The National Medical Commission (NMC) has opened applications for new MBBS colleges and for more MBBS seats in existing ones, for the academic year 2027-28. The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) issued a public notice on 8 October 2026, and Secretary Dr Raghav Langer sent a covering letter the same day to medical college heads and would-be applicants.
Applications are two-part and online. Part A, the primary application with the fee, opened on 8 October at 11:59 PM and can be submitted until 31 December 2026, 11:59 PM. Nothing can be filled, completed or submitted after that deadline.
The two-part process
Once Part A is submitted and an application number is generated, it cannot be edited, replaced or added to. That rule matters, because the form must be filled with complete and verifiable information at the first go.
Part B, which covers compliance with the Minimum Standard Requirements (MSR) and assessment requirements, opens on 1 November 2026 at 12:00 AM. An applicant can fill Part B only after Part A is in. The last date for both parts is 31 December, and the window for payment reconciliation, only for applications fully submitted by that deadline where the fee was paid but not credited, runs to 5 January 2027.
NMC adds a plain warning: do not wait for the last day. It says it will not be responsible for technical, connectivity, payment gateway or banking problems at the last stage.
Two categories of applicants
The notice invites applications for establishing a new medical college for the MBBS course, and for increasing the annual intake of MBBS seats in an existing medical college. Applicants must state the category, the proposed intake, and for existing colleges the sanctioned intake and the increase sought.
What a new college must submit
For a new college the notice asks for certified copies of constitution and registration papers, details of who manages the college and hospital, and a disclosure by every member of the sponsoring trust, society or company of any link with another medical college.
A hospital taken on lease or under an MoU must be secured for at least 30 years. NMC also says one hospital can be attached to only one medical college.
The applicant must submit a valid Consent of Affiliation from a recognised university, in the prescribed format. A conditional certificate, or one issued without the required local inspection of facilities, is not valid. A consent can be used for one application only, whether that application is approved or rejected, and a rejected applicant needs a fresh one.
On money, the applicant must give audited balance sheets for the preceding three financial years, a bank authorisation letter that lets NMC check the financial record, and a solvency certificate from a chartered accountant issued within 90 days before the last date. Land and building papers must show ownership, area and compliance, with a building completion certificate, fire safety certificate and occupancy certificate where applicable.
Why it matters for students
These applications are for the academic year 2027-28, so any new seats would matter to aspirants who sit NEET UG in 2027, not this year's counselling. State health departments and directorates of medical education have been copied on the letter.
For a look at how NMC is dealing with colleges already running, read our reports on the extension for faculty records on AEBAS and on NMC's call to medical colleges for the Nasha Mukt Bharat anniversary.
