The National Medical Commission (NMC) announced a significant update on Wednesday, opening up new opportunities for Class 12 students aspiring to take the NEET-UG examination. Under the revised guidelines, students who have completed their Class 12 with physics, chemistry, biology, or biotechnology, along with English as an additional subject, are now eligible to participate in the NEET-UG examination.
This decision, as stated in an official notice on the NMC’s website, is applicable even to students whose applications were previously rejected. The NMC’s move marks a departure from the previous regulations established by the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI). The MCI, through the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997, and subsequent amendments, had stipulated that undergraduates must have completed two years of continuous study in physics, chemistry, biology, or biotechnology, along with practical training, during both Class 11 and 12. Importantly, this education had to be acquired from regular schools, excluding open schools or private candidate arrangements.
The MCI had prohibited the completion of the study of biology, biotechnology, or any other essential subject as an additional course post-Class 12. However, these provisions were challenged and subsequently nullified by the Delhi High Court on May 11, 2018, leading to a significant impact on candidates seeking admission to medical courses abroad.
In response to these changes, the NMC has introduced the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, effective from June 2. According to Regulation 11(b), candidates who have completed Class 12 or its equivalent with physics, chemistry, biology/biotechnology, and English are eligible to appear in the NEET-UG examination.
The NMC, in a meeting on June 14, 2023, considered the New Education Policy’s flexible approach to Class 12 subjects and decided to revisit the previous stance of the MCI. As a result, candidates are now permitted to study the required subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, along with English) even as additional subjects after completing Class 12 from duly recognized boards sanctioned by the respective government. Such candidates are now allowed to participate in the NEET-UG Test and are eligible to receive an eligibility certificate, as stated in the notice.