In short
Before locking a college in a choice list, verify four things: its current NMC seat recognition for this academic year, the attached hospital’s bed strength and actual outpatient load, the complete written fee schedule including revision policy, and that every payment goes to the institution’s own account against a portal allotment. All four checks are free and take about an afternoon.
1. Current NMC recognition, for this year
Approval is granted per academic year and per seat count. A college recognised three years ago may have had seats reduced or admissions stopped since. Check the National Medical Commission website for the current year’s recognised seat count under that college’s name — not the college’s own claim, the regulator’s list.
2. Hospital bed strength and real patient load
This is the check that most affects the value of the degree and the one families skip. An MBBS is five years of clinical exposure; a teaching hospital with few actual patients cannot provide it, whatever its bed count on paper.
Ask two questions: how many operational beds, and what is the average daily outpatient attendance. A large bed count with a thin outpatient flow means empty wards. If you can, visit on a weekday morning and look at the outpatient department yourself — it is the single most informative hour you will spend.
3. The complete fee schedule, in writing
Advertised tuition is roughly 55–70% of the real cost. Ask by email for the year-by-year schedule including examination, development and miscellaneous charges, whether tuition is fixed for the course or revisable, and what the actual revisions were over the last three years. Keep the reply.
A college that will not put its fee schedule in writing has answered a different and more important question.
4. Deposits: how much, and how you get them back
Establish which deposits are refundable, on what conditions and over what timeframe after course completion. Ask specifically whether a bank guarantee or service bond is required, and what the penalty is for leaving mid-course. These terms vary widely and are rarely volunteered.
5. Faculty and results
Ask for the current faculty strength against sanctioned posts, and for the last three years of university examination pass percentages. Persistent understaffing and weak results are visible well before they affect you and are worth knowing before you commit.
6. Internship and hostel reality
Confirm the internship is conducted at the attached hospital, that the stipend is paid, and what the actual amount is. Ask whether hostel accommodation is guaranteed for all five years or allotted annually — an unguaranteed hostel is an unbudgeted rent.
7. The payment route
Every rupee should go to the institution’s own account, by demand draft or bank transfer, against an allotment letter visible on the MCC or state DGME portal under your own login. Cash, payment to an individual, payment to an agency, or urgency about paying today are each sufficient reason to stop.
What good looks like
A college that answers all seven in writing without friction is telling you something real about how it is run. So is one that deflects. You are about to spend more than most families spend on a house; an afternoon of questions is proportionate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a medical college is NMC approved?
Check the National Medical Commission website for the current academic year's recognised colleges and sanctioned seat counts. Approval is granted per year and per seat count, so a previous year's recognition is not evidence of this year's. Use the regulator's list rather than the college's own claim.
How many hospital beds should a medical college have?
NMC norms scale required bed strength to the sanctioned MBBS intake. More useful than the bed count is the actual daily outpatient attendance, since beds without patients provide no clinical training. Ask for both figures and, if possible, visit the outpatient department on a weekday morning.
What should I ask a college before paying fees?
The complete year-by-year fee schedule and revision history, which deposits are refundable and on what conditions, current faculty strength against sanctioned posts, the last three years of examination results, whether the internship stipend is paid, and confirmation that all payments go to the institution's own account against a portal allotment.
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Sources and how to verify this page
Cutoffs and fees on this page are compiled estimates for the 2026 cycle, not official figures. Every claim about eligibility, counselling process and legality can be checked against the primary sources below, and you should check them before acting.
- National Medical Commission — recognised colleges and seat matrix
- Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) — deemed and all-India quota
- National Testing Agency — NEET-UG results and percentiles
- UP DGME — Uttar Pradesh private MBBS counselling
- BCECEB — Bihar private MBBS counselling
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