The MBBS admission landscape in Maharashtra has witnessed a significant shift this year, with cutoff marks for both government and private medical colleges showing a steep decline. The drop has been attributed to a more challenging NEET examination and the unprecedented completion of medical seat approvals before the release of the first merit list.
The State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, which is responsible for managing the admission process, released the first merit list for 2025 on Thursday. According to the data provided, the open-category cutoff in government medical colleges has been recorded at 509 marks, a considerable decrease from 642 marks in the previous year. Private unaided colleges have also seen a similar trend, with their cutoff falling to 479 marks from last year’s 602.
A total of 8,138 MBBS seats across 64 colleges in Maharashtra are being filled this year, and the downward movement in cutoffs has been observed in both public and private institutions. The CET Cell has indicated that the change in cutoff levels has been heavily influenced by the difficulty level of the NEET examination. It has been pointed out that last year’s high cutoffs were a result of an easier paper, whereas the 2025 NEET — particularly the physics section — has been perceived as significantly tougher.
Educational experts have remarked that during the COVID-19 years, the NEET exam was deliberately simplified to accommodate pandemic-related disruptions, leading to higher scores. With the examination format returning to its pre-pandemic standards this year, an inevitable fall in marks has been seen. The shift is being viewed as a rebalancing of the competitive landscape.
Parents and student representatives have expressed mixed reactions, though many have welcomed the lower cutoffs. Sudha Shenoy, a prominent parents’ representative, has described the development as beneficial for students aiming for government seats. She has emphasised that the early completion of approvals for medical colleges has been a game-changer. For the first time, the entire approval process was finalised before the first merit list was released, removing the uncertainty that, in past years, had often resulted in inflated first-list cutoffs.
The combination of a tougher NEET paper and streamlined administrative processes has therefore reshaped the admission scenario for aspiring medical students in Maharashtra. While the increased difficulty level of the exam has reduced scores, the timely seat approvals have ensured a smoother and more transparent admission process, giving many candidates renewed hope for securing a place in a government medical college.