Additional 1122 seats, ₹1,090 crore central fund to improve infra at Karnataka’s govt. medical colleges

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved enhancement of medical seats in government medical colleges of the State by 1,122 seats for the academic year 2026-27. Not just that, the Union government has also sanctioned ₹1,090 crore for the development of infrastructure in government medical colleges in the State.

As of academic year 2025-26, the State in its 72 government and private medical colleges had 21,672 medical seats, which will go up to 22,794 seats for 2026-27.

Of the 1,122 seats to be added for the coming academic year, 550 seats will be for undergraduate (UG) courses and 572 seats will be for postgraduate (PG) courses. As a result, the State will have 14,495 UG seats and 8,299 PG seats for 2026-27.

Even in the ₹1,090 crore grant, ₹495 crore will be spent for improving infrastructure for UG students and ₹541 crore for PG students.

Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Saturday said that the NMC had approved their proposal for the massive increase in seats for the State. “Allocation of over 1,000 medical seats to a single State is a record achievement, and stands as a testament to Karnataka’s accomplishments,” he said.

He further said that all the additional seats granted this year would be government quota seats and termed the quantum of increase “equivalent to opening 10 new government medical colleges”. The additional seats allocated to the State will benefit districts, including Koppal, Gadag, Chamarajanagar, Karwar, Haveri and other districts medical colleges, he said.

“The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave its final approval to ₹1,090 crore fund on May 15, 2026,” the Minister added

Karnataka now offers abundant opportunities for those wishing to excel in the medical field, and students should make the best use of this, Dr. Patil said.