NMC Revises NEET-UG 2024 Eligibility Criteria

Now Sudents Without Biology At 10+2 Level Can Now Take NEET-UG Examination

An announcement by the National Medical Commission (NMC) has brought about a significant change in the eligibility criteria for the NEET-UG test. According to a public notice issued on Wednesday, students who have completed their class 12 education with physics, chemistry, biology, or biotechnology, along with English as an additional subject, are now eligible to appear for the NEET-UG test. This decision applies to all students, including those whose applications were previously rejected.

The former Medical Council of India (MCI) had previously regulated admission and selection to the MBBS course through the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997. These regulations stipulated a mandatory two-year study of physics, chemistry, biology, or biotechnology, with practicals, along with English in classes 11 and 12. The study had to be completed in regular schools and not as private candidates or through open schools.

However, these provisions were challenged and subsequently quashed by the Delhi High Court on May 11, 2018. This ruling had implications for candidates seeking admission to medical courses in foreign institutes, as statutory regulations, including the eligibility for admission in an Undergraduate Medical Course in a Foreign Medical Institution Regulations, 2002, and the Screening Test Regulation, 2002, were affected.

In response to these developments, candidates were debarred from the NEET-UG test, and their applications for eligibility certificates were rejected. In June 2023, the NMC introduced the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, which repealed the earlier regulations prospectively. According to Regulation 11(b) of the new framework, candidates who have passed 10+2 with physics, chemistry, biology/biotechnology, and English are eligible for NEET-UG.

The NMC, in a meeting on June 14, 2023, considered the New Education Policy’s flexibility in the study of various subjects in class 12. It decided to revisit the previous approach of the MCI, allowing candidates to study the required subjects as additional subjects after passing class 12 from a recognized board. Such candidates are now permitted to appear in the NEET-UG test and are eligible for the grant of an eligibility certificate.

This decision applies retrospectively to candidates whose applications were previously rejected. For candidates becoming eligible after the public notice’s date, they can appear in NEET-UG 2024. The NMC also stated that any court cases filed by MCI/NMC in this regard would be withdrawn, and the current position explained in pending litigations filed by candidates against MCI or NMC for swift resolution.

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