State level counselling process conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee and Directorate of Medical Education (DME) of the respective state governments. The Candidate can choose to attend either any one or both of them (except for candidates from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, who are not eligible to take part in the counselling process for All India Quota seats) depending on his/her position in the merit list and willingness. He/She is allotted a seat of his/her choice based on her position in the merit list. The elaborate criteria and procedure of the NEET/MBBS counselling process have already been discussed earlier. We request you to please refer to the same for more details.
State-wise MBBS admissions in India
Out of the total MBBS seats, 85% is reserved for admissions under the state quota. Although the NEET mark is considered for access to state quota seats, the respective state authorities conduct the counselling process for state quota seats (including colleges/institutions run by the state government and private colleges/universities located inside the state). The state wise list of medical colleges (government and private) and medical seats is given below.
State-wise list of Government Medical Colleges
| Name of the State/UT | MBBS | |
| Number of Seats Number of Colleges | ||
| Andaman & Nicobar | 100 1 | |
| Andhra Pradesh | 2360 12 | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 50 1 | |
| Assam | 900 6 | |
| Bihar | 1140 9 | |
| Chandigarh | 150 1 | |
| Chattisgarh | 670 6 | |
| Delhi | 1015 6 | |
| Goa | 180 1 | |
| Gujarat | 3450 17 | |
| Haryana | 710 5 | |
| Himachal Pradesh | 720 6 | |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 485 3 | |
| Jharkhand | 280 3 | |
| Karnataka | 2550 18 | |
| Kerala | 1455 10 | |
| Madhya Pradesh | 1570 10 | |
| Maharashtra | 4080 23 | |
| Manipur | 200 2 | |
| Meghalaya | 50 1 | |
| Orissa | 1150 7 | |
| Pondicherry | 180 1 | |
| Punjab | 600 3 | |
| Rajasthan | 2600 14 | |
| Tamil Nadu | 3650 26 | |
| Telangana | 1440 8 | |
| Tripura | 125 1 | |
| Uttar Pradesh | 2278 18 | |
| Uttarakhand | 425 3 | |
| West Bengal | 3000 18 | |
| Total | 36836 236 |
State-wise list of Private Medical Colleges
| Name of the State/UT | MBBS | |
| Number of Seats Number of Colleges | ||
| Andaman & Nicobar | 0 0 | |
| Andhra Pradesh | 2,850 19 | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 0 0 | |
| Assam | 0 0 | |
| Bihar | 400 3 | |
| Chandigarh | 0 0 | |
| Chattisgarh | 450 3 | |
| Daman & Diu | 0 0 | |
| Delhi | 200 1 | |
| Goa | 0 0 | |
| Gujarat | 1,000 7 | |
| Haryana | 850 6 | |
| Himachal Pradesh | 150 1 | |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 100 1 | |
| Jharkhand | 0 0 | |
| Karnataka | 6,195 39 | |
| Kerala | 2,800 21 | |
| Madhya Pradesh | 1,800 12 | |
| Maharashtra | 4,220 30 | |
| Manipur | 0 0 | |
| Meghalaya | 0 0 | |
| Orissa | 500 4 | |
| Pondicherry | 1,050 7 | |
| Punjab | 1,050 5 | |
| Rajasthan | 1,200 8 | |
| Sikkim | 100 1 | |
| Tamil Nadu | 3,600 24 | |
| Telangana | 2,650 18 | |
| Tripura | 0 0 | |
| Uttar Pradesh | 4,150 30 | |
| Uttarakhand | 450 3 | |
| West Bengal | 550 4 | |
| Total | 36,315 247 |
MBBS without NEET
After the abolition of entrance exams for institutes like AIIMS and JIPMER, the option of MBBS in India without clearing NEET has been ruled out completely. However, you can still fulfil your MBBS dreams by enrolling in any foreign-based medical institutions. A large number of Indian students used to travel abroad even before the introduction of NEET. The examination’s arrival has only increased Indian medical aspirants travelling abroad for quality medical education. Many countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, Russia and the Philippines have become preferred study destinations for lakhs of Indian students. So, MBBS abroad is a viable option for candidates who don’t want to appear for NEET or candidates who could not find a place at their dream college in the NEET counselling.
What after MBBS?
After completing your MBBS degree, a person has several options available to proceed further. He/She can choose to complete a postgraduate medical degree, or he/she can choose to work in any one of the following places.
- Private Hospitals
- Government Hospitals / Primary Health Centres
- Medical Colleges
- Start a personal clinic
- Biotechnology companies
- Biomedical companies
- Nursing Homes
- Other Health Centres
Courses after MBBS
After completing MBBS, if one chooses to continue with further studies, we have a number of options available in the likes of MD (Doctor of Medicine), MS (Master of Surgery) or other Diploma courses. The list of those programmes is given below.
| MD Programmes(Doctor of Medicine) | Course Duration(in years) |
| MD in General Surgery | 3 years |
| MD in Orthopedics | 3 years |
| MD in Anesthesia | 3 years |
| MD in Biochemistry | 3 years |
| MD in Ophthalmology | 3 years |
| MD in ENT | 3 years |
| MD in Geriatrics | 3 years |
| MD in Obstetrics and Gynecology | 3 years |
| MD in Forensic Medicine | 3 years |
| MD in Aerospace Medicine | 3 years |
| MD in Dermatology | 3 years |
| MD in Anatomy | 3 years |
If a student chooses to become a surgeon, he/she will have to complete an MS degree (Master of Surgery) and become a qualified surgeon. However, an MS degree by its nature requires an immense amount of hard work and determination to complete.
| MS Programmes (Master of Surgery) | Course Duration(in years) |
| MS Plastic Surgery | 3 years |
| MS Cosmetic Surgery | 3 years |
| MS Obstetrics | 3 years |
| MS Pediatric Surgery | 3 years |
| MS Ophthalmology | 3 years |
| MS Cardiac Surgery | 3 years |
| MS Gynecology | 3 years |
| MS Orthopedics | 3 years |
| MS Urology | 3 years |
| MS ENT | 3 years |
| MS Cardiothoracic Surgery | 3 years |
Diploma Courses after MBBS
Students can also choose to pursue a PG diploma course if they want to complete the programme earlier. However, a PG diploma doesn’t carry the same amount of recognition as MD or MS, but its course duration is only 2 years. We have listed down some of the PG diploma courses below for your reference.
- Diploma in Health Education
- Diploma or Masters (MS) in Occupational Health
- Diploma in Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Diploma in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
- Diploma or MS in Sports Medicine
- Diploma or MS in Immunohematology
- Diploma or MS in Pathology
- Diploma in Pediatrics
- Diploma in Nuclear medicine
- Diploma in Psychiatry
- Diploma in Radiotherapy