Government removes upper age limit for NEET-UG

Tags: Popular National News

In a major decision the  government of India has decided to remove the upper age limit for aspirants appearing for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for Undergraduates medical courses.

• The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is the qualifying test for MBBS and BDS programmes in Indian medical and dental colleges. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

• As per the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 the upper-age limit for candidates appearing for National Eligibility Entrance Test and seeking admission to MBBS programme shall be 25 years as on the date of examination and 30 years for SC/ST/OBC category and persons entitled for reservation under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

• There is no change  in the minimum age criteria of 17 years for appearing in the exam. 

• According to the government of India there were 51,348 MBBS seats in India in 2014 and now it is 88,120 seats. Nearly half of these seats are in government medical colleges.

• This move of the government can be seen as a response to the fact that many Indian students go to places like Ukraine for medical study and one of the reasons cited was the low number of medical seats in India, high fees in private medical colleges in India and also NEET. Increasing the age limit will offer more  chances to the candidate to clear the medical exam for MBBS.