The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is expected to announce the counselling schedule for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2026 shortly, bringing the admission process into focus for more than 20 lakh medical aspirants across the country. For many candidates, the next question is where their rank can take them. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2026 rankings offer one indicator of how India’s leading medical colleges compare, even though admissions under the MCC are based on NEET UG ranks, category, seat availability and counselling choices. The latest NIRF rankings place the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, at the top of the list, followed by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, and Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore.
Counselling to cover MBBS, BDS and other seats
The MCC will conduct counselling for 15 per cent All India Quota seats in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programmes. It will also conduct counselling for 100 per cent seats at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and other participating institutions. According to the National Medical Commission (NMC) seat matrix for the 2026-27 academic session, there are 1,36,939 MBBS seats across 823 medical colleges in the country. Apart from MBBS admissions, the counselling process will also cover 27,868 Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) seats across 319 dental colleges, as per the Dental Council of India (DCI).
AIIMS Delhi leads the rankings
The NIRF 2026 rankings continue to place AIIMS New Delhi at the top among medical institutions, with government and private institutions featuring in the top 10. Top 10 medical colleges in India as per NIRF 2026:
| Rank | Medical college | State/UT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi | Delhi |
| 2 | Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) | Chandigarh |
| 3 | Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore | Tamil Nadu |
| 4 | Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) | Puducherry |
| 5 | Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) | Uttar Pradesh |
| 6 | Banaras Hindu University (BHU) | Uttar Pradesh |
| 7 | National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) | Karnataka |
| 8 | King George’s Medical University (KGMU) | Uttar Pradesh |
| 9 | Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Tamil Nadu |
| 10 | Kasturba Medical College, Manipal | Karnataka |
NMC’s seat matrix shows that government medical colleges account for 63,296 MBBS seats, while 73,643 seats are available in private medical colleges across the country. The increase in seat availability comes ahead of the counselling process, which includes registration, choice filling, seat allotment, document verification, fee payment and reporting to allotted colleges.
What candidates should do next
Candidates are advised to keep their documents ready and regularly check the MCC website for the counselling schedule and registration dates once they are announced. While the NIRF rankings provide a benchmark for institutional performance, admissions will ultimately depend on a candidate’s NEET UG rank, reservation category, preferences filled during counselling and seat availability in each round.
