Chennai: At the end of round 3, closing ranks for MBBS admissions in Tamil Nadu’s deemed medical universities slid to 11 lakh range, a drop of around six lakh places compared to 2025. Allotments by state authorities to govt medical colleges, however, did not show a comparable shift.The divide, experts say, raises a question: Are students clearing NEET failing the affordability test?In 2026, some deemed universities raised annual MBBS tuition fees by up to ₹5 lakh, pushing tuition alone for the four-and-a-half-year course to nearly ₹1.5 crore. Candidates who cannot afford the fees either choose other courses or prepare for NEET 2027. They leave seats for students with lower scores but greater ability to pay.At Vels Medical College and Hospital, admissions extended to an All India Rank of 11.9 lakh through round 3 this year, against 6.11 lakh in 2025. Sri Lalithambigai Medical College and Hospital closed at 9.1 lakh, against 3.25 lakh. “A higher numerical rank means the college admitted students further down the merit list. It defeats the very purpose of NEET,” said Ranjith C, who teaches biology to Class XII students at a private school. “Many of my students who could not get in govt or govt quota seats said they will repeat NEET. Even if they spend a ₹2 lakh or ₹3 lakh for coaching, they may be able to save a crore with a better score next year,” he said.The pattern runs across deemed universities in the state. At Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, the closing rank moved from 6.57 lakh to 11.68 lakh. ACS Medical College closed at 11.66 lakh, against 7.36 lakh last year. At Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER), it shifted from 3.33 lakh to 5.32 lakh.“It’s not the performance,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam, pointing to govt college cutoffs, where the fees are lower. The open-category closing rank moved just 61 places, from state rank 1,508 to 1,569, through round 3. BC shifted from 3,378 to 3,682. MBC, SC and SCA admissions closed at better ranks than last year. There was no broad slide down the merit list. “We must also consider the 150 additional seats that were added to the seat matrix in govt colleges this year,” he said.Govt-quota seats in private institutions, where fees are marginally higher, showed a mixed pattern. The open-category closing rank moved from 7,185 to 8,122. BC admissions extended from 8,501 to 11,420, and BCM from 8,251 to 12,127. SC, SCA and ST seats closed at better ranks.
