Breaking: NEET PG 2025 Cut-Off Slashed to Historic Low, Even Negative Scores Eligible for Admission

In an unprecedented move, the government has drastically reduced the NEET PG 2025 cut-off after thousands of postgraduate medical seats remained vacant even after two rounds of counselling. The decision has sparked nationwide debate, as candidates with extremely low—and even negative—scores are now eligible for admission to PG medical courses. Earlier, counselling was conducted strictly on the basis of merit and rank. Candidates scoring below around 235 marks were deemed ineligible and excluded from the first two rounds. However, after authorities found that nearly 9,000 to 10,000 seats, particularly in private medical colleges and reserved categories, were still lying  vacant, eligibility criteria were revised. Under the revised norms, the minimum qualifying percentile for SC, ST and OBC categories has been reduced to zero. This effectively allows candidates scoring as low as minus 40 marks to participate in subsequent counselling rounds. Importantly, officials clarified that the ranking system has not been altered; only the minimum qualifying marks required to enter counselling have been lowered. The government has defended the move by stating that all candidates are already qualified MBBS doctors, and leaving seats vacant would worsen the shortage of specialist doctors in the country. Critics, however, question whether admitting candidates with very poor exam performance could compromise the quality of medical specialization and patient care.