The National Medical Commission (NMC) has given Karnataka 450 additional MBBS seats for the 2025-26 academic year, addressing a long-standing demand to expand the state's medical capability.

Sharan Prakash R Patil, Minister for Medical Education, Karnataka, said on Saturday, September 6, that Karnataka will implement a 15 per cent NRI quota in government medical colleges for the first time ever. Each NRI seat will have a set fee of Rs 25 lakh.

"This will help government medical colleges become financially more self-reliant rather than depending heavily on state grants," Patil told India Today.

The 450 new seats have been evenly distributed among government colleges in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Raichur, and Vijayanagara, with each receiving 50 seats. Additionally, Mooru Savita Mutt's medical college in Hubballi has been allocated 50 seats.

With this addition, Karnataka's total number of MBBS seats increased from 9,263 to 9,663.

Earlier this year, NMC chairman Dr Abhijat Sheth announced plans to increase 8,000 medical seats in India. Following the news, Patil visited with officials in New Delhi himself to present Karnataka's plea for more seats.

Furthermore, Patil stated that the rising demand for medical education each year has left many deserving candidates unable to afford the expensive tuition fees at private universities. 

He stated that the government had asked for an increase in seats and was pleased that the request had been granted.